Georgia Tech Research Podcast

The GTRI Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) Co-op program is highlighted in the latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast. Austen Monteith, a fourth-year chemistry student at Georgia Tech, discusses his work on extending the lifetime of peracetic acid (PAA) in chiller water and GTRI researcher Dr. Jie Xu's nanoparticle project. Courtney Martin, a biology student at Kennesaw State University, focused on bacterial reduction and plating. They detail the collaborative nature of their research and how the program has influenced their career paths.

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, spotlights a GTRI-led collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) focused on real-time sensing of peracetic acid (PAA) levels in poultry processing. The episode features Dr. Jie Xu, who leads the project, alongside team members Lance Barrett and Walker Byrnes. The host is Research Scientist Stephanie Richter.    

Senior Research Scientist Dan Sabo from GTRI's Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division shares updates on his work with peracetic acid (PAA) in poultry processing. Dan now leads a project that's playing a critical role in food safety across the poultry industry. Stephanie Richter, host of the podcast, notes that Dan has become an invaluable resource not only for his technical expertise, but also for his ability to “translate” complex chemistry into practical solutions for the industry.

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast highlights the research and integration efforts of GTRI and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The episode focuses on GTRI's “Enhanced Chilling” project, which aims to improve immersive chilling processes, particularly in poultry processing applications. The guests are GTRI researchers Dr. Comas Haynes and Saikamal Srinivas.

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is devoted to the research and integration efforts of Georgia Tech and GTRI. The episode's guests are Benjamin (Ben) Riley, a principal research associate in GTRI's Chief Technology Officer's office; and Benjamin (Ben) Yang, a principal research engineer in GTRI's CIPHER lab. They are the coordinators of the Hives Early Career IRAD program (FY26).  Ben and Ben give details about the program, which has a proposal deadline of March 28.

At the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) captured industry attention with two groundbreaking technology demonstrations. Highlighted in the latest Georgia Tech Research Podcast episode, hosted by Stephanie Richter, the expo showcased how ATRP continues to drive innovation in poultry production. "IPPE is a fantastic event that allows us to showcase what our great folks do here at GTRI," said Doug Britton, ATRP program manager. "We get a chance to network, learn what's state-of-the-art, and build relationships crucial for driving our innovation forward." The ATRP booth featured two key projects: the revolutionary poultry rehang shackle system by Dr. Konrad Ahlin and the autonomous chicken house monitoring robot, Go-Bot, led by Colin Usher. Konrad's demonstration focused on improving safety and ergonomics in poultry processing. "We're developing a system for performing the rehang action, simplifying a physically and mentally demanding job," explained Konrad. "Our device allows operators to push the birds onto a rehang mat, reducing the risks associated with manually hanging birds on fast-moving shackles." Meanwhile, Colin Usher's Go-Bot, a fully autonomous ground robot designed to monitor chicken houses and collect eggs, drew significant interest. "It started as a wild idea in 2014," Colin recalled. "The first time we showed it, farmers didn't ask about research—they just wanted to buy it. That blew our minds."

Alexis Noel, Ph.D., a senior research engineer at GTRI, manages the GTRI SEEDLab makerspace, which opened in September 2021. The SEEDLab, which includes 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines, fosters creativity and collaboration among GTRI employees. Despite its small 400-square-foot space, the lab has over 300 employees with room access and over 660 monthly users. Opened in September 2021, the SEEDLab (short for “Support for Early Engineering Design”)—is housed in the Baker Building and has quickly become a hub of activity for GTRI researchers, staff, and students. It provides access to cutting-edge tools, including multiple 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines. Despite its compact 400-square-foot space, the lab serves a rapidly growing community. “There are over 300 GTRI employees who have room access to the SEEDLab,” says Alexis. “We have over 660 individuals who sign in during work hours every month.”

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast highlights the fifth annual Georgia Regulatory Symposium, held in late 2024 at GTRI Headquarters building in Atlanta. The event was organized by Wendy White, Industry Manager for Food & Beverage at the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) of Georgia Tech.  The annual event brings together stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to discuss regulatory compliance and emerging issues in food safety.  The symposium, evolving from a breakfast event, now includes diverse speakers and topics such as cybersecurity, avian influenza, and peracetic acid research.  In the podcast episode, Wendy emphasizes the importance of collaboration between regulators and industry professionals.  The podcast also features on-the-scene interviews with attendees at the Georgia Regulatory Symposium. The attendees, from various industry sectors such as food manufacturers and regulatory agencies, speak about how their attendance at the Georgia Regulatory Symposium is valuable for networking and learning about industry updates and best practices.   If you would like to stay up to date on the upcoming 2025 Georgia Regulatory Symposium, please complete this short interest form: https://gamep.ac-page.com/regulatory-symposium GaMEP exists to enhance the economic well-being of Georgia by helping manufacturers improve their performance in the global market. Manufacturing is the second-largest private industry in Georgia. 

You are invited to listen to the next Tech Connects podcast on Friday, January 24th. The purpose of the Tech Connects series is to disseminate institutional knowledge of technical capabilities and portfolios across all of GTRI. The January 24th Tech Connects event will feature Paul Brancato and Moeiini Riley, researchers in the Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) Test Engineering Division (TEN). Low-Cost Jamming Solutions within Contested Radio Frequency Environments Modern warfare requires the use, control and dominance of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum has become a critical domain for military operations. With the increasing reliance on wireless communications and electronic systems, the rapidly evolving landscape of electronic warfare (EW) and cyber options requires new solutions to help maintain this dominance. The aim of Paul and Moeiini's research is to investigate the viability and effectiveness of employing a low-cost jamming solution, known as low-cost kitten (LCK), to enhance cyber-EM activities (CEMA) within contested radio frequency (RF) environments.  LCK is a cost-effective variant of GTRI's Angry Kitten electronic attack system that enables dynamic jamming of RF transmissions. LCK uses simple and cheap commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, and with only small modification, operates within the RF band of ground-based army systems. This provides EW capability to army units that currently do not have this capability. This research also became part of a summer 2024 GTRI Research Internship Project (GRIP), known as Command Post Kitten developed entirely at the Warner Robins field office. GRIP is sponsored by GTRI's Office of the Chief Technology Officer. The focus here was on the development, testing, and evaluation of the LCK in CEMA operational environments, considering factors of affordability, portability, and adaptability for various operational scenarios.

In the latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, host Stephanie Richter sits down with Janet Standeven, Program Director of the Frugal Science Academy at Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. A former high school educator and a passionate champion of synthetic biology, Janet's journey exemplifies how accessible science education can spark innovation and, as GTRI's mission states, “educate future technology leaders.”

This episode gives listeners a primer on Learning and Development (L&D) initiatives at Georgia Tech and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Hosted by Eric Klein, the episode features insights from Dr. Diamond Ford, Senior Director of Employee Experience and Development, and Ms. Sarah Cockrell, Director of Employee Development and Culture. The discussion underscores the vital role of L&D in fostering organizational success, innovation, and employee engagement, highlighting Georgia Tech's commitment to creating a collaborative and supportive workplace.

Daniel (Danny) Browne recently took the helm as the Director of the Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL) at GTRI. In the latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, hosted by GTRI research scientist Stephanie Richter, Danny shares insights into his journey, leadership philosophy, and vision for the future of GTRI. The episode highlights not only Danny's impressive career trajectory but also his collaborative and forward-thinking approach to research and innovation.

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast focuses on a key agricultural technology initiative at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI): the USDA Farm Processing and Transport (FPAT) project. The episode features Dr. Alexander Samoylov, a Principal Research Scientist at GTRI, who shares insights into this project, which aims to reshape the poultry industry's approach to transport and processing.

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research podcast delves into the remarkable journeys of two Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) researchers, Megan Birch and Sheila Isbell, both recently honored as finalists in the 2024 Women in Technology (WIT) Women of the Year Awards. Hosted by GTRI Senior Researcher Eric Klein, the episode explores Megan and Sheila's stories, insights, and the impact they have made at GTRI. Megan, a research scientist in GTRI's Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL), was recently named the inaugural winner of the WIT "Young Professional" Woman of the Year Award, while Sheila, principal research scientist and chief of the Software Engineering and Analytics Division within the Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL), was recognized as a finalist in the "Medium/Mid-Sized Company" category. Their stories not only celebrate personal achievements but also shed light on the influence of women in STEM fields and the ongoing efforts to inspire more women to enter and thrive in technology.

This episode focuses on the International Food Automation Networking (IFAN) Conference at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. The IFAN Conference focuses on Robotics and Automation in the food industry and examines new technology trends, industry challenges, and evolving research. The conference brings together industry leaders from across the globe for two days of education sessions and networking opportunities. The conference is organized by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI); FAN Limited; and BMC, UK. Targeted toward corporate food manufacturing engineering leaders, equipment suppliers, and end customers of such technologies, the IFAN conference seeks to provide meaningful networking opportunities, highlight tangible research and development activities, and provide a broader context for automation deployment in the food manufacturing sector. The episode includes live interviews conducted by GTRI Researchers Stephanie Richter and Eric Klein with attendees during the IFAN event.

