{"685447":{"#nid":"685447","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Space Research Institute Holds Inaugural Meeting","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn September 5, more than 130 space researchers gathered for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/space.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESpace Research Institute\u2019\u003C\/a\u003Es (SRI) inaugural meeting, held in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building. The event drew a standing-room-only crowd, with attendees from across all of Georgia Tech\u2019s colleges. This marked the SRI\u2019s first major convening since its launch on July 1, offering a platform to discuss its vision and bring Georgia Tech\u2019s space research efforts into closer conversation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat vision builds on work already reshaping the field. Across campus, Georgia Tech researchers are imaging \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.research.gatech.edu\/2025\/07\/14\/ligo-detects-most-massive-binary-black-hole-date\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eblack holes\u003C\/a\u003E with unprecedented clarity, flying CubeSats in heliocentric orbits that now trail closer to Venus than Earth to test \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/382282302_LONEStar_The_Lunar_Flashlight_Optical_Navigation_Experiment\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eoptical navigation\u003C\/a\u003E. They are also sending \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.research.gatech.edu\/2025\/06\/26\/space-station-testing-will-evaluate-photovoltaic-materials\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Esolar cells\u003C\/a\u003E to the International Space Station, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/node\/67\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eexploring Jupiter\u003C\/a\u003E, and, this fall, bringing the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/node\/67\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ELunar Surface Innovation Consortium Fall meeting\u003C\/a\u003E to campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat breadth is what makes Georgia Tech\u2019s space community so strong,\u201d said Julia Kubanek, vice president for interdisciplinary research. \u201cWe have experts in aerospace and biology, in materials and planetary science, in public policy and even researchers who study space through fiction \u2014 all taking on some of the most complex challenges of our time. SRI gives us a framework to support that work more deliberately, connecting researchers across colleges and disciplines and aligning with Georgia Tech\u2019s broader vision for research, education, and innovation.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/w-jud-ready\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJud Ready\u003C\/a\u003E, director of SRI, opened the session with an overview of the SRI\u2019s goals and near-term plans. He emphasized how SRI will play a role in advancing several of Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/strategicplan.gatech.edu\/bets\/leader-outcomes\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efour big bets\u003C\/a\u003E, including expanding research impact, increasing educational access, bringing value to students and strengthening the Institute\u2019s role as a national hub for innovation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the center of that effort is also the newly announced Centers, Programs, and Initiatives (CPI) program, which aims to support faculty pursuing shared research directions.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech has people already working on everything from sensors and propulsion systems to space policy, design, and sustainability,\u0022 said Ready. \u201cWe\u2019re geared towards linking that work early and giving teams the resources to go after the really big questions.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReady noted that the meeting would be the first of many community-building events hosted by SRI in the coming year, aimed at fostering dialogue and identifying opportunities for collective work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMost people don\u2019t recognize that they use space in their everyday lives nearly every second of every day.\u0026nbsp; The opportunities for space-based education, R\u0026amp;D, and commercialization are literally infinite,\u201d said Ready. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to be at Georgia Tech where we play a key role in pushing the frontiers of space, and what that could mean for this generation and future ones.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFaculty interested in future events or proposal opportunities can visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Espace.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E or sign up for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/space.gatech.edu\/get-involved\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESRI mailing list\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;To view the meeting recording, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mediaspace.gatech.edu\/media\/Jud+Ready+-+SRI+Talk%2C+Sept+5+2025+11am\/1_de4pvb21\u0022\u003Eclick here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn September 5, the Space Research Institute (SRI) held its first major gathering since launching in July, bringing together over 130 researchers from all of Georgia Tech\u2019s colleges. The standing-room-only event outlined SRI\u2019s role in uniting the Institute\u2019s wide-ranging space research and advancing Georgia Tech\u2019s strategic goals in research, education, and innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Space Research Institute (SRI) hosted its inaugural meeting on September 5, drawing more than 130 researchers from across campus to outline its vision, foster collaboration, and highlight the breadth of space research underway."}],"uid":"36757","created_gmt":"2025-10-01 18:26:01","changed_gmt":"2025-10-02 16:28:51","author":"ychernet3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678249":{"id":"678249","type":"image","title":"SRI Inaugural Meeting","body":null,"created":"1759421535","gmt_created":"2025-10-02 16:12:15","changed":"1759422268","gmt_changed":"2025-10-02 16:24:28","alt":"Executive Director Jud Ready presenting inside a room at the Marcus Nanotechnology Building for SRI\u0027s inaugural meeting.","file":{"fid":"262249","name":"Image--18-_1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/02\/Image--18-_1.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/02\/Image--18-_1.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5381943,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/02\/Image--18-_1.jpeg?itok=JoSK5dpv"}}},"media_ids":["678249"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"660370","name":"Space"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003Espace@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laurie.haigh@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}