| Type | Nonprofit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Research and development Engineering Science Economics Public policy Defense |
| Founded | Atlanta, Georgia (1934) |
| Founder(s) | W. Harry Vaughan |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Key people | Robert McGrath Director, GTRI Tom McDermott Director of Research, GTRI Stephen E. Cross Executive VP for Research, Georgia Tech[1] G. P. "Bud" Peterson President, Georgia Tech |
| Revenue | US$205.4 million (2010)[2] |
| Employees | 1520 (2010)[2] |
| Parent | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Website | www.gtri.gatech.edu |
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. GTRI employs around 1520 people, and is involved in approximately $205 million in research annually for more than 200 clients in industry and government.
Initially known as the Engineering Experiment Station, the organization was proposed in 1929 by W. Harry Vaughan as an analogue to the agricultural experiment stations; the Georgia General Assembly passed a law that year creating the organization on paper, but did not allocate funds to start it. To boost the state's struggling economy in the midst of the Great Depression, funds were found, and the station was finally established with US$5,000 (US$449,000 today)[3] in April 1934. Vaughan, the station's first director, hired 13 part-time faculty.
GTRI's research spans a variety of disciplines, including national defense, homeland security, public health, education, mobile and wireless technologies, and economic development. Major customers for GTRI research include United States Department of Defense agencies, the state of Georgia, non-defense federal agencies, and private industry. Overall, contracts and grants from Department of Defense agencies account for approximately 72% of GTRI’s total revenues.[2] Since it was established, GTRI has expanded its engineering focus to include science, economics, policy, and other areas that leverage GTRI's partnership with Georgia Tech. GTRI researchers are named on 62 active patents and 39 pending patents.[4]
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In its first decades of its existence, Georgia Tech slowly grew from a trade school into a university. However, there was little state initiative to see the school grow drastically until 1919.[5] That year, coinciding with federal debate about the establishment of Engineering Experiment Stations in a move similar to the Hatch Act of 1887's establishment of Agricultural experiment stations, the Georgia General Assembly passed an act titled "Establishing State Engineering Experiment Station at the Georgia School of Technology."[5][6] This station was established with the goal of the "encouragement of industries and commerce" within the state. Unfortunately, the federal effort failed and the state did not finance the organization, so the new organization existed only on paper.[5][6]
In 1929, some Georgia Tech faculty members belonging to Sigma Xi started a Research Club at Tech that met once a month.[7] One of the monthly subjects, proposed by W. Harry Vaughan, was a collection of issues related to Tech, such as library development, and the development of a state engineering station. This group investigated the forty existing engineering experiment stations at universities around the country, and the report was compiled by Harold Bunger, Montgomery Knight, and Vaughan in December 1929. Their report noted that several similar organizations had been opened across the country at other engineering schools and were successful in local economic development.[7]
In 1933, S. V. Sanford, president of the University of Georgia, proposed that a "technical research activity" be established at Tech in order to boost the state's struggling economy in the midst of the Great Depression. President Marion L. Brittain and Dean William Vernon Skiles asked for and examined the Research Club's 1929 report, and moved to create such an organization. $5,000 in funds ($449,000 today)[3] were allocated directly from the Georgia Board of Regents and the station started operation on July 1, 1934.[5][7] The State of Georgia provided the Engineering Experiment Station with a budget allocation, and Georgia Tech provided infrastructure and personnel to the unit. Professors who worked with the station could receive a $250 (annual) stipend ($4,101 today) for doing so.
Vaughan was selected as its acting director in April 1934, and hired 13 part-time faculty and a few graduate assistants.[7][5] EES's initial areas of focus were textiles, ceramics, and helicopter engineering.[8] The early work of the station was conducted in the basement of the Old Shop Building next to Tech Tower, and Vaughan's office was in the Aeronautical Engineering Building.[9] The station's name was technically the State Engineering Experiment Station, but it was generally referred to as EES (Engineering Experiment Station) or simply "the research station".
