economic development

SHES Collaborates with University of California San Francisco to Assess Pork and Poultry Worker Safety

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:45:41 +0000

SHES Collaborates with University of California San Francisco to Assess Pork and Poultry Worker Safety admin Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:45

ATLANTA and SAN FRANCISCO — When University of California San Francisco (UCSF) officials were contracted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct research on line speeds at pork and poultry processing facilities, they knew exactly who to ask for additional support: researchers from the Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) division at Georgia Tech.

A program housed in Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, SHES offers occupational safety, health, and environmental (OSHA) consulting and training services to manufacturers across the country and has worked extensively examining food-processing workers’ exposure to chemicals.

UCSF needed a partner with specific scientific expertise regarding employee exposure to a chemical used to limit bacterial growth during pork processing. SHES’ prior working relationship with UCSF also proved beneficial. In 2021, SHES industrial hygienist Brandon Philpot was the primary investigator (PI) for a collaborative project with a group from the UC system to develop safety training for workers fabricating engineered stone countertops.

“UC San Francisco’s School of Medicine was so impressed with our team's work, they came back to us for this much larger project,” said Jenny Houlroyd, Ph.D., manager of occupational health services at SHES. “We're trying to build meaningful relationships and leverage expertise across institutions.”

Study Parameters

The study was initiated when the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service division contracted with third-party experts to investigate whether increases in poultry and swine evisceration line speeds affected worker safety.

A secondary aspect of the study looked at the potential for an increase in worker exposure to peracetic acid (a food-safe chemical applied to surfaces in certain food-processing applications) when processing line speeds are increased.

“The study’s designers believed that ergonomics was the driving factor in worker safety, but they were unsure if by slaughtering and processing more animals per day, workers were also applying more peracetic acid,” said Houlroyd. “This is what the SHES team was asked to measure.”

In addition to tapping Georgia Tech’s expertise in industrial hygiene, UCSF brought in several other schools in the University of California system, primarily UC Berkeley, to assist with research.

Scope of SHES’ Role

“Our work with UC started in July 2024 and was completed in January 2025,” said Houlroyd, who served as the project’s PI and UC liaison.

Conducting the field research were SHES industrial hygienists Philpot, Sean Castillo, and Bob Hendry, as well as SHES OSHA Training Institute Education Center manager Hilarie Warren. The group traveled to six pork processing plants across the U.S. over 11 weeks.

Although the preferred method for industrial hygiene and worker exposure is to chart direct exposure to the workers themselves, the study did not allow employees to wear chemical monitors on the processing line for safety reasons.

“Our on-site sampling included putting on a variety of wearable monitors on ourselves,” Hendry said. “We’d then go to the various work areas in the plant where peracetic acid was used, stand next to the workers, and take readings.”

Each SHES team member upheld consistent sampling standards, but they were stationed at different sites. As a result, Castillo said, “It was up to us to use professional judgment to evaluate where the areas of concern were. We had to make sure we were very organized so that if I was at one site one week and Bob came out the next week, we could replicate our data almost one-to-one.”

Importance of Worker Interviews

The USDA study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, which is needed if researchers interact with human subjects. Houlroyd noted that because the USDA study was considered formal research, IRB approval was necessary.

Although conducting worker interviews was not a requirement of their participation, the SHES team set up a special room where they interviewed employees on ergonomic issues and musculoskeletal disorders.

“We were able to take the load off from our collaborators and, in doing so, speed up their process so that they could finish their research earlier,” said Castillo.

Philpot stressed the importance of worker interviews to the study. “The process was good for collecting background information on what the employees were going through, day in and day out, to see if there’s anything that we could do to help their situation.”

By putting workers at ease, he and his teammates were able to gain their trust and listen to their concerns. “They could actually see that we cared about what's going on,” Philpot said.

According to Houlroyd, “One of the reasons the UC group loved Brandon and Sean and Bob so much is that we've had so much experience doing interviews, we were quick to jump into that role and help them. Our team knows that there is dignity in all labor, so we approach workers with respect. We meet the workers where they are, and we speak to them not as an academic, but human to human.”

