81811 news 1080867600 1475895818 <![CDATA[Katherine DeYoung Named Director of the Coastal Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)]]> DeYoung, a Savannah native who holds a Ph.D. in genetics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, will manage the ATDC's business incubator program and support technology business development activities in the coastal area. She will work closely with Georgia Tech Savannah (GTS), the Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute (EDI), the new Savannah Maritime Logistics Innovation Center, and other local and regional economic development organizations.

"Katherine's background in the life sciences, her business experience and her knowledge of coastal Georgia will allow her to work with area organizations to expand the community of technology companies and support the entrepreneurs who are developing new ventures in the coastal area," said Wayne Hodges, Georgia Tech's vice-provost for Economic Development and Technology Ventures and director of Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center.

"As it has elsewhere in Georgia, the ATDC will help coastal Georgia organizations develop a network of technology entrepreneurs and the support infrastructure they need to launch and build successful companies," he added.

Before joining the ATDC, DeYoung served as director of clinical research at Memorial Health University Medical Center and as director of genetics and genomic technologies at BIOwulf Genomics, an early-stage biotechnology company based in Savannah. She has also chaired the basic science and genetics committees for the Southeast Georgia Cancer Alliance.

Before returning to Savannah in 2000, DeYoung was associate program director in Georgia Tech's School of Biology, where she taught courses in molecular biology and DNA technology and was named "Professor of the Year" in 2000. In the School of Biology, she also led educational outreach activities that included summer research internships, a research fellowship for teachers and a summer biology course for high school students.

DeYoung serves on the board of the Coastal Business, Education and Technology Alliance (BETA); the Engineering Academy Advisory Board of Armstrong Atlantic State University, and the Skidaway Marine Science Foundation.

"Katherine's experience as a researcher and faculty member at a leading research university positions her to be able to critically evaluate the potential of prospective ATDC member companies," said David Frost, director and professor at Georgia Tech Savannah. "I am excited that Katherine will be guiding this strategic component of the economic future of Coastal Georgia since her understanding of Savannah's quality of life allows her to sincerely relay that advantage to companies."

Organized in June 2002, Coastal ATDC already has two member companies: (1) Storm Shelter Electronics, which provides lightning protection products for the consumer and small office/home office markets, and (2) Color Maria, a Web application developer that provides subscription-based software solutions to catalog retailers. Coastal ATDC operates a business incubator in the Technology and Engineering Campus at 210 Technology Circle, Savannah 31407.

About the ATDC: The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is a nationally recognized technology incubator that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. ATDC provides strategic business advice and connects its member companies to the people and resources they need to succeed.

More than 100 companies have emerged from the ATDC, including publicly-traded firms such as MindSpring Enterprises - now part of EarthLink. Headquartered at the Georgia Institute of Technology, ATDC has been recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the nation's top nonprofit incubators. ATDC was formed in 1980 to stimulate growth in Georgia's technology business base, and now has locations in Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah and Warner Robins.

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