Bestowed by the Board of Regents, which oversees the University System of Georgia, the title recognizes "outstanding full-time principal researchers" within the University System. Regents' Researchers distinguish themselves by their contributions to home universities, published works, and activity in professional societies.

Dr. Bennett, who earned her doctoral degree in electrical engineering at Georgia Tech and joined GTRI in 1996, founded GTRI's Logistics and Maintenance Applied Research Center in 2000. Focused on wireless and mobile solutions, the center has won two national awards. In 2005, Dr. Bennett became director of GTRI's Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory, which has expertise in broad areas of electro-optics, ranging from EO system design and measurement to EO modeling and analysis to microelectronics and nanotechnology.

Although Dr. Bennett's own research interests are equally diverse, she finds optical imaging systems especially appealing due to the field's complexity and wide range of applications. She also focuses on radio frequency identification (RFID) and container security technology projects.

Among other projects, Dr. Bennett's research team is building a security system that will monitor cargo containers from the point of loading to point of arrival, a project sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the system's devices will monitor container doors to see if anyone has attempted to open them. Another device in the system will detect if a hole has been cut in the container.

Container security has important implications in the supply chain, Dr. Bennett explained: "Right now we don't really know what happens when a container is en route. Someone could open the door of a container and steal the goods. Or worse, they could put in contraband or weapons of mass destruction."

Today inspections are random and manpower only allows for about five percent of cargo to be inspected, Dr. Bennett added. "Our system will enable inspectors to make better decisions about which containers should be examined."

In addition to her work at GTRI, Dr. Bennett is a professor at Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Dr. Bennett also makes time to serve on variety of professional organizations including the World Customs Organization, IEEE, Optical Society of America, and SPIE. She has written more than 85 publications, holds a patent on integrated sensor radio frequency identification with location, and has numerous patents pending for container security innovations.

GTRI and resident instruction are different environments, Dr. Bennett observed. "There are different skills required and different perspectives on what needs to be accomplished — and I benefit from being in both environments. In addition to the incredible research going on at Georgia Tech, there's great collaboration and camaraderie with colleagues. It's what has kept me here for so long."