{"688732":{"#nid":"688732","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Building Space, Tools, and Trust","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGary Spinner\u2019s unexpected path into higher education and microfabrication began after he shifted from working as a teenage cook to studying electronics, eventually launching a semiconductor career with IBM and Intel before joining Georgia Tech in 1994. Over three decades, he advanced from cleanroom technician to director of operations for the Institute for Matter and Systems, helping expand the cleanroom footprint, modernize tools and infrastructure, and transform student roles into hands-on engineering opportunities. His mentorship shaped the careers of many former students, several of whom now work alongside him, and his leadership led to the development of SUMS, the software platform that streamlines cleanroom access and tool management across campus. Spinner continues to drive growth in facilities and capabilities, positioning Georgia Tech at the center of a thriving semiconductor ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/node\/45118\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead more \u00bb\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Gary Spinner has spent 30 years expanding Georgia Tech\u2019s cleanroom and core facilities \u2014 and the shared practices that make them work."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGary Spinner\u2019s unexpected path into higher education and microfabrication began after he shifted from working as a teenage cook to studying electronics, eventually launching a semiconductor career with IBM and Intel before joining Georgia Tech in 1994. Over three decades, he advanced from cleanroom technician to director of operations for the Institute for Matter and Systems, helping expand the cleanroom footprint, modernize tools and infrastructure, and transform student roles into hands-on engineering opportunities. His mentorship shaped the careers of many former students, several of whom now work alongside him, and his leadership led to the development of SUMS, the software platform that streamlines cleanroom access and tool management across campus. Spinner continues to drive growth in facilities and capabilities, positioning Georgia Tech at the center of a thriving semiconductor ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Gary Spinner went from an unexpected start in engineering to a 30\u2011year career at Georgia Tech, where he helped expand the cleanroom, mentored generations of students, and led the creation of SUMS \u2014 a tool that transformed access to core research facilitie"}],"uid":"27255","created_gmt":"2026-03-04 19:45:53","changed_gmt":"2026-03-04 19:50:43","author":"Josie Giles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679524":{"id":"679524","type":"image","title":"spinner-in-marcus-cleanroom.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGary Spinner working on a tool in the 20,000-sq.-ft. Marcus Nanotechnology Building cleanroom.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1772653563","gmt_created":"2026-03-04 19:46:03","changed":"1772653563","gmt_changed":"2026-03-04 19:46:03","alt":"A cleanroom technician in protective gear works at a computer workstation in a semiconductor lab, with a blue signal light in the foreground and lab equipment behind them.","file":{"fid":"263697","name":"spinner-in-marcus-cleanroom.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/spinner-in-marcus-cleanroom.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/spinner-in-marcus-cleanroom.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2223257,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/04\/spinner-in-marcus-cleanroom.jpg?itok=9ZNG5X5i"}}},"media_ids":["679524"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}