GTRI recently celebrated its 90th anniversary with a gala event that brought together current and former employees, as well as others who have partnered with GTRI over the years.  More than 300 people gathered at The GTRI Headquarters Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia for a gala event that paid tribute to GTRI's history of innovation and collaboration. The Aug. 16 event featured dignitaries from across GTRI, the Institute, and the State of Georgia. This podcast episode is a compendium of some of the highlights from the 90th Anniversary Celebration event.  It features recordings of the speeches by: GTRI Director James J. (Jim) Hudgens Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue. The podcast also features excerpts from a "roundtable" discussion with prominent former and longstanding current GTRI employees on "GTRI: Past, Present and Future." Joining former GTRI Director Stephen Cross as panelists were Dr. Don Davis, former Deputy Director of the Electronics, Optics, and Systems Directorate (EOSD); Jeanne Balsam, GTRI Principal Research Associate Emerita, and Kim Toatley, who is the current AVP of Finance and Research Administration & Chief Financial Officer. The podcast episode also includes the thoughts of attendees at the gala event. The dozens of people you will hear in this episode (and many others) were stopped by members of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast team for impromptu "interviews." Their off-the-cuff thoughts show the passion, enthusiasm, and spirit of the people of GTRI, who are leading it into the final decade of its eventful and innovative first century.

The September 27th Tech Connects event will feature Courtney Crooks, Principal Research Scientist and Senior Staff in SEAL's Command, Control, Communications Division (C3D). Designing Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence for Decision Advantage in C3 Operations Courtney's research expertise is in forensic cyberpsychology, behavioral analysis, and human-centered design of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology with health and defense applications. Courtney's research applies foundational psychoanalytic theory to understand the national security, ethical, and societal implications of psychological responses to cyber-enabled information ecosystems and emerging technology such as AI. She further specializes in understanding the mechanisms of human-machine teaming, cognitive security, malign influence, and coercive control, through the application of human-centered design principles to build exploratory decision support technologies and human system analysis of the lived experience of key stakeholder populations.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast features a conversation with David Zurn, Principal Research Engineer in the ELSYS Laboratory of GTRI. Since joining GTRI's Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) in 2003, Zurn has worked on a variety of EW-related research efforts including radar warning receiver hardware and software development and test, missile warning system hardware and software test, and development of hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) test solutions tailored to EW applications. Zurn is currently the Division Chief of the Test Engineering Division within ELSYS. In this podcast episode, Zurn and episode host Stephanie Richter discuss his career at GTRI, emphasizing his focus on student experiences and the importance of meaningful tasks for researchers. He highlights his work on electronic warfare systems, including radar warning receiver design and cognitive electronic warfare systems. Zurn also mentioned his role as interim lab director and the challenges of managing up. He emphasizes the importance of servant leadership, diversity, and customer satisfaction, noting GTRI's growth from $300 million to nearly $1 billion in search awards over the past decade."  

You are invited to listen to the next Tech Connects podcast on Friday, August 23rd. Maybe you have heard of Tech Connects, but you're not sure what it is? Then join us for the next Tech Connects research podcast, featuring Dr. Charles Domercant, Senior Research Engineer and Research Engagements Manager for GTRI's Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Charles will speak in more detail about Tech Connects and why it is important to GTRI's mission and vision.

This episode features a conversation with Lee Wadzeck, the 2023 GTRI Leadership Award recipient. During the course of the podcast, he details his leadership style. Wadzeck is Chief of the Command, Control, and Communications Division (C3D) within the Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL) at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). In that role, Wadzeck leads a team of researchers focused on identifying and delivering critical state-of-the-art tactical airborne communications and networking solutions to address a wide array of problem sets. Prior to joining GTRI, Wadzeck served more than 20 years in the United States Air Force. His last duty assignment was as 18th Wing Superintendent of Exercises/Joint Interface Control Office, stationed at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan.

This episode covers the AI-SLAMS  (Artificial Intelligence-driven Smart Low-cost Ammonia Monitoring System) project.  The project is part of the NSF Convergence Accelerator 2023 cohort for phase one to advance solutions and critical areas. AI-SLAMS brings together insights and advances in chemical sensing, material science/nanotechnology, poultry science, manufacturing, AI, and data science. The project aims to identify challenges and opportunities and develop technology concepts and workforce training plans for developing and deploying a smart poultry farm ammonia monitoring system. This will help ensuring health growth, adequate weight gain, and welfare of birds, in association supportive worker safety on the farm.  In this podcast episode, project lead Dr. Judy Song of GTRI is joined by research team members Dr. Brian Fairchild, a UGA poultry science professor, and Dr. Doug Britton, manager of GTRI's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP).  

In this episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mark Whorton previews GTRI's upcoming 2024 IRAD Extravaganza. The objective of Independent Research and Development (IRAD) is to support The GTRI Strategic Plan through investment in projects with anticipated long-term return. Independent research investment is intended to expand capability and sustain a competitive position in critical research areas as well as foster exploration and accelerate entry into new areas that may have a high payoff for GTRI's stakeholders and potential customers.

This episode focuses on “Machine Learning Operations (MLOps)," an Independent Research and Development (IRAD) project by a team of GTRI researchers that was presented in 2023 during GTRI's IRAD Extravaganza. A noteworthy part of the IRAD Extravaganza is the IRAD of the Year Ceremony, which awards particularly outstanding projects. For each annual IRAD Extravaganza, projects are nominated for "IRAD of the Year" awards. Finalists for the IRAD of the Year were judged in two categories: Large Investment Projects, with multiyear funding greater than $50,000. Small Investment Projects, which have one-year funding of $50,000 or less.  The “Machine Learning Operations (MLOps)" project won in the Large Investment Projects category.  Research team members Maia Gatlin and Austin Ruth are the guests in this podcast episode. Gatlin and Ruth are both Research Engineers in GTRI's Electronic Systems (ELSYS) Laboratory. This IRAD focuses on the development of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to create a deployable platform of various tools for Machine Learning Operations (MLOps). The team has successfully deployed and tested the infrastructure to showcase the benefits of the platform through various use­  cases. The primary goal is to show that the infrastructure in place can not only support inference and training of machine learning models but also can incorporate active learning and continuous delivery of models to specified repositories. With the IaC, the platform is also deployable to edge and fog machines to perform tasks at the supported resource level.

The Military Graduate Research Program (MGRP) is a key component of GTRI's Intelligent Sustainable Technology Division (ISTD). The Military Graduate Research Program (MGRP) provides opportunities for U.S. military personnel to conduct part-time research at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) while obtaining a STEM graduate degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Military personnel perform state-of-the-art research as a Military Graduate Research Assistant (MGRA) working alongside full-time GTRI Research Faculty. Currently, ISTD has two military graduate research assistants (MGRAs) who are part of MGRP. In this episode, we hear from Lieutenant Kelly Bowers of the United States Navy and Second Lieutenant Margaret Warner of the United States Air Force. They will discuss how they selected their branch of service, how they came to be MGRAs at GTRI, and some of their conducted research at ISTD.

Understanding the Physics of Giant Electrical Discharges Above Thunderstorms Cloud top discharges are the largest electrical discharges on planet earth and produce many spectacular colors, including purple, blue, and red. These discharges span up to 50 miles long and can directly transfer electric charge to outer space, yet the scientific community still doesn't understand how they do this. With support from the National Science Foundation, Levi's research into cloud top discharges dives deep into the physics to learn scientifically how these discharges develop during sever weather and how they interact with the atmosphere and impact the environment. For example, these discharges produce nitric oxide (NOx), which affects the amount of ozone in the stratosphere, which in turn affects the warming and cooling of the planet.  Levi's research will seek to capture electrical discharges above the clouds using a high-speed imaging system to learn more about their physics and how thunderstorms produce such massive discharges. The goal is to gain a better understanding as to why some storms produce cloud top electrical discharges while others do not. This will also lead to a better understanding about the physical properties of these type of discharges such as their conductivity and energy. The high-speed imaging system that Levi and his team will use will be the first of its kind, and will be able to measure up to four simultaneously electromagnetic wavelengths at high speeds. Join the Slack Q&A with Levi beginning Friday, May 24th on the #tech-connects channel.

This episode of The Georgia Tech Research Podcast is an interview with Janaki Tambe, the new Director of GTRI's Project Management Office (PMO). She assumed that role May 1, reporting to the office of the COO. As the PMO Director, Janaki provides executive oversight and leadership to the PMO office. She will be responsible for maintaining a dynamic and productive team culture, fostering productive relationships across GTRI and Georgia Tech, securing project management work with GTRI laboratories, and providing best-of-class PM subject matter expertise to Department of Defense (DoD) research projects and all other organizational projects in which the PMO is involved. She also maintains accountability for all PMO activities and represents the PMO to GTRI leadership.  

This Tech Connects podcast features Dr. Jie Xu, Principal Research Scientist and Chemical and Biological Systems Branch Head in GTRI's Aerospace, Transportation & Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS).  Sensor Development for Rapid Chemical and Biological Detection The optical sensor development represents a collaborative endeavor supported by a diverse coalition of stakeholders. With support from federal agencies such as the USDA, EPA, NSF, and FDA alongside backing from the State of Georgia through the Agriculture Technology Research Program, and strategic partnerships with private sector entities like Salvus. Dr. Xu's research initiatives span a wide spectrum of applications, including food safety, medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and pathogen mitigation. Dr. Xu's research aligns with GTRI's mission of applying science and technology to solve complex problems for government and industry, enhancing GTRI's reputation as a leader in innovative research with real-world impact. She enjoys working with teams comprised of individuals with diverse technical backgrounds, fostering research freedom and collaboration.

Comas Haynes is Principal Research Engineer in ATAS and the Materials/Energy Branch Head within the Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).  Enhanced Chilling Automation for Georgia's Poultry Processing Sector Enhancing the State of Georgia economic development is one of the four focal points listed in the GTRI mission statement. The enhanced chilling project is sponsored by the State of Georgia through the Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP), along with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a recent co-sponsor. ATRP intends to drive transformational innovation in the state's (and ultimately the nation's) poultry, agribusiness, and food manufacturing spaces. Since Georgia is the #1 state in the nation in the poultry processing sector, this project is a significant part of GTRI's alignment with its mission statement.

This episode features a discussion with Austen and Jalan, the fall 2023 Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division (ISTD) Cooperative Education (co-op) students.   The co-op work-study program provides academic credit for structured work experiences, helping young people complete the school-to-work transition.   The topics covered in this discussion include their experiences, their goals, and their pathway to a great career in research while gaining hands-on work experience with the Agricultural Technology  Research Program (ATRP) projects.   This episode is a great discussion for anyone, but it has a unique appeal to high school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research. 

There are five “P's” in Georgia agriculture: Poultry, Pines, Peaches, Pecans, and Peanuts.  This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast deals with research by GTRI's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) on peanuts.   Peanuts are the official state crop of Georgia. Annually, Georgia's peanut harvest is nearly half of the total yield of the United States. ATRP research focusing on peanuts is thus well in line with GTRI's Mission aim to "Enhance State of Georgia economic development."

Center for Scalable and Intelligent-Automation in Poultry Processing (CSI-APP) This podcast highlights interdisciplinary research on a current four-year project that is being sponsored by the USDA. It is a collaboration among GTRI, Georgia Tech, Fort Valley State University, University of Arkansas and University of Nebraska. Its goal is to help modernize the poultry processing industry through novel forms of automation, the need for which has been dramatically demonstrated by the pandemic. Georgia is by far the US's largest poultry producer. Poultry is a billion-dollar industry in the state and this project aligns with GTRI's commitment to serve Georgia. The project has four research objectives: (1) intelligent automation of poultry deboning, (2) virtual reality telepresence to enable human-robot collaboration on the plant floor, (3) intelligent automation of poultry plant sanitation and health, and (4) determination of the societal impacts of automating traditional manual jobs. Recent advances in robot hardware, sensors and artificial intelligence capabilities will be fully leveraged. The project has potentially global ramifications.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast highlights a current research project under the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with Dr. Konrad Ahlin about his exploratory project called The One-Handed Rehang Device. Dr. Ahlin's project aims to address an area of poultry processing that requires tedious, heavy, and repetitive motions for workers.   

The DOD, DOE national laboratories, ARPA-E, and NASA are collaborating to reduce the cost, volume and weight of batteries while simultaneously improving battery performance (power, energy, durability) and resilience to abuse conditions and extreme temperatures. In addition to the current federal emphasis placed on battery and energy storage technology, the state of Georgia is positioned to become a regional and national leader in renewable energy technology. Manufacturing of electric vehicles and EV components is accelerating, especially in the Southeast. Tesla, Kia, Volkswagen, and Apple are just a few of the many companies contributing to the Governor's Office push to establish Georgia as the technology innovation hub of the Eastern US. All-Solid-State Batteries (ASSBs) have gained great attention due to their inherent safety advantages over conventional lithium (Li)-ion batteries, which use flammable liquid electrolytes and are vulnerable to Li dendrite growth when paired with Li metal anode. The focus of this research into is two-fold: from the bottom up, the fabrication of high-performance cells, and from the top down, a parametric model to envision insertion of this research into a feasible future circular economy.

 This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the eleventh in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with Dr. Doug Britton, Program Manager--Agricultural Technology Research Program at Georgia Tech Research Institute, and Gary McMurray, Division Chief--Robotics, Modeling, & Sensing for Agriculture, at Georgia Tech Research Institute. They speak primarily from their roles at the intelligence Sustainable Technology Division (ISTD). McMurray is the division chief of ISTD and Britton is the Associate division chief of ISTD. The talk extensively about the synergies between ISTD and ATRP--as well as partnerships with other institutions and entities. "We've been very intentional that we want to be seen as a collaborative organization," says McMurray. Britton agrees: "We've built that culture of we're here to support and collaborate and in the end 'It's still your project.'" Britton and McMurray delve into work that ISTD and ATRP have done with universities, DoD and military branches, and non-DoD governmental units. In addition,  they speak on recent "big wins" for ATRP, as well as the future of ATRP and its work.

 This podcast episode is devoted to student support from the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation. Lance Barrett and Ryan Giometti were the 2022 selected student interns. They were the first recipients of the one-year funded internships made possible by an endowment from the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation. The internships are part of ATRP's Abit Massey Student Internship Program, which provides Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) undergraduate students an opportunity to work alongside ATRP researchers on real-world challenges facing poultry production and processing. Interns also have the opportunity to gain practical industry knowledge by networking with staff at local poultry companies. The goal is to prepare the next generation of researchers and professionals to produce significant advances in innovation and technology. The program is funded entirely through donations and sponsorship from industry and friends of ATRP.  The R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation was founded by the Harrisons' daughter, Bobbie Ann Harrison Reynolds, and her husband, Raymond H. Reynolds, Jr. (a Georgia Tech industrial engineering alumnus), in honor of her late parents with a primary goal to strengthen and support education. Her father founded Harrison Poultry in 1958 in Bethlehem, Georgia.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the ninth in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks to Dr. Konrad Ahlin and Dr. Chris Heist about The R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellowship.  The R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Research Faculty Fellowship recognizes innovative, promising early-career research faculty interested in exploring breakthrough applied engineering and science research to address poultry industry challenges.  The fellowship is a prestigious three-year funded fellowship for early-career research engineers and scientists.

This episode is the second part of a special focus of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast on the 50th anniversary of Section 504, the federal law that became the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The host of this episode, J. Denise Johnson Marshall, ADA Compliance Coordinator at Georgia Institute of Technology, calls this series “a very special podcast for us at Georgia Tech.” The guests for this episode are representatives from Georgia Tech's Employee Relations Dept., Captioning and Description services, the CARES Employee Resource Group, and the Excel program. This episode is in conjunction with the creation of a special award at Georgia Tech.  As a part of Georgia Tech's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Office of Equity and Compliance Programs – ADA Compliance established an award called Advocates for Accessibility. The Advocates for Accessibility award recognizes individuals who have actively worked to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in the Georgia Tech community.   The guests for this episode are representatives from Georgia Tech's Employee Relations Dept., Captioning and Description services, the CARES Employee Resource Group, and the Excel program. Thank you to our guests from Georgia Tech's Employee Relations Dept.(Langston Jackson), Captioning and Description services (Sheryl Ballenger), the CARES Employee Resource Group (Asha Hagood), and the Excel program (Kenneth Surdin), and our host Denise Johnson Marshall.   TRANSCRIPT: Announcer This is the Georgia Tech Research podcast presented by GTRI. Join us as we move forward one research story at a time.   Announcer The views represented in these interviews do not reflect the views of the organization. They are anecdotal views of individual experiences.   Eric Klein Welcome to the Georgia Tech Research Podcast presented by GTRI. This podcast highlights research and opportunities around Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Today's episode titled Beyond Compliance is in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Section 504. This is the Rehabilitation act, which became law in 1973. My name is Eric Klein and today's host is Denise Johnson Marshall.   Denise Johnson Marshall Welcome to the Beyond Compliance Podcast. I'm your host, Denise Johnson Marshall, Director of Equity and Compliance Programs and also the Institute ADA Coordinator, and I'm part of the Office of Equity and Compliance Programs. Today we'll be highlighting the individuals that are behind some of the services that you may or may not know about at Georgia Tech and GTRI that help to impact the lives of individuals with disabilities. Today you'll hear from employee relations, captioning and description services, the CARES Employee Resource Group, and finally, the Excel program. Let's take a break from this podcast to listen to more about departments that we want you to get to know.   Asha Hagood Get to know CARES ERG the CARES at GTRI Employee Resource Group is an inclusive community for employees who identify with having a visible or invisible disability, caregivers for individuals with disabilities, and allies of the community. Our mission is to create space for issues around accessibility by amplifying the conversation around accessibility inequity and by providing educational opportunities around accessibility compliance. We're seeking to grow our membership and have several cochair positions that could use your ideas and your voice as we gear up to provide information sessions and other fun events. If you're interested and are an employee at GTRI, please reach out via our contact form on Webwise. Cares and other ergs are listed there under the Communities tab.   Denise Johnson Marshall Now that you know a little bit more, it's time to get back to the podcast. Our first guest for the Beyond Compliance podcast is Langston Jackson. Langston is the HR Compliance Coordinator for Employee Relations on our campus. Welcome, Langston.   Langston Jackson Thank you for having me.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you briefly tell us the role of your office and briefly your responsibilities?   Langston Jackson My office has several responsibilities. One of them includes the administration, Americans with disabilities reasonable accommodations process for employees. We administer that. The office is also responsible for coordinating the development of the Institute's Affirmative Action Compliance Program, as well as the administration of the university's impartial board of Review Appeals process and Procedures.   Denise Johnson Marshall That's very interesting can you tell us a little bit about what elements of an employee's job responsibilities do you consider when you're considering reasonable accommodations? And also, could you define that a little bit for us? What are reasonable accommodations?   Langston Jackson So under the ADA, a reasonable accommodation is basically a modification or adjustment to the job or the work environment that allows a person with disability to still perform the essential functions of their job. The essential functions are the major components of the job duties. Minimal parts of the job duties are not considered essential functions. It is the functions that take up a large part of the job aspects.   Denise Johnson Marshall Do you have any examples of that?   Langston Jackson Yes. For example, individual that's a courier, their essential functions may include driving, whereas your most administrative functions would not include that. That would be in office work. Accommodation for a courier would have to take into consideration driving requirements, whereas most individuals, they don't understand that ADA does not contemplate how they get to and from work. So what the ADA does take into consideration is the essential functions that they're taking when they are working.   Denise Johnson Marshall So who decides what is essential? What isn't essential? You had an example of a carrier, and it may be essential to be able to get back and forth as far as those other types of tasks. Who decides what is essential?   Langston Jackson What will happen in the accommodations process? My department will send a request for essential functions and job analysis forms to be completed by the employee supervisor. We typically ask that they return those documents to us within five business days. Those forms break down into percentages what the job duties are. We ask that they give us at least four and that the supervisor breaks them down into percentages for us to review and to consider in the accommodations process.   Denise Johnson Marshall So what should an employee with a disability expect when they're going through this process?   Langston Jackson It's an interactive process. It requires give and take from the employee, the department, and from our office. We obtain the essential functions in the job analysis forms, and a key component is another form called the medical certification form. That form gives us what the condition is. It gives us an idea if this is a temporary or permanent condition. It lets us know what the limitations are for the individual, and it also gives us recommendations for the accommodation for the employee that will help them best perform the essential functions of their job.   Denise Johnson Marshall What type of guidance does your office give to the Georgia Tech larger community, such as maybe supervisors or HR business partners?   Langston Jackson With regards to our interactions to supervisors and the HR business partners, we first and foremost try to make sure that they are aware and are sensitive to the accommodation for the employee. What we like to do with all of them is to ensure that we've gone over the process and the Americans with Disabilities act with them so that they understand certain requirements and certain things that the department will have to supply to the individual. What we often find is that individuals that haven't gone through this process before, we explain everything with regards to the essential functions, the medical certification form, and then we like to go over any questions that they may have. It's really a give and take. At the end of the day, we try to establish that the department can make their recommendations as well, and we're letting them know also what the employee is asking for.   Denise Johnson Marshall So what is the best way for an employee to contact you if they just have questions or they want to get the process started?   Langston Jackson Anyone wishing for additional information may contact the office at employe-erelations@ohr.gatech.edu. Again, that's employee-relations@ohr.gatech.edu. They can contact me directly by email at ljackson98@gatech.edu.   Denise Johnson Marshall As our listeners may or may not be aware, we are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation act of 1973. With that in mind, are there any final thoughts that you have on your office's mission and goals?   Langston Jackson As we're celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, we recognize the many strides that have been made and that there are many more that we still can improve upon for employees with disabilities. My office is proud to continue in advancing this work forward and here to assist and guide all employees at Georgia Tech with the provision of reasonable accommodations.   Denise Johnson Marshall Langston, thank you so much for taking the time out to briefly talk about your office and what you do.   Langston Jackson Thank you all for having me. Thank you for all that you do for the employees here at Georgia Tech.   Denise Johnson Marshall Let's take a break from this podcast to listen to more about departments that we want you to get to know.   Kendra Brown Get to know the center for Inclusive Design and Innovation the center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, also known as CIDI, is housed within the College of Design at Georgia Tech. The accessibility experts at CIDI have decades of experience in user centered accessibility research and delivery of services to help individuals with disabilities. CIDI's overall mission is to improve the human condition through equal access to technology based and research driven information services and products for individuals with disabilities. With its rich history of providing accessible solutions to an underserved community, CIDI has positioned itself as a leader in accessibility and inclusion. CIDI is committed to promoting technological innovation and addressing unmet needs by providing accessible and inclusive environments for all. Maintaining dynamic partnerships with universities, state agencies, publishers, nonprofit groups, and corporations allow CIDI to continue to expand its expertise and further advocate for accessibility in Georgia, across the country, and internationally. For more information about CIDI, you can visit their website at www.cidi.gatech.edu or you can contact their customer support team by phone at 404-894-7756.   Denise Johnson Marshall Now that you know a little bit more, it's time to get back to the podcast. Our second guest today is Dr. Sheryl Ballenger. Dr. Ballenger, thank you so much for being a part of our second Beyond Compliance podcast.   Sheryl Ballenger Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.   Denise Johnson Marshall Dr. Ballenger is the Manager for Deaf and Harder Hearing Services as a part of the center for Inclusive Design and Innovation here at Georgia Tech. Dr. Ballenger, can you briefly tell us about your role within CIDI and your responsibilities?   Sheryl Ballenger Yeah, I'd love to. I am Manager of our captioning and describe media services as part of CIDI. This is a unit that started in 2011 when CIDI was interested in entering into being able to provide services for students who were deaf and hard of hearing. My background being an interpreter for the deaf one point, and also with a degree in deaf Education, made it a good fit for me. We were able to then begin having captioning for classes for students in different colleges across the Board of Regents, as well as captioning videos that were used in educational environments. First series that we actually captioned was a welding series for one of the technical community colleges in Georgia.   Denise Johnson Marshall That is very interesting. When we often see captions or audio descriptions, we know that it's there, but we really don't understand what it takes to get there. Can you tell us a little bit about that process?   Sheryl Ballenger Sure. First of all, we're going to look at video captioning or caption Media, whichever way you would like to phrase that. Basically, that involves media access. Most of the media that we do work on is for education purposes, but we also serve nonprofits and other groups that post media to their websites and want those videos captioned. There's also speech to text systems and there's two main ones that are used. The first would be CART. CART, and that stands for communication access, real time translation. This requires a skilled stenographer who's using a stenotype machine and is writing at a near verbatim speed. No matter how fast the speaker is speaking, they're keeping up with them. And then another speech to text system that we use is called either Cprint, the software or Typewell. This type of captioning is meaning for meaning. The Cprint software was developed by National Technical Institute for the Deaf. They developed the Cprint software about 20 years ago or so in a way to make sure that there was a meaningful way for captions to happen for deaf students. The Cprint software actually uses a qwerty keyboard and is something that most people already have skill with to be able to provide once they do CPrint training.   Denise Johnson Marshall How do you know what is appropriate to use in which instance   Sheryl Ballenger That's determined by the user. If a student attending college will consult with their disability services office together, they, with their disability services coordinator can work out which would be the best for their use. CART does require near verbatim English skills, so that would be somebody who is a very strong reader and who can read to learn. And that's a different skill than just reading for enjoyment. Reading for learning is difficult for some people and then Cprint because of the way it was created by the technical institute for the deaf, because it's developed for a meaning based representation of what's spoken, is typically more of a form that's understandable by people who don't have the ability to really learn everything from reading and want to see that language put in a way that's more understandable. Transcripts are also available for both services, CART or Cprint, so they also kind of serve as a double accommodation so a student can have real time access with CART or Cprint, plus they get notes afterward that they're able to then use for studying later on. You kind of mentioned audio description. It's not really one of the speech to text systems at all, or captioning, but it is used on videos. Audio description is visual information that describes the action, what's being shown on screen, what graphs may include, that kind of thing.   Denise Johnson Marshall So if I'm a department and I have an event and I want to get it captioned, what would be some of the things that I would need to take into consideration? More specifically, what is the difference between closed captioned and open captioned?   Sheryl Ballenger Well, if you're planning an event, first thing you're going to want to do is put out a statement letting your participants know that you're going to have accommodations available. Usually one of those accommodations would be we're going to offer captioning, and when it's an event, it's usually cart because that's more near verbatim and that's what most of the audience is going to prefer not just people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Use cart people who need a little more support to understand what's going on, use Cart as backup for listening once it's determined that Cart is going to be provided as a coordinator or event planner, then you would need to contract with an agency that supplies cart. Once you have contracted with an agency that's going to supply your cart, you're going to need to make sure that the event, whether it's online or in person, has good audio and connectivity for connecting. If it's going to be with a remote service provider. In most cases, that's going to require testing in the beginning just to make sure that you are connecting and that the audio is nice and clear and that the cart captionist is able to understand and hear clearly.   Now you asked about open or closed captioning. Those terms refer to the video captioning or caption media. When video captions are created, the choice is closed or open. Closed captioning means that the user will need to turn those captions on or off. If they choose to use them, they'll turn them on. So YouTube provides a way for turning captions on on a video. Televisions and things that people view screens always have a way to turn captions on or off. But in some cases, when you're showing videos that may be projected on a screen that are used for general information purposes, captions for those need to be open. So open captions are always there, they're burned onto the video. Those captions are not chooseable. You can't turn them off or turn them on.   Denise Johnson Marshall How much time does it take for audio description and what does your team do.   Sheryl Ballenger Regarding the time of how long it takes to have a video captioned or to set something up, or to have audio description added to your video. Video captioning that is accurate starts with a transcript, a correct transcript with punctuation, correct spelling, speaker identification and sound effects if there are any in the recording. Typically, that takes seven to 14 business days. For us at CIDI, section 508 calls for captions that are accurate and synchronized. That means there can't be anything that's not correct in the captions. For audio description, we start with viewing and writing a script of the action or visuals that may be in a film. The script is revised several times to ensure that it is both succinct and that it conveys the essence of the scene that is appearing on the film. Then placement of the lines in the script is determined. We don't want to make a video become longer or too much longer than what everyone else is going to view? Because that wouldn't be fair. We have to find places to fit the description in in the nonadio segments to make sure that audio described film meets our standards and what we want to see. As far as good audio description, that typically takes three to six weeks or so depending on the length of the video and the content.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you tell us what is the difference between automatic captioning that you may find on a lot of video conferencing platforms versus real time captioning?   Sheryl Ballenger Accuracy is important here. If you were having a low stakes meeting, maybe it's just a small group. The employee is very familiar with everything that's going on in the unit, knows all of the types of systems that are used. This is not a training event. This is just a conversation that's going to happen between employees. Then that might work for using an automatic type captioning service such as something that's included in Zoom. But if you're talking about high stake settings, then the auto generated captions are not appropriate. The problem with auto generated captions is that they do strive for the best guess. If it didn't quite comprehend a word, the system didn't understand the accent of the speaker. It's just going to throw in a word that makes sense in that sentence. But that may not actually be what was spoken and it could actually lead somebody to understand the wrong thing. When we did some tests on some of the auto generated systems that are used in the US, the very best platform scored at 89% accurate. That means that 11% is still inaccurate and it's not fair to the user who's depending on these captions to miss out on 11%.   Denise Johnson Marshall What is the best way to learn more about captioning, audio descriptions or just ways to make your content more accessible?   Sheryl Ballenger The best thing you could do is to just use it. When you watch YouTube videos, turn on the captions if you create content of your own and post to YouTube. Google Help has information where you can learn how to caption your own videos and you'll actually be contributing to the media that's more accessible for everyone. When you do that, you can attend movie theaters that offer caption devices. They even have described audio devices that you can check out from the customer service area and listen to during the movie. All television and subscription service broadcasts now have captions. Most of the subscription services also have descriptions added.   Denise Johnson Marshall Are there any final thoughts that you may have for the Georgia Tech community on your office and your mission?   Sheryl Ballenger Our mission at CIDI is to improve the human condition through equal access to technology based and research driven information services and products for individuals with disabilities. Part of what we do at CIDI is to make sure that we offer many services as well as we conduct research and accessibility. We also house Georgia's Tools for Life program, which is an Assistive Technology act federally funded program. Part of the fun they get to have at work is to use some of these great assistive technology tools that are available and show them to individuals who are interested in learning more about them. Our website is cidi.gatech.edu. That is cidi.gatech.edu.   Denise Johnson Marshall Dr. Ballinger, thank you so much for being a part of our second Beyond Compliance podcast.   Sheryl Ballenger You are so welcome. I enjoyed being here.   Denise Johnson Marshall Let's take a break from this podcast to listen to more about departments that we want you to get to know.   Kendra Brown Get to know the Office of Disability Services for Students. The Office of Disability Services, or ODS, collaborates with students, faculty and staff to create a campus environment that is usable, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive of all members of the Georgia Tech community. If students encounter academic, physical, technological or other barriers on campus, the Disability Services team collaborates with the students to find creative solutions and reasonable accommodations. ODS, located in the Smith Gall Student Services Building, also known as the Flag Building Suite 123, is passionate about providing support and resource information for students with disabilities at the institute. For more information, visit our website at disabilitieservices.gatech.edu or email us at dsinfo@gatech.edu. That's dsinfo@gatech.edu.   Denise Johnson Marshall Now that you know a little bit more, it's time to get back to the podcast. I'd like to welcome our third guest today to the Beyond Compliance podcast, and it's Asha Hagood. Asha is the Senior Project Support Specialist with GTRI. Welcome, Asha.   Asha Hagood Thank you so much for having me.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you tell us a little bit about your role and your responsibilities?   Asha Hagood As you stated, I work as a project Support specialist Senior on the Organizational development team, and I lead the team's quality assurance efforts for all of the content that we push out, and I also do some program management within that role. We administrate some great programs in support of employee growth and development, like the Career Link program, Job Rotation, Toastmasters Club, and we sit within the Employee Experience team under GTHR. We contribute to the organization's strategic vision by providing high quality, impactful learning experiences. Things that we develop are primarily for our GTRI audience, but we also support campus efforts. Additionally, I'm the Executive sponsor or Chair for the CARES ERG. ERGs Being employee resource groups, I stepped into that role in May of this year.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you tell me a little bit more about the CARES Employee Resource Group and a little bit about the mission?   Asha Hagood All of the ERGs were established in 2020 in conjunction with a GTRI 2020 Strategic plan. Overall, mission and purpose of all of the ERGs is to facilitate an inclusive work environment, thereby promoting a sense of community and belonging at GTRI, and to create a shared space to strategically impact change. There are a few ERGs cares is one of six ERGs. Apart from functioning as a beacon for employees who require accessibility solutions, as well as for those who are advocates for the accessibility community or caretakers, I like to think that our mission is to cultivate thought leaders in the realm of accessibility and accessibility awareness. We help provide insights to influence decision makers to keep accessibility front of mind One of our members made the point recently that accessibility provisions and mindfulness may seem like an extra step now, but it could and should become a part of your workflow if you create content or manage people.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you tell us about some of the resources that you provide to employees with disabilities? What are those specific resources that the ERG provides?   Asha Hagood Our strongest resource right now is ourselves and the lending of our voices for employees who may need them. We're a group of about 25. Some folks might be hesitant to speak up about an accessibility need. They may not want to self-identify or be considered a squeaky wheel, but we'd consider it a win if that hypothetical employee will reach out to cares and ask us what we could do to support them. And that support could look like putting them in touch with resources such as CIDI Centers for Inclusive Design Innovation. They're a tremendous resource. As well as the Georgia Library Service, the GLS is also under the USG umbrella. The GLS serves people who are blind or print impaired. Or I could put them in touch with your office or with Dr. Anne Harris. If they're meeting with resistance or running into brick walls, the support of our group could give them a second wind. CAREs could help move the needle.   Denise Johnson Marshall And, Dr. Harris is the compliance advisor who works with our guests that we had on early Langston Jackson.   Asha Hagood Yes, yes, indeed. We've partnered with Dr. Harris on some initiatives, such as the Self Identify campaign. That was an important initiative. The data that bears out from that initiative can help us to launch some programming that would be meaningful to the folks at GTRI.   Denise Johnson Marshall In the CARES ERG. Do you have meetings or is all the information just found online.   Asha Hagood We have a monthly meeting with our members, and we discuss different initiatives that we want to roll out, and we do publicize that within some channels at GTRI. We do a notice to remind members to attend the meeting and to also invite others who just may be curious to come on and attend the meeting as well. Aside from just using the group as a resource or a touchstone, we've got a tip sheet up on our WebWise intranet site and we're going to add some other content there soon. And we're also going to host a screening of the critically acclaimed film Crip Camp, so stay tuned for that.   Denise Johnson Marshall If I work for GTRI and I'm a manager and I wanted to connect an employee to the group, what would be the best way to do that?   Asha Hagood They can search us up on WebWise. Under the Communities tab, all of the ERGs are listed. We have a contact form there. They could reach out to us via that form, or they could reach directly out to me. Asha Haygood by email or slack.   Denise Johnson Marshall That is great. This is definitely a model for the Greater Georgia Tech as well, and it's a great way for us to close out our 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation act of 1973. As our final question, do you have any final thoughts for us? Just about your program, its mission and its goals.   Asha Hagood I would like to note that we are looking to grow our membership, so that is always a goal. Every voice that comes on board contributes to more diverse thought and reinvigorates our mission. So we're looking for some co-chairs in a couple of areas, and they would serve as the primary contact for outreach and maintaining partnerships and also community engagement. And they would serve as the primary contact for communications, marketing and those related activities. That's what I'd love to leave you with. And also, I thank you so much for extending an invitation to come and chat. Conversations like these will help ensure that accessibility is a forethought and not an afterthought, as one of our cares members recently stated.   Denise Johnson Marshall Thank you. We're happy to have you. And just one final thing, can you just remind all of GTRI again? What is the best way to get the information on this particular ERG or any of the ERGs?   Asha Hagood To get information on any of the ERGs, you would go to the webwise page, and that's GTRI's intranet. Under the Communities tab, all of the ERGs are listed. If you're interested in ours, you would click CARES Erg and that will take you to our page and our resources and my contact information.   Denise Johnson Marshall Thank you so much. I appreciate your time today.   Asha Hagood Thank you so much again Denise for having me.   Denise Johnson Marshall let's take a break from this podcast to listen to more about departments that we want you to get to know.   Kendra Brown Get to know the Office of Equity and Compliance Programs the Office of Equity and Compliance Programs is here to educate, identify and illuminate systemic and institutional barriers to equity and inclusion at Georgia Tech while creating a culture beyond compliance. Our office provides support and investigates matters involving accessibility compliance issues. These issues can include physical or digital accessibility barriers on campus, disability, discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Additionally, we provide resources to pregnant and parenting individuals. As a part of our mission to educate the campus community about our office and the work that we do, we offer a series of trainings and workshops. This is to ensure that our campus partners have the tools to support the institutional strategic plan of expanding access and creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. We invite you to collaborate with us as we work together to build a better Georgia tech. To learn more or submit a report of compliance issues, visit our website at diversity.gatech.edu/equityandcompliance.   Denise Johnson Marshall Now that you know a little bit more, it's time to get back to the podcast. I'd like to welcome our fourth guest to the Beyond Compliance podcast. We have Dr. Ken Surin. Ken is the Director of the Excel Program. Welcome, Ken.   Ken Surdin Nice to be here, Denise.   Denise Johnson Marshall Ken, can you tell us about the area of your role within the CEISMC program and then specifically about your responsibilities?   Ken Surdin Excel at Georgia Tech is a program within CEISMC. It's a four year certificate program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and it falls under the classification of Inclusive post-secondary Education.   Denise Johnson Marshall For those who may not be as familiar, can you tell us exactly what is the CEISMC program? Your overarching program that the EXCEL Program is a part of.   Ken Surdin Within Georgia Tech is the center for Education, Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing. EXCEL is part of that program. EXCEL was started in 2014 and we had our first group of students, a group of eight in a cohort, begin in 2015. There's about 260 programs across the country that are IPSY programs. EXCEL is one of about 40 4 year programs that offer Pell Grants, on campus housing, inclusive clubs, internships and is designated as a comprehensive transition program by the Department of Education. I am the founding director of that program going into my 10th year. Like a lot of directors across Georgia Tech, I am writing grants and raising funds for program needs and scholarships so that we can make sure that our program is both equitable and accessible to students that may not otherwise be able to afford college and be able to attend Excel.   Denise Johnson Marshall Can you tell us a little bit about the history of the Excel program at Georgia Tech, and then also a little bit about some of the other similar programs in higher education that we may have modeled ourselves after or we've exceeded the expectations.   Ken Surdin Great question. Excel was birthed out of the College of Business by Terry Blum, who was the former dean of the College of Business and the founding director of Georgia Tech's Institute for Leadership and Social Impact. Also, Professor Cyrus Auiden from the School of Mechanical Engineering both had a son and a daughter who had an intellectual and developmental disability, and they saw this growing movement across the country of inclusive programs and they thought, Georgia Tech has a standard of excellence. Why not have a program at Georgia Tech that could be as good and hopefully better than any of the other programs that existed out there? They really helped birth the program and then they hired me about a year in advance of having any students on campus to develop all aspects of the program. I had a year to do it and work under the structure of being a pilot program under the provost office. That really is the incubation of EXCEL. Also say that what makes us unique is that most programs like EXCEL across the country are housed within special education centers within a university or college, and they're typically liberal arts institutions.   Ken Surdin Georgia Tech is not a liberal arts institution and the fact that we came out of the College of Business and are now in CEISMC really shows how entrepreneurial the mindset was in creating EXCEL. In fact, all the staff and faculty that are involved with EXCEL have used design thinking to develop the courses, to develop competencies and curriculum and measurement of our outcomes so that we can track individual students progress, students as a cohort's progress, and also our program's progress to make sure that we are constantly under a continuous improvement model. I think that really sets us apart in terms of the programs across the country is the fact that we're tracking what we do, throwing out what doesn't work and improving what does.   Denise Johnson Marshall It also sounds like an asset to have that type of thinking with this program. If there is a student out there who wants to work or volunteer for this program, can you tell us how they could do that? And then also, what does the whole selection process look like?   Ken Surdin Absolutely. We have a full-time mentor coordinator. His name is Luke Roman. He's been with the program for six years. He helps recruit students to work with our students as mentors and coaches. He will take a phone call or an email. You can reach out to him. You can reach out through our website and find out more about how to be involved with the program. I'll also add that the feedback from many of our mentors over the last nine years has been that the experience has helped them in their co-ops and their internships and also gain employment after they graduate. They've been told that employers often ask them about their EXCEL experience, and the reason is that employers are looking to hire people that are collaborative, that can work in groups, that can work with people that may see the world differently, and who are able to quickly understand when somebody may not understand something they're saying and pivot and rephrase what it is they say so that they communicate clearly. They believe that working with EXCEL students has taught them how to do that. Another thing I'll add is that Georgia Tech degree seeking students are the hiring managers and employers of the future, and the fact that they're working with our students means that one day they may be in a position to hire them because they're aware of their gifts and their capabilities and their assets can help carve a job that might be appropriate for them.   Denise Johnson Marshall Sounds like a great asset to be located exactly where we are. Through your ten years of being the director of EXCEL, what would you say are the top three experiences that participants have said have been the best part of their time with the program?   Ken Surdin I would point to students talking about gaining greater independence and independent living skills by living on campus or in many cases, private dorms just off campus, being involved in the community of Georgia Tech, gaining friendships within the program among mentors, improving their social skills, which is an asset for gaining employment, something that we do through an evidence based social skills course that we teach and in which degree seeking students act as mentors. Employment and the opportunities that they gain through their internships on and off campus are something that students get really excited about. And finally, convocation or the graduation ceremony, which is really the cherry on top for all of our students.   Denise Johnson Marshall What does EXCEL's Career placement program look like?   Ken Surdin Great question. I'm glad you asked that. We have three full time career advisors staffed at EXCEL faculty and staff. They teach career courses starting the first semester that a student arrives on campus. Students do internships every semester after that at a minimum of seven internships. Give you an example. I had a cohort of eleven students graduate and they had 96 internships between them by the time they graduated. Their students are taking career courses, participating in internships on campus, at Barnes and Noble, at CIDI, at the Dean's office. They're also participating in internships and paid jobs with over 100 employers that we work with, the Center for Disease Controls, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. I've had two students intern there. I've had four students intern at Georgia LEND. I've had students intern at Fulton county government, and on and on and on. I could talk about the internships they're involved in. Another thing I'd like to add that sets Excel apart from many programs is that we actually track our graduate employment outcomes from year to year. 93% of our graduates are currently employed. If you look at Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2022, only 21.3% of people with any disability were employed in America, and it was about 19% for the population that we serve intellectual and developmental disabilities.   Ken Surdin The fact that we're at 93% shows that our students are motivated and capable of working and that opportunities need to be put before them so that they can show those capabilities and be participants in the world of work and their communities at large.   Denise Johnson Marshall Are there any final thoughts that you want the Georgia Tech community to know about your program and your mission?   Ken Surdin Yeah, sure. Our mission is Excel at Georgia Tech, providing an innovative, inclusive college experience for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, awarding professional education certificates, and preparing students for employment and fulfilling lives. One of the other aspects of the program that's really important, especially when it was being founded, was that Terry Blum and Cyrus Aidun wanted to make sure that the program fit within the strategic mission of Georgia Tech as a whole. Improving the Human condition was front and center, and this program definitely supports Georgia Tech's mission and their values and their ethics. One thing that many programs don't do, that we do is provide a whole year of transition courses to prepare students for life after college that cover seven key areas of transition. So, for example, housing. Where are you going to live? Transportation. How are you going to get back and forth to where you live and to your job? Where are you going to work? Health and wellness, Technology. Just some of those, to name a few. But we work on developing a plan for the students, also working with the families to understand what level of support the students will need when they graduate so that they can succeed in the world after college.   Ken Surdin I often say that we are preparing our students for the world of work and to be full participants in their community. But the world of work and communities are not prepared for our students. If you enter with a disability in our program, you're exiting with a disability from our program. And all the challenges that exist for people with disabilities in the world still exist when you graduate from college. We may be better preparing our students for life after college, but all of those challenges are still there as a nation and a state, and as communities, we still have a long way to go to make sure that these students are successful post-graduation.   Denise Johnson Marshall One last time, how can individuals contact you, your office, your program? If they want to know more information.   Ken Surdin You can contact us at excel@gatech.edu. That's excel@gatech.edu.   Denise Johnson Marshall Ken, thank you so much for your time today. It was great to hear about the program and its continued growth.   Ken Surdin Denise, it was an absolute pleasure to be on this podcast and I wish you all the best and hope that you keep doing it.   Denise Johnson Marshall Thank you. Let's take a break from this podcast to listen to more about departments that we want you to get to know.   Kendra Brown Get to know GT Human Resources employee relations at Georgia Tech individuals with disabilities have an equal opportunity to pursue education or employment and to have access to campus programs, activities and services. If you are an employee or visitor and you have a disability and need assistance, we are here to help. The purpose of Georgia Tech Human Resources Employee relations is to one, coordinate, facilitate, and monitor the interactive reasonable accommodation process, or RA plan, which may assist qualified employees in performing the essential functions of their position and two, coordinate Georgia Tech compliance with the employment requirements of the Americans with Disabilities act, or ADA, and with other related laws, policies and procedures and three, ensure qualified persons with disabilities have full and equal access to all terms and conditions of employment, regardless of disability and four, educate staff on their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities act and provide technical assistance as needed. For more information, please visit our website at ohr.gatech.edu/disabilityservices or email us at employee-relations@ohr.gatech.edu. That's employee-relations@ohr.gatech.edu.   Denise Johnson Marshall Now that you know a little bit more, it's time to get back to the podcast. Thank you for joining us for our Beyond Compliance podcast. This is the end of our series of the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation act of 1973. Join us for future broadcasts on beyond compliance.   Announcer And thanks to everyone joining us for this episode. For more information on this episode's guest and additional resources, check out the show notes for this episode and feel free to contact us via email at podcast@gtri.gatech.edu. If you aren't aware already, please note that the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Tell your colleagues and others who might be interested in Georgia Tech research to subscribe and tune in.    

This episode is in commemoration of Veterans Day. GTRI has a longstanding and deep partnership with the military community. More than 90% of GTRI's research awards come from the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Navy. Therefore, it is fitting that military-focused events and holidays are prominent on GTRI's calendar. With Veterans Day around the corner, we wanted to talk through some leadership and mentoring questions from a female perspective.  This podcast episode has been developed to help understand the "ins and outs" of professional development within the United States military, Georgia Tech, and GTRI. The guest in this episode is Dr. Anne Clark – Chief Scientist with the Air National Guard Programs Division (ANGPD) at GTRI and a retired USAF colonel. She helps provide content to our world that we can use for better leadership guidance and professional opportunities.  We have developed some commonly asked questions derived from LinkedIn comments.  In this recording, we will be attributing the questions to comments inspired by contributors from the LinkedIn platform to the individuals wanting to hear Dr. Clark's perspective on this topic.   Below are the time stamps and contributors that best represent the question being asked. Time Stamp 5:16 - Question #1: Inspired by Michael AD Time Stamp 10:53 - Question #2: Inspired by Deb Van Caster Time Stamp 15:04 - Question #3: Inspired by Georgia Riggs Time Stamp 19:41 - Question #4: Inspired by Lee Riddle Time Stamp 22:26 - Question #5: Inspired by Brianna Herron Time Stamp 26:13 - Question #6: Inspired by Afsaneh A. Time Stamp 29:43 - Question #7: Inspired by Billy Starkey Time Stamp 33:14 - Question #8: Inspired by Dr. Mark T. Maybury Time Stamp 38:43 - Question #9: Inspired by Chelsea Selby We want to thank everyone for contributing to this project and helping get the right questions, to the right person, at the right time.

The episode is meant to provide members of the GTRI Community with answers to common questions about training -- particularly Quest LMS courses. The guest is Sarah Cockrell, Director of Employee Development at GTRI. Sarah's team is responsible for the internal training of the GTRI workforce, including services such as: Training and development. Professional development. The CareerLink mentoring program. The job rotation program. Education assistance. In the episode, Sarah touches on the organizational structure of her unit and others that provide services to employees under a general "human resources" umbrella. She also speaks at length about Quest LMS, GTRI's employee training and professional development tool.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is devoted to the Agricultural Technology Research Program's collaborations with the University of Georgia (UGA) Poultry Science Department. ATRP works closely with UGA for research projects to support the poultry industry. The guest for this episode is Dr. Brian Kiepper. Brian is an associate professor and extension specialist-- a jack of all trades. He conducts research, is an extension specialist, teaches, and is an adjunct appointment within UGA's College of Engineering. Kiepper speaks with host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI  The episode comes just as UGA is completing construction on its new Poultry Science Building. The $54 million, 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to be completed Oct. 6. Kiepper says he can see the edifice right outside his office window. Kiepper's commitment to all things poultry is encapsulated in a class he regularly teaches at UGA: “Chicken Que: Science Behind the Grill.” In the largely hands-on course, Kiepper not only teaches students about the poultry industry, he adds a little "spice" by teaching them about locally grown peppers and other seasonings and flavors. In the podcast interview, Kiepper "peppers" his answers with stories about his life and professional development.  The former Zookeeper began his relationship with university agricultural programs through his work with a pollution-prevention organization focusing on wastewater issues. Inevitably, his work became linked with agriculture programs at both Georgia Tech and UGA, and by "extension," the state of Georgia's massive poultry industry. "It's staggering to think there are about 11 million people living in the state of Georgia, but we raise almost one and a half billion chickens in this state every year," Kiepper tells Richter. "It's almost hard to get your brain around from all industries slowly and surely." On his ongoing work with Georgia Tech, he says, "We're all part of the university system of Georgia. So I have people at Georgia Tech who might not be {formally recognized by the state of Georgia] state specialists, but they're my state specialists. When I call and get a question that I need help on, that expertise gets tapped." He speaks extensively on a major project he is working on along with researchers from Georgia Tech, called the "Processing of the Future Project." "What I really love about this Processing of the Future Project is it's trying to break down all these old walls we built all the time on why you can't do something. Innovation is really tough to do when you have a mindset of any kind of suggestion of a new way to do something, trying to think of all the different aspects that are going to keep you from doing that, all the current roadblocks that are in place, whether it be environmental, whether it be financial, whether it be whatever that stop you from doing that. "This idea started with that genesis of Georgia Tech sitting in rooms challenging myself every time crazy idea comes up, don't think of the hundred reasons why it's not going to work. Think about the possibilities if it did work."

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast focuses on the 50th anniversary of Section 504, the federal law which morphed into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The host of this episode, J. Denise Johnson Marshall, ADA Compliance Coordinator at Georgia Institute of Technology, calls this episode “a very special podcast for us at Georgia Tech.” The special guest is Richard Scotch, a professor of sociology, public policy and political economy at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Scotch has been doing research on disability issues since he was a graduate student back in the 1970s, and has written and spoken extensively on Section 504 and the ADA, legislation which he has termed “a beacon of hope.” Observed each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America's workers with disabilities, showcasing supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. The national governing body, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), has chosen "Advancing Access and Equity" as the theme for NDEAM 2023. Read the full transcript of this episode here.

Host Stephanie Richter takes listeners back to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Agricultural Technology Research Program, held recently at the historic, grand, and stately Academy of Medicine building in Atlanta. The Program: Welcome & Video --Dr. Doug Britton, ATRP Program Manager Greetings from GTRI & Intro of GT EVPR  --Dr. Jim Hudgens, Director & VP GTRI Greetings from GA Tech & Intro of Chancellor --Dr. Chaouki Abdallah, Exec. VP of Georgia Tech Greetings from the University System of Georgia Chancellor --Sonny Perdue Greetings from Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner --Tyler Harper Recognition of Abit Massey (Video)  --Dr. Doug Britton Remarks from Abit Massey Recognition of Craig Wyvill (Video)  --Dr. Doug Britton Remarks from Craig Wyvill Remarks from Industry  --David Bleth, President of Harrison Poultry Recognition of ATRP Team (Present & Past)   --Gary McMurray, Division Chief of ISTD at GTRI Vision for the Future of ATRP & Closing  --Dr. Doug Britton 

This episode features GTRI Senior Research Scientist Nicole Kosoris and Senior Research Engineer Alexis Noel. In this episode, Scott McAtee, the podcast host, engages in a captivating discussion with Nicole and Alexis about their work utilizing virtual reality (VR) as a training tool for our military personnel. Talking Points  In this episode, listeners will hear about:  What virtual reality is and how GTRI is utilizing this technology.   The pros and cons of virtual reality as a training tool.  What type of training scenarios are being used in VR.  How close is VR in entertainment to reality.  Where do we see this technology in the future.    Resources  Email  Have feedback or additional questions about the podcast? Reach out to podcast@gtri.gatech.edu  Links  U.S. Department of Defense: Virtual, Augmented Reality Are Moving Warfighting Forward  https://www.defense.gov/News/Inside-DOD/Blog/Article/2079205/virtual-augmented-reality-are-moving-warfighting-forward/  How the Army Uses Virtual Reality for Combat Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NzwNAFCEAo  Virtual Reality Systems Trains Aircrews to React to Threats https://gtri.gatech.edu/newsroom/virtual-reality-system-trains-aircrews-react-threats  New Initiative Evaluates Fidelity of Simulations Used in Training https://gtri.gatech.edu/newsroom/new-initiative-evaluates-fidelity-simulations-used-training  Episode Credits  Podcast Team:  Host, Scott McAtee, Scott.McAtee@gtri.gatech.edu  Announcer, Monica Ngando, monica.ngando@gtri.gatech.edu     Producer, Amanda Kieffer, Amanda.Kieffer@gtri.gatech.edu   Producer, Bryan Bledsoe, bryan.bledsoe@gtri.gatech.edu   Engineer, Branden CampAngel , branden.camp@gtri.gatech.edu   Editor, Christopher Weems, christopher.weems@gtri.gatech.edu 

In this episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, host Chelsea Selby talks to Erik Andersen, a Principal Research Associate in Georgia Tech Research Institute's (GTRI) Electro-Optic Systems Directorate (EOSD). This episode introduces listeners to the “Hiring Our Heroes” U.S. Chamber of Commerce program, which Connects organizations such as GT and GTRI to the military community to create economic opportunity and a strong /diversified workforce. Through Hiring Our Heroes, GT and GTRI get an insider look at service members' separation from the military and how we bring them into the GT/GTRI community of researchers.  The Podcast discusses what the underlying concepts and principles of military separation are, why they are important at Georgia Tech and GTRI, and what implications these concepts have on the future hiring of military members, their spouses, and other veterans.  Talking Points  In this episode, listeners will hear about:  Who is Erik Andersen, what is his background, and how did he come to GTRI via the HOH Program.  What is the HOH Program and how does it fit at GT and GTRI.  What is an HOH cohort.  What military members are eligible to take advantage of the HOH program.  The formal process used to engage transitioning military in HOH.  What types of experience do these members bring to the table for GT and GTRL  What comes first,--HOH participation or the hiring of candidates at GTRI?  Who pays for HOH members' time.  Key points of contact in the state of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech Research Institute.  Resources  Links  https://gtri.box.com/s/2e6odt0004muxkwhkucn7e1oc61khqlp (Andersen Bio)  https://gtri.box.com/s/wer36fhd25qwqtr08r5nekt25hyhfkrn (Key HOH Dates 2023/2024)  https://gtri.box.com/s/5p8hy7tk01dkaoutsgw89r19u3fs2c4d (Link to GTRI HOH Overview)  www.hiringourheroes.org (HOH National Program URL)  tdekryger@uschamber.com (Georgia POC for HOH, US Chamber of Commerce)  laura.hessler@asc.gatech.edu (Georgia Tech POC for HOH)    Episode Credits  Host, Chelsea Selby, chelsea.selby@gtri.gatech.edu  Guest:  Erik Andersen, erik.andersen@gtri.gatech.edu   Producer, David Landry, david.landry@gtri.gatech.edu    Announcer, Eric Klein, eric.klein@gtri.gatech.edu    Editors, Christopher Weems, christopher.weems@gtri.gatech.edu; Monica Ngando, monica.ngando@gtri.gatech.edu   Audio Engineer, Amanda Kieffer, amanda.kieffer@gtri.gatech.edu    Email Us  Have feedback or additional questions about the podcast? Reach out to podcast@gtri.gatech.edu. 

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the sixth in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with four former GTRI employees. They look back at their own histories and how they helped shape ATRP.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the fifth in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with former GTRI employees who helped grow ATRP into the program it is now. Dale Atkins is a former Program Director of ATRP, and Chuck Ross helped establish the research areas of Wastewater and Food Safety. 

The latest episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the fourth in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation. Giles, whose family operated an agribusiness in middle Georgia when he was growing up, joined the Federation in 2000 and became President in 2009.   He traces the almost lockstep development of ATRP with the Georgia Poultry Federation, which began in 1951. Together, the two entities have had a profound impact on the Five P's of Georgia Agriculture: peaches, peanuts, pecans, pine, and, of course, poultry. Giles delves into some of the ways his organization, and ATRP, have positively impacted agriculture in the state, including: Advancing technology. Working with the State Legislature on measures to avail the industry, including tax benefits. He also notes a current legislative push that he feels with help Georgia's agriculture industry—increasing weight limits for trucks that carry agricultural products. Giles makes special note of the unsung contributions made by the industry in times of crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the third in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with President Emeritus Abit Massey of the Georgia Poultry Federation. Massey discusses how ATRP first began in 1973. Massey was a driving force behind the creation of the Agricultural Technology Research Program and remains a committed supporter of the program.

Episode Summary  In this episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast, host Scott McAtee speaks with Dr. Carl DiSalvo, associate professor in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, and Greg McCormick, senior Research Engineer in the Electro-Optical Systems Lab of Georgia Tech Research Institute. This episode focuses on the concept of "smart cities" and what they can mean for society at large. Dr. DeSalvo's work for more than a decade has focused on how communities use technology. For four years, McCormick has been  one of the leaders of the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge.   Talking Points In this episode, listeners will hear about: ·        What are Smart Cities. ·        The areas of impact for Smart Cities, including: economic development, public safety, energy environment, infrastructure and transportation. ·        The Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (Georgia Smart). ·        Public response and “buy in.” ·        Challenges and long-term outlook.   Resources Email Have feedback or additional questions about the podcast? Reach out to podcast@gtri.gatech.edu.    Links https://smartcities.gatech.edu/georgia-smart https://www.carldisalvo.com/portfolio/dataworks   Episode Credits  Episode Team  ·        Host, Scott McAtee, chelsea.selby@gtri.gatech.edu  ·        Producer, Dylan Husserl, Dylan.Husserl@gtri.gatech.edu ·        Editor, Christopher Weems, christopher.weems@gtri.gatech.edu; ·        Announcer, Eric Klein, eric.klein@gtri.gatech.edu ·        Audio Engineer, Amanda Kieffer, Amanda.Kieffer@gtri.gatech.edu  

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast is the second in a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with ATRP Director Emeritus Craig Wyvill. Wyvill speaks about the origin and early development of the ATRP branch. TALKING POINTS Craig Wyvill was the fourth program manager of ATRP and has the distinction of holding the position the longest. Wyvill's first assignment on the poultry program was to work on an ongoing processing plant noise abatement project. Other major technologies and projects were pushed out under Wyvill's leadership.  

This episode of the Georgia Tech Research Podcast begins a special series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP). Host Stephanie Richter, a GTRI Research Scientist, talks with ATRP Director, Doug Britton. Dr. Britton speaks about his circuitous path from being an electrical engineer by training to his joining ATRP, and some of the lessons he's learned and people he's met along the path to being program director. Britton also discusses present and future technologies being researched by ATRP. Talking Points In this episode, listeners will hear about: Doug Britton's early life; and how he was unwittingly prepared for his future career in agricultural technology. What drove Britton to look at agricultural commodities and products. The role of mentors in directing Britton's career path. The types of research that ATRP is involved in. How advanced sensor platforms are being used in agriculture. Food safety research. Technology transfer and the future of agricultural technology.