Study Results

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su reported that the USDA study found that faster line speeds did result in an increased risk of injuries, but that this risk “could be mitigated with other controls, specifically having more workers on the line and having effective ergonomic plans.”

The results of the peracetic acid research conducted by SHES, however, were inconclusive. “Was there more exposure at the faster line speed?” asked Houlroyd. “We found one plant where it was true, but it wasn't consistently true at all the plants, so it was determined that there should be more research.”

Regardless, she welcomed the chance to strengthen collaborative ties with the UC system and celebrated the meticulous and compassionate work conducted by SHES.

“I am so grateful for this team for traveling to remote locations in our country and spending 11 weeks in slaughterhouses,” said Houlroyd. “I had no doubt that we could do it, and we did it well.”

Summary sentence

The group traveled to six pork processing plants over 11 weeks.

Summary

The project was designed to optimize worker safety.

Dateline

Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00

etolpa3@gatech.edu

Contact

Eve Tolpa
etolpa3@gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

Hilarie Warren

Safety Health and Environmental Services

food safety

Enterprise Innovation Institute

economic development

UC San Francisco

go-researchnews

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Categories

Business

Economic Development and Policy

Research

Mercury ID

681833

Source updated

Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:45

Georgia Tech's Computer Science Initiative Expands Opportunities for Rural Students

admin — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:57:51 +0000

Georgia Tech's Computer Science Initiative Expands Opportunities for Rural Students admin Tue, 01/28/2025 - 08:57

In Georgia, where rural communities often face barriers to accessing advanced education in science and technology, Georgia Tech is leading a transformative effort to bridge the gap. The Rural Computer Science Initiative, designed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), is redefining computer science education for underserved school districts.

The program, inspired by Georgia state representative Todd Jones, connects Georgia Tech faculty and students with rural schools to co-teach engaging computer science lessons while supporting local teachers in developing the skills needed to independently teach these subjects. As Rep. Jones explains, “At the end of the day, your birthplace should not determine the type of education you receive here in our state.”

Empowering Teachers and Students

Through a combination of remote teaching and in-class collaboration, the program is already active in 40 school districts, with plans to expand in 2025. The program's co-teaching model enables rural teachers to upskill while offering students dynamic, hands-on learning opportunities. Shiona Drummer, a participating computer science teacher in Twiggs County noted, “It's been really good to me because I did not have a background in computer science. Being a part of the program has influenced my teaching in that I know I have colleagues I can call on.”

For students, the program unlocks new possibilities.

"It's been fun. It's something new,” shared a Twiggs County student. “You get to just express yourself,” she continued. “Most classes, you just sit there, pretty much just bored. This class, you get to interact with things, and it’s just more fun.”

These reactions reflect the initiative's broader goals: to inspire students, foster their confidence, and connect their education to real-world challenges. Lizanne DeStefano, CEISMC’s executive director, emphasizes this point: “The way that we've designed the Rural CS Initiative is that the student work is embedded in real-life problems, particularly those that affect our rural communities.”

Preparing for the Future Workforce

Beyond classroom learning, the program is helping shape Georgia’s future workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Rep. Jones highlights the initiative's broader implications: “We’ve given [students] that opportunity and that springboard to be able to do things they possibly may never have had the opportunity to do. It provides a greater educated workforce — one that brings us into 2030, 2040, and 2050 with the advent of AI, autonomous vehicles, and other technological advancements.”

The initiative is also tackling one of the pain points for rural communities: the belief that young people must leave their hometowns to find well-paying, high-value jobs. DeStefano explains, “We’re using this as a way to show how students can remain in their communities, contribute to them with a computer science degree or knowledge, and still be an important cog in the global workforce.”

How the Initiative Works

The professional development aspect of the Rural Computer Science Initiative helps ensure that the teachers can sustain the program’s impact long after Georgia Tech’s involvement.

Leigh McCook, who leads the initiative at GTRI, outlined the process: “We first meet with the teachers, providing professional development to walk through the modules and show them how they should get involved in the classroom. Then we co-teach the first week and guide problem-based learning in the second week to assess student comprehension.”

Ensuring that cutting-edge topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and robotics are paired with a problem-based learning approach, is how Georgia Tech is properly equipping rural students with 21st-century skills.