By 1938, the Engineering Experiment Station was producing useful technology, and the station needed a method to conduct contract work outside of the state budget.[5] Consequently, the Industrial Development Council (IDC) was formed. The IDC was created as a non-profit contract organization for the EES, which allowed the EES to receive federal contracts while still retaining its relationship with Georgia Tech and the State of Georgia.[9] It was created by the Chancellor of the University System and the president of Georgia Power Company, and the Engineering Experiment Station's director was a member of the council.[5] The IDC later became the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, which currently serves as the sole contract organization for all Georgia Tech faculty and departments.[5] In addition, the contract organization manages the intellectual property that results from research.[9]
Examples of projects undertaken under Vaughan's directorship include Montgomery Knight's helicopter research, the Georgia Economic Survey, $6,000 (US$425,000 today)[3] in aeronautical research for the Guggenheim Foundation, and textile research that created cotton roving and spinning processes that were three to five times faster than contemporary practices.[10] Vaughan was instrumental in securing a permanent building for the station, initially known as the Research Building; several years later it was expanded and named the Thomas Hinman Research Building.[10] After Vaughan left for the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1940,[10] Harold Bunger (head of the Chemistry Department) took over as acting director. However, Bunger died not long thereafter in August 1941.[9][11][12]
In 1940, Georgia Institute of Technology president Blake Van Leer appointed Gerald Rosselot the assistant director of the Engineering Experiment Station. Rosselot was the organization's director from 1941 to 1952.[13][14] In his tenure as director, World War II significantly increased the number and value of contracts coming to the station; the 1943-1944 budget being was first in which industry and government contracts exceeded the station's other income (most notably, its state appropriation).[13] Director Vaughan had initially prepared the faculty for fewer incoming contracts as state had cut the station's appropriation by 40%,[11] but increased support from industry and government eventually counteracted low state support.[13] World War II is also credited with GTRI's entry into electronics, especially telecommunications and electronic warfare; the electronics and communications research that Director Rosselot attracted is still a mainstay of GTRI research.[15][12] Two of the larger projects were a study on the propagation of electromagnetic waves, and United States Navy-sponsored radar research.[12]
At the end of World War II, Georgia Tech had about $240,000 ($7,055,000 today)[3] annually in sponsored research.[14][16] Other accomplishments during Rosselot's administration at the Engineering Experiment Station included the purchase of an electron microscope in 1946 for $13,000 ($388,000 today)[3], the first such instrument in the Southeastern United States and one of few in the United States at the time.[17][18] The Research Building was expanded, and a $300,000 ($8,298,000 today)[3] Westinghouse A-C Network Calculator was gifted to Georgia Tech by Georgia Power in 1947.[19][20]
Rosselot's administration also included the 1946 establishment of the Industrial Development Council, renamed to the Georgia Tech Research Institute in 1948 and to its present name, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, in 1984.[21] When the Georgia Board of Regents ruled that all money received in a year had to be spent that year; this was problematic because most government contracts span multiple years.[18] Georgia Tech president Blake Van Leer and vice president Cherry Emerson created the solution, a non-profit corporation that would manage contracts for research services and subsequently hire the Engineering Experiment Station to perform the research. The new organization would also handle patents garnered through research, and distribute funds garnered from contracts and patents as needed.[18][22]
Glen P. Robinson and six other Georgia Tech researchers (including Robinson's former professor and future EES director Jim Boyd and EES director Gerald Rosselot) each contributed $100 ($3,000 today)[3] and founded Scientific Atlanta on October 31, 1951 with the initial goal of marketing antenna structures being developed by the radar branch of the EES.[14][23][24] Robinson worked as the general manager without pay for the first year; after the fledgling company's first contract resulted in a $4,000 loss, Robinson (upon request) refunded five of the six other initial investors. Despite its rocky start, the company managed to become a success.[24]
In 1951, there was a series of disputes with Georgia Tech vice president Cherry Emerson over the station's finances and Rosselot's hand in founding Scientific Atlanta.[25] At one point, Rosselot was president and CEO of Scientific Atlanta, but later handed off responsibility to Glen P. Robinson; at issue was potential conflict of interest with his role at Georgia Tech and what, if any, role Georgia Tech should have in technology transfer to the marketplace.[14][26] Rosselot eventually resigned his post at Georgia Tech, but his participation ensured the eventual success of Scientific Atlanta and facilitated subsequent technology transfer by Georgia Tech's VentureLab and the Advanced Technology Development Center.[14][26]
| Academic | Research (non-tenure) |
|---|---|
| Professor | Senior research scientist or engineer |
| Associate professor | Research scientist or engineer |
| Assistant professor | Junior research scientist or engineer |
| Instructor | Research assistant |
