Georgia Tech's recently completed campus, called Georgia Tech-Savannah, opened this fall and is the new hub for the academic and research facilities that support curriculum in the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program, known as "GTREP." The program offers students who live in the southeast part of the state an opportunity to earn a Georgia Tech degree through distance learning connections and on-site classes without ever having to leave the area.

The new campus, located near the Savannah International Airport in the city's new Technology and Engineering Campus (TEC) development, is the anchor tenant and cornerstone of the largest technology corridor project in Southeast Georgia's history.

Georgia Tech-Savannah is a partnership that makes economic sense: The world-renowned academic, research and business development resources that Tech has to offer will not only attract and bolster economic development in Savannah's burgeoning high tech community, but also will help meet the escalating demand for engineers in an increasingly technological part of the state.

To make an even bigger impact on the region, operations on the Georgia Tech-Savannah campus include two economic development programs, with core facilities in Atlanta, that help Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies: The Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute and the Advanced Technology Development Center.

Georgia Tech - Savannah

Academics
· GTREP - The Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program, known as GTREP, offers students who live in Southeast Georgia an opportunity to earn Georgia Tech degrees in civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering through distance learning connections and on-site classes. Students take their core classes at one of the partner schools-Armstrong Atlantic State University, Georgia Southern University or Savannah State University-before transferring to Georgia Tech at the beginning of their junior year.

· Graduate Degrees - Georgia Tech graduate degrees are offered in the areas of civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering.

Campus Facts
· Georgia Tech - Savannah is the anchor tenant in the city's new 170-acre Technology and Engineering Campus development.

· Tech occupies approximately 50 acres and includes three buildings within the development: The Program Administration and Resource Building (PARB), the Economic Development and Research Building (EDRB), and the Engineering Laboratory and Analysis Building (ELAB).

· Georgia Tech facilities include 25 laboratories, six classrooms, 12 telecollaboration studios, a library and faculty and administrative offices.

· GTREP enrollment for fall 2003 is approximately 525 students. Of that number, 425 students are freshmen or sophomores at one of the three GTREP partner institutions, and 100 are juniors or seniors enrolled through Georgia Tech. Currently, there are more than 30 students pursuing graduate degrees under the advisement of Savannah-based faculty. GT-Savannah has 18 faculty members. Graduate and undergraduate courses are taught through a combination of on-site instruction and distributed education technologies.

Research at Georgia Tech - Savannah
· Diagnosis support technology - Researchers are using digital mammograms to search large archives of patient health records in order to help doctors better understand tumor images they find in new mammograms and make screenings more effective.

· High-performance materials studies - Researchers are evaluating the sustainability of composites used to reinforce hydraulic structures such as bridges and dams to find the most durable and economical options.

· Alternative energy technology - Faculty are working with public and private sectors to promote economic development and foster acceptance of alternative clean energy technologies through legislation, job training, technology transfer and promotion of Savannah as an "Alternative Energy City."

· Coastal engineering - Students are investigating the best methods to stop beach erosion and rebuild the shoreline using such solutions as structures like jetties, breakwaters, groins or seawalls, or softer structures,like beach nourishment.

Partnerships at Georgia Tech - Savannah
Academic Collaborators
· Armstrong Atlantic State University, Georgia Southern University, and Savannah State University are Georgia Tech's partner institutions for delivering undergraduate engineering education. These institutions also collaborate with Georgia Tech faculty in Atlanta and Savannah on educational and technological research initiatives.

· Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) -faculty work together with ATDC-Savannah and Georgia Tech faculty to attract animation companies to Savannah.

· Skidaway Institute of Oceanography collaborates with Georgia Tech-Savannah in coastal science and engineering programs.

· Savannah Technical College partners with Georgia Tech-Savannah in a range of educational and economic development initiatives, including alternative energy.

Industry Collaborators
· The Business, Education and Technology Alliance (BETA) helps grow the GTREP Scholarship Program that supports junior- and senior-level GTREP students.

· Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation -works in conjunction withGeorgia Tech-Savannah to deliver courses in aviation electronics and related topics that assist Gulfstream with the recruitment/education of engineers.

· Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) is the catalyst for the development of the Technology and Engineering Campus. Georgia Tech-Savannah and SEDA work together to attract significant new manufacturing and assembly plant operations to the Savannah area.

· The U.S. Army Core of Engineers, Savannah District, is the top recruiter in Georgia Tech's Cooperative Program, that gives students an opportunity to gain paid employment experience in their field while still enrolled in college.