“Knowledge is power,” said Rise’ Jenkins, principal at Twiggs County High School. “Once you show students what’s available to them and the access they have, they just readily embrace the idea of learning.”

An initiative that moves beyond education into more of a transformation, this program aims to prepare students for careers in emerging fields while ensuring Georgia remains competitive in the global economy. CEISMC’s DeStefano notes, “We’re not thinking about filling jobs today; we’re thinking about filling jobs for the next decade.”

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech’s Rural Computer Science Initiative empowers rural teachers and students in Georgia through co-taught computer science courses, preparing them for tech careers and supporting Georgia’s future workforce.

Summary

With 40 schools systems throughout Georgia participating so far, Georgia Tech’s Rural Computer Science Initiative bridges the educational divide for underserved communities across the state by connecting Georgia Tech faculty and students with rural school systems to co-teach dynamic computer science courses, empowering teachers with new skills and inspiring students to pursue tech careers while addressing workforce needs for Georgia's future economy.

Dateline

Wed, 01/22/2025 - 12:00

Blair.Meeks@gatech.edu

Contact

Blair Meeks
Institute Communications
Georgia Tech

Associated importer

Keywords

STEM education

CEISMC

GTRI

economic development

rural economic development

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Categories

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Economic Development and Policy

Education

Mercury ID

679831

Source updated

Tue, 01/28/2025 - 08:57

Nakia Melecio to Lead Innovation Lab Effort at Enterprise Innovation Institute

admin — Wed, 29 May 2024 17:27:41 +0000

Nakia Melecio to Lead Innovation Lab Effort at Enterprise Innovation Institute admin Wed, 05/29/2024 - 13:27

Melecio, who has also served as the deep tech catalyst in the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s ATDC startup incubator, will lead Innovation Lab, which encompasses new business development efforts in life sciences and biosciences. The Innovation Lab initiative centers on three core activities:

Grow healthcare research, innovation, and workforce development practice.
Expand EI2 Global's international footprint.
Support VentureLab's National Science Foundation I-Corps activities.

“Nakia has been instrumental in helping to expand Georgia’s life sciences community and ecosystem,” said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s chief economic development arm. “Leading Innovation Lab already builds on a foundation he created since joining us in 2019 and further supports our broad economic development mission.”

He's already leading in the healthcare research practice expansion with his work in the MedTech Center and running the ScaleUp Lab Program for deep tech innovation.

Under Melecio’s leadership as founding director, the MedTech Center, which has the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Global Center for Medical Innovation as partners, has worked with and evaluated the innovations of more than 200 companies. Since launching in 2021, the MedTech Center’s 66 active startups have raised $13.1 million in investment capital and an additional $6.4 million in federal, non-dilutive funding grants.

In 2023, the MedTech Center was selected to join the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub to accelerate the commercialization of practical, accessible biomedical solutions.

He is supporting Georgia Tech’s efforts to collaborate with Atlanta University Center schools — Spelman College, Clark-Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine — to collaborate with those minority-serving institutions as they build out capacity for their scientists and researchers to create more life sciences technology companies, following an award from the Economic Development Administration.

Similarly, Melecio is working with the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a collaborative project in biologics and medical devices to move more of its researchers’ innovations out of the lab and into commercial markets.

As Innovation Lab lead, Melecio, who has secured more than $5.76 million in federal grants and awards to Georgia Tech, will also work to develop biomanufacturing partnerships for Georgia Tech.

With EI2 Global, the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s program that fosters economic opportunity through collaborations with universities, innovators, governments, and nonprofit organizations worldwide, Melecio will serve as an instructor on Lab-to-Market and CREATE-X programming for entrepreneurs. He will also create and provide educational content for EI2 Global’s university and ecosystem partners.

Closer to home, his Innovation Lab work includes ongoing projects as a principal in VentureLab, a program of Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization. In that capacity, he will work on VentureLab’s National Science Foundation-related Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programming. Those efforts, overseen by Commercialization Vice President Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, include the NSF I-Corps Hub Academy, where Melecio will serve as director.

“Our efforts with Innovation Lab are centered around finding new opportunities, new markets, and new industries by leveraging our areas of expertise at the Enterprise Innovation Institute and Georgia Tech to build economic development capacity in the life sciences and biosciences space,” Melecio said.

“We’re looking to take a broader perspective, away from being hyper-focused in one or two niche areas in life sciences, to ensure that we maximize opportunities to support new ideas, build stronger practice areas in this space, and secure funding to bring those innovations to scale.”

Summary sentence

Melecio will focus on economic development for life sciences and biosciences.

Summary

Nakia Melecio, senior extension professional and director of the Center for MedTech Excellence at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, will lead a new effort focused on economic development support for life sciences companies and bioscience commercialization and ecosystem building.

Dateline

Wed, 05/29/2024 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte C. Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316.1210

Associated importer

Keywords

biosciences

Life Sciences

economic development

Innovation Lab

go-researchnews

Nakia Melecio

Enterprise Innovation Institute

commercialization

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Categories

Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics

Business

Economic Development and Policy

Life Sciences and Biology

Research

Mercury ID

674932

Source updated

Wed, 05/29/2024 - 13:26

Partnership for Inclusive Innovation 2024 Summer Internship Applications Now Open

admin — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:52:41 +0000

Partnership for Inclusive Innovation 2024 Summer Internship Applications Now Open admin Wed, 01/17/2024 - 11:52

The PSI uses collaboration, diversity and forward thinking to elevate the outcomes of our communities and environment. Our competitive, immersive 12-week program brings together extraordinary cohorts of interns representing colleges and universities nationwide and communities around the world.

Interns will gain valuable experience working with local government, community, and non-profit leaders while receiving a summer living stipend of $8,000* for the 12-week internship. *The summer living stipend is paid bi-weekly at a rate of $16.66 an hour and is taxed as income.

Interns selected for positions are required to live within the community they serve and work in person at the work site indicated on the individual job description. PSI interns will be responsible for the cost of housing/food/transportation. All interns must have reliable transportation to get to their positions daily.

With a presence across the Southeast United States, the talent and diversity from these cohorts have demonstrated major feats. In just a few years, the PSI has evolved from a modest initiative to an unparalleled platform for innovation. The 2023 PSI cohort of 63 interns stands as its largest, most competitive, and most diverse group, to date.

Summary sentence

PIN's Opportunity for All – Innovation for Good Student Applications for Summer open through Feb. 11, 2024.

Summary

The PIN Summer Internship (PSI) is now accepting student applications for the 2024 Summer cohort. Any undergrad or graduate student from any institution of higher education with a desire to work in-person on impactful, smart technology projects that are focused on creating livable and equitable communities is encouraged to apply here through Feb. 11, 2024: https://pingeorgia.org/summer_internships_overview/.

Dateline

Wed, 01/17/2024 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte C. Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316.1210

Keywords

internship

Partnership for Inclusive Innovation

economic development

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Earth and Environment

Health and Medicine

Science and Technology

Society and Culture

Categories

Business

Research

Student Research

Mercury ID

672221

Source updated

Wed, 01/17/2024 - 11:51

Georgia Tech EDA University Center Funds Redevelopment and Housing Studies for Two Georgia Towns

admin — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:56:31 +0000

Georgia Tech EDA University Center Funds Redevelopment and Housing Studies for Two Georgia Towns admin Tue, 09/05/2023 - 10:56

FITZGERALD, Ga. — In many ways, this South Georgia town boasts the best of small rural communities. Just 23 miles east of Interstate 75, Fitzgerald has a busy downtown thoroughfare with shops, antique stores, and eateries. It has a modern airport with a 5,000-foot runway, an active mainline railroad, and industrial parks. It’s also home to a museum with a nod to its 1895 beginnings as a community and haven for veterans who fought on both sides of the Civil War.

Fitzgerald also has a successful history of industrial recruitment that has provided the community with a significant manufacturing base. Recent capital investments in wood products, food and beverage processing, plastics, and manufacturing have increased employment, personal income growth, and the community’s GDP.

With its local economy steadily improving, this community of 9,000 is also looking to boost its new home development construction activity. Now, city leaders and officials from surrounding Ben Hill County are working with the Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR) and EDA University Center at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Instituteto produce a study to figure out a viable strategy.

The study is funded in part through an Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) grant, which is administered by the EDA University Center. These grants are targeted toward economically distressed communities that can’t afford the cost of this type of comprehensive economic development research. EDA University Center grants offset some expenses that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to rural communities.

CEDR is conducting the six-month research and analysis project in Fitzgerald, which entails looking at housing that's for sale, determining what the rental rates are, and developing housing development strategy recommendations for the entire city, said Betsy McGriff, a CEDR associate project manager and lead researcher on the study. It will also include ways to maximize cost effective development strategies, such as new home construction in historic neighborhoods to help revitalize them.

“Our objective is to get a much better understanding of the factors that are deterring new home development,” said Jason Dunn, executive director of the Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority. “We want to create more homeownership and have the data needed to influence new residential development in Ben Hill County.

The need for the Fitzgerald study comes as the community has seen increased demand for more housing with options in both single family, owner-occupied homes, as well as rentals. But the city’s existing inventory isn’t enough to meet the demand, nor is it energy efficient, comprised of buildings that are at least 100 years old.

“We believe the study will give us the market data needed to pursue a public-private partnership to meet the community needs and lead to residential development that will provide housing solutions in one of Georgia's most rural areas,” Dunn said.

CEDR is also doing a nine-month study for the City of Jefferson Downtown Development Authority, located in North Georgia’s Jackson County, about 22 miles northwest of Athens. That multifaceted project, which is also partly funded by an EDRP grant, includes a housing market analysis to create a strategy to get more residential housing units built closer to its downtown.

It also includes a retail market analysis to determine what goods and services are needed in the area. It also includes visioning sessions to advise the Downtown Development Authority and help its leaders prioritize strategies and future steps needed for maximum community impact.

The Missing Middle

The two projects reflect the growing housing challenge that scores of communities face across the country said Alan Durham, a CEDR researcher and director of the Basic Economic Development Course.

“Across the U.S., right now we're short about 4 million housing units. And a lot of those missing units are entry level affordable housing, and workforce housing for police, fire fighters, nurses, and teachers. That's what's called the missing middle,” said Durham, who has been researching the national trends and leads the Jefferson project research.

As costs rise, developers are trending toward building very high-end homes. While the high-end housing market is doing well, not enough at the other end — entry-level housing — is being built, squeezing out a market segment communities need to attract.

“Millennials and Gen Z, they can't even get their foot in the door in the housing market anymore,” Durham said. “The ideal range on housing expenditures is 25% to 30% of gross income. In reality, many are spending over 50% of their wages on housing, leaving them cash-poor to deal with basic necessities and unforeseen expenses.”

Part of the research CEDR will do includes data analyses of both communities. The research will break both communities into their respective income tiers to see how many people make a set amount of money per year, Durham said.

Based on the different income tiers, the CEDR analyses in Fitzgerald and Jefferson will guide the types of housing price points leaders in both communities should pursue.

Detailed Analysis

In addition to the income tiers and bands major employers in each community pay, the CEDR studies will analyze employee commuting patterns, where residents shop for staple goods and services, and other factors that shape where people decide to live.

“These are very rural markets so our work to pull meaningful and actionable data will be different than in a metro area where it’s a little clearer or there’s just more data to be had,” McGriff said. “Our focus and approach will be a lot more granular to assess the demands of a rural market and pull out really meaningful data.”

Armed with that data, both communities will be positioned to develop strategies for targeted engagement with the right mix of investors and developers, McGriff said.

“They’re going to have to sell their communities to investors using the data we produce and the recommendations that we develop together for development strategies,” McGriff said. “These EDA University Center grants are really an investment tool for economic development, and they can leverage that money to attract investments to their communities, which could lead to more jobs and increased tax base, which just then cycles into helping these communities thrive.”

Summary sentence

Analyses to help community leaders create long-term residential home development growth strategies

Summary

Georgia Tech economic development programs helping rural Georgia communities address the challenge of the "missing middle" in housing.

Dateline

Wed, 08/23/2023 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte C. Paul
404.316.1210
peralte@gatech.edu

Sidebar

About the Georgia Tech EDA University Center
The Georgia Tech EDA University Center is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) through its EDA University Center program. Led by the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, the Georgia Tech EDA University Center supports outreach activities that seek to promote job creation, development of high-skilled regional talent pools, business expansion in innovation clusters, and create and nurture regional economic ecosystems in the state of Georgia and other states within the EDA Atlanta region (Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). The Center’s primary focus areas are innovation-led ecosystem support for universities and communities and strategic economic development support for distressed communities. To learn more, please visit grow.gatech.edu/eda-university-center.

About the Center for Economic Development Research
The Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR) is a collaborative team of economists, city planners, and economic development practitioners. Our talented economic development professionals have the research and implementation experience needed to help economic developers, community leaders, and industries alike understand the opportunities and challenges in fostering local economic development. CEDR is a unit of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s chief business outreach and economic development organization. To learn more, please visit cedr.gatech.edu.

Associated importer

Keywords

economic development

Center for Economic Development Research

EDA University Center

News room topics

Business and Economic Development

Mercury ID

669121

Source updated

Tue, 09/05/2023 - 10:46

Economic Development Administration Awards Georgia Tech $65 Million for AI Manufacturing Project

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 15:27:45 +0000

Economic Development Administration Awards Georgia Tech $65 Million for AI Manufacturing Project admin Fri, 09/02/2022 - 11:27

The Georgia Institute of Technology has been awarded a $65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to support a statewide initiative that combines artificial intelligence and manufacturing innovations with transformational workforce and outreach programs. The grant will increase job and wage opportunities in distressed and rural communities, as well as among historically underrepresented and underserved groups.

The Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Technology Corridor (GA-AIM) effort is one of 21 winning projects the White House announced today under the Biden administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The award follows a $500,000 Phase 1 feasibility grant the project received in 2021.

“Georgia Tech is honored to lead this vision of collaborative innovation and economic development across all regions of our state,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “This award underscores the Institute's commitment to leverage our resources and expertise to address great challenges, serve our state and nation, and amplify our impact on the world.”

The selected awardees represent projects in 24 states with grant amounts ranging from $25 million to $65 million.

“As we invest and grow critical industries in the U.S., we want to create industry hubs in diverse communities across the country,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “These grants will provide critical and historic funding directly to community coalitions to invest in new infrastructure, research and development, and workforce development programs while creating good-paying jobs, supporting workers, and prioritizing equity.”

The GA-AIM project is led by Aaron Stebner, associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering; Donna Ennis, director of Diversity Engagement and Program Development in Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and also director of its Georgia MBDA Business Center; and Thomas R. Kurfess, executive director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute.

“The ability to integrate our discoveries and innovations here at the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility with novel workforce programs and transformative outreach experiences is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something greater in ways that increase opportunity and prosperity for all Georgians,” Stebner said. “Through an equitable AI manufacturing innovation focus, the assembled coalition of partners and stakeholders across the state will build a more prosperous and resilient Georgia and set a nation-leading example.”

The AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility, which will allow for government and industry pilot trials, cybersecurity games, and workforce training for AI manufacturing technologies, is just one component of Georgia Tech’s support for the project.

Two of Georgia Tech’s commercialization programs — VentureLab and I-Corps South — will create a center for the commercialization of AI manufacturing technologies into local and regional startups through training built on the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps curriculum.

The Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s economic development arm, will engage in focused outreach and technical assistance to small- and mid-sized manufacturers and minority business enterprises through its Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) and Georgia MBDA Business Center programs. Other Enterprise Innovation Institute programs include the Economic Development Lab, the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, and ATDC, which will focus on outreach and engagement in distressed and underserved parts of the state, create workforce development programs, implementation strategies, and attract outside investment.

“The work that we will accomplish with our broad spectrum of partners in this new endeavor will leverage the latest technology in artificial intelligence to grow and strengthen our workforce ensuring that the growing manufacturing sector in Georgia has the skilled workforce that it requires for today’s as well as tomorrow’s needs,” Kurfess said. “At the same the high paying and secure jobs will be going to a very diverse population base from across the state, providing an equitable robust future for all citizens of Georgia.”

Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute will study the impact of automation technologies, build automation solutions tailored for rural manufacturers, and create programs that lower the barrier for rural manufacturers’ access to use the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility.

Finally, Georgia Tech’s K-12 InVenture Prize and Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing programs will expand their emphasis to rural and underserved areas of the state by piloting a rural regional event with a region-specific prize. They will also create supplemental lessons centered on AI and data science that will be part of a K-12 InVenture Prize curriculum website.

“We are excited to be a part of this collaborative effort to catalyze research and innovation in AI and manufacturing across the state of Georgia,” said Chaouki T. Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. “This project aligns with our goals to expand economic opportunity in our state's underserved communities, and to serve as a collaborative hub for interdisciplinary research that advances technology and improves people’s lives.”

Georgia Tech is working with a coalition of statewide partners to create a foundation that supports existing business growth and new business ventures across the state especially in underserved communities and rural Georgia.

“All across the state of Georgia, our programs in the Enterprise Innovation Institute work hard to unlock potential and foster economic opportunity for all, particularly in underserved and marginalized communities,” said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, and co-author of the grant proposal with Stebner. “This project leverages what we and our partners each do best to help achieve our broader Georgia AIM goals.”

Tech’s partners include the:

· Georgia Department of Community Affairs

· Georgia Cyber Center

· Houston County Development Authority

· KITTLabs

· Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

· Robins Air Force Base 21st Century Partnership

· Spelman College

· Southwest Georgia Regional Commission

· Technologists of Color

· Technology Association of Georgia Education Collaborative

· Technical College System of Georgia

· University of Georgia

“What's really special about this effort is that it's centered on a wholistic approach with innovation, not just one piece of AI or manufacturing,” Ennis said. “We're working collectively statewide to transform and propel forward our industry, communities, and most importantly, our people.”

That collective approach is critical to GA-AIM’s success, said Houston County Development Authority Executive Director Angie Gheesling.

“The Development Authority and the 21st Century Partnership lead the Middle Georgia Innovation Project, which includes 11 counties in the Middle Georgia region, a diverse landscape of communities from rural to urban,” she said. “This award further facilitates the continuation of several years of collaboration between local leadership, our universities, private industry, and Robins Air Force Base to position ourselves as a Software Center of Excellence. We are grateful to Georgia Tech for the opportunity to partner and contribute to the overall future success of GA-AIM.”

Burunda Prince, chief operating officer of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, echoed those sentiments, saying its reach is exponentially amplified through the GA-AIM partnership.

The Center will create a mobile, 5,000-square-foot LaunchPad AI Innovation Studio to provide prototyping and proof-of-concept development of physical products. Black entrepreneurs in rural and urban Georgia will have access to equipment, training, and mentoring, and LaunchPad AI will also be open to AI InVenture teams from Atlanta’s urban K-12 schools.

“As part of the Build Back Better grant, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs will help Black businesses leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence to provide better data and insights that will build stronger companies and drive greater wealth generation,” Prince said. “What makes this opportunity unique is the cross collaboration of partners which will engage and empower communities across Georgia through access to technologies that often are inaccessible.”

Equally as important is the education component and the ability for it to be a bridge to new skills and opportunities for Georgia workers, said Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier.

“The funding for the project will equip four TCSG colleges with state-of-the-art manufacturing studios that will showcase the clean, safe state of modern manufacturing,” Dozier said. “Automation in manufacturing creates a demand for more skilled jobs, giving TCSG the charge to strengthen the workforce pipeline by training Georgians in these exciting, new technologies. The Georgia AIM project provides the funding to meet these opportunities head on.”

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About the U.S. Economic Development Administration
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.

About the Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.

Summary sentence

Largest grant ever awarded to a Georgia Tech-led coalition of partners to drive Build Back Better initiatives

Summary

Largest grant ever awarded to a Georgia Tech-led coalition of partners to drive Build Back Better initiatives

Dateline

Fri, 09/02/2022 - 12:00

peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu

Contact

Writer: Péralte C. Paul I peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu I 404.316.1210

Media contact: Ayana Isles | aisles3@gatech.edu | 404.660.2927

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Aaron Stebner

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Business

Economic Development and Policy

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Source updated

Fri, 09/02/2022 - 10:55

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