In March 1950, Herschel H. Cudd was appointed head of EES's Chemical Sciences division.[28] After Gerald Rosselot left to work for Bendix Corporation, Hudd assumed the directorship from 1952 to 1954.[27] Despite his post only lasting approximately a year, Cudd made far-reaching changes to the station. Under Rosselot, research had been increasingly concentrated on a few researchers; Cudd reversed this trend such that EES's 1952-53 Annual Report stated that 66 faculty in 15 schools performed research at the station that year.[27][29] In 1954, a faculty committee appointed to do a comprehensive study of Georgia Tech, "The Aims and Objectives of the Georgia Institute of Technology", noted that of EES's budget of $2 million for 1953–1954 ($39,413,000 today),[3] about 83% was sponsored by governmental agencies, and about two thirds of that was classified.[30]
Cudd also created a new promotion system for researchers that is still in use to this day. Many EES researchers held the rank of professor despite lacking a doctorate (or a comparable qualification for promotion as determined by the Georgia Board of Regents), something that irritated members of the teaching faculty. The new system, approved in the spring 1953, used the Board of Regents' qualifications for promotion and mirrored the academic tenure track.[27][31]
This period also saw a significant expansion in Georgia Tech's postgraduate education programs, which received substantial support from the EES.[27] Despite its slow start, with the first Master of Science programs in the 1920s and the first Doctorate in 1946, the program became firmly established. In 1952 alone, around 80 students earned graduate degrees while working at EES.[27]
James E. Boyd was promoted to Assistant Director of Research at the station in 1954, and then appointed as Director of the station from July 1, 1957 until 1961.[32] While at Georgia Tech, Boyd wrote an influential article about the role of research centers at institutes of technology, which argued that research should be integrated with education, and correspondingly involved undergraduates in his research.[32][33] Boyd was also known for his recruitment of faculty capable of both teaching and performing notable research; one such example is his recruiting noted physicist and nuclear scientist Earl W. McDaniel.[32][34]
Under Boyd's purview, the Engineering Experiment Station gained many electronics-related contracts, to the extent that an Electronics Division was created in 1959; it would focus on radar and communications.[35] Boyd also championed the establishment of research facilities. In 1955, Georgia Tech president Blake R. Van Leer appointed Boyd to Georgia Tech's Nuclear Science Committee.[32] The committee recommended the creation of a Radioisotopes Laboratory Facility and a large research reactor on campus. The former was built and dedicated on January 7, 1959, and could receive, store, and process radioactive materials.[32] The Frank H. Neely Research Reactor was completed in 1963 and was operational until 1996, when it was defueled due to safety concerns related to the nearby 1996 Summer Olympics events.[32] The reactor was permanently decommissioned in 1999.[36]
In 1980, GTRI developed a TEMPEST approved version of the Apple II Plus called the Microfix for U.S. Army FORSCOM. Fielded in 1982, the Microfix system was the first tactical system using video disk (Laserdisk) map technology providing zoom and scroll over map imagery coupled with a point database of intelligence data such as order of battle, airfields, roadways, and bridges.[37][38][39]
In 1984, the Georgia Tech Research Institute became the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, and the Engineering Experiment Station became the Georgia Tech Research Institute.[21] From 1992 to 1997, retired Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly was GTRI's director, who helped GTRI survive a recession and the end of the Cold War despite its dependence on United States Department of Defense (DOD) contracts.[40] During his tenure the percentage of GTRI's budget from the DOD did experience a small decrease (from 76 percent to 70 percent) which was balanced by increased research in other fields.[40] In 1997, GTRI passed $100 million in research contracts, with 546 awards for $103,061,780 ($158,152,000 today).[40][3] One of GTRI's more widely used (and ongoing) products, FalconView, was initially developed in the early 1990s; it is a geographic information system that allows pilots to plot flight paths while integrating real-time military intelligence.[41]
Truly was replaced by Edward K. Reedy, who served from 1998 to 2003.[42] Reedy encouraged funding researchers who had ideas that needed support, and introduced a new cost accounting standard for recovering indirect expenditures. Reedy was particularly influential in securing the $7.3 million in funding required to build the Food Processing Technology Building.[43][44] Under his leadership, GTRI's first endowed chair was established in March 1998 in honor of Glen P. Robinson, the $1.5 million Glen P. Robinson Chair in Electro-Optics.[45] GTRI and Georgia Tech played host to sitting president George W. Bush in March 2002, and demonstrated new technologies in a simulated disaster.[44][46] At the end of Reedy's tenure, GTRI had $115 million in research contracts ($140,618,000 today),[3] a new high.[47] Much new funding came as an indirect result of the September 11 attacks and the resulting War on Terrorism as the DOD increased related research.[42]
Stephen E. Cross was selected as director in late 2003.[48] In March 2010, Cross was named to the new position of Executive Vice President for Research for the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he oversees all research at Georgia Tech, including GTRI, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, the school's interdisciplinary research centers, and the Enterprise Innovation Institute; and will "work closely with" academic researchers.[49] He began the job on May 1, 2010. He was replaced as director by Robert McGrath.[50]
Some recent notable projects have included the Deployable Joint Command and Control System and ULTRA AP.[51][52] In 2010, researchers discovered a method to create microfabricated planar ion traps for use in a trapped ion quantum computer.[53][54] Also in 2010, researchers developed a method of using GPGPU to crack passwords, coming up with a minimum secure password length of 12 characters.[55][56][57] Researchers are investigating the use of radar as a possible concussion detection tool.[58][59][60][61]
GTRI is the primary contractor of the Homeland Open Security Technology program, which aims to promote the creation and use of open security and open-source software in the United States government and military, especially in areas pertaining to computer security.[62][63] GTRI personnel are involved in DARPA's Anomaly Detection at Multiple Scales project through the Proactive Discovery of Insider Threats Using Graph Analysis and Learning system.[64][65]
As of the beginning of 2011, GTRI employed 1,520 people, 330 of which were students.[2] In 2010, GTRI had $205.4 million in research awards, and spent $7.8 million in independent research and development.[2] In 2010, the United States Department of Defense consisted of 72% of GTRI's awards by value; the remainder was composed of federal (12%); non-DOD (8%) state and local (6%); and university, business, or nonprofit (2%).[2] GTRI researchers are named on 62 active patents and 39 pending patents.[4]
In total, the organization has at least 892,000 square feet (82,900 m2) of laboratory and facility space.[66] GTRI is headquartered on the Georgia Tech campus in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, where five of its seven research laboratories are located. Some major buildings are the Centennial Research Building, the Baker Building, and the GTRI Headquarters.[67][68][69] The GTRI Headquarters also contains the GTRI Conference Center, which has 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) of space and hosts over 300 events a year.[70] Other notable Atlanta buildings include the Food Processing Technology Building and the GTRI Machine Services Building.[71][72] Two GTRI laboratories operate at a significant off-campus research facility, the Cobb County Research Facility, approximately fifteen miles north of Atlanta in Cobb County adjacent to the Dobbins Air Reserve Base.[73] Additionally, GTRI operates the Applied Systems Laboratory at Huntsville in Huntsville, Alabama.
GTRI opened an international office in Athlone, Ireland in June 2006.[74][75][76] This effort was expanded when Georgia Tech, the National University of Ireland, Galway and the University of Limerick partnered in June 2010 to create a joint translational research institute.[76][77][78] GTRI has several field offices that help with nearby on-site research and needs. These are in Dallas, Texas,[79] Dayton, Ohio,[80] Shalimar, Florida (near Eglin Air Force Base),[81] Huntsville, Alabama,[82] Jacksonville, Florida,[83] Orlando, Florida,[84] Panama City, Florida,[85] Quantico, Virginia,[86] San Diego, California,[87] Tucson, Arizona,[88] Warner Robins, Georgia (near Robins Air Force Base),[89] and Arlington, Virginia/Washington, DC.[90]
GTRI is composed of eight laboratories organized by technical focus, which are further subdivided into divisions.[91] Labs frequently collaborate with one another and outside groups based on the unique requirements of each project. GTRI performs research for clients at the local, regional, national, and international level, and employees are encouraged to present their work at conferences and consortia. At a given time, laboratories may work with 200 or more agencies simultaneously.
GTRI is an operating unit of Georgia Tech although it performs research under commercial cost principles for non-profit organizations. For that reason, it uses a separate contracting entity, the Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation (GTARC).[92] Although GTARC is the contracting entity, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) owns the intellectual property created by all Georgia Tech researchers and manages technology protection and licensing. GTRI reports to the Georgia Tech Executive Vice President of Research (currently Stephen E. Cross) who currently serves as the President of GTARC.[93]
GTRI's project directors are responsible for direction of all aspects of projects, including marketing, contract development, research, and fulfillment. Most projects are conducted on a cost-reimbursable basis and are negotiated by Georgia Tech’s Office of Sponsored Programs with terms and conditions appropriate for contracts specific to the operation of a university research organizations.[93][94]
The organization is led by the Director, who is also considered a vice president of Georgia Tech.[95] Two people report to the director: the Deputy Director and Associate Vice Provost for Research; and the Deputy Director for Support Operations. The eight lab directors, business strategist, financial operations director, and chief scientist all report to the Deputy Director/Vice Provost. Business services, human resources, information systems, machine services, and other support services report to the Deputy Director for Support Operations.[95]
GTRI has an "External Advisory Council" which, similar to a traditional board of directors, consists of individuals that are notable in related fields of industry, government or academia and who provide advice about research direction, strategy, and markets although they do not govern the organization.[96] Members of the Board of Trustees of the contracting agency, GTARC, are not necessarily members of the External Advisory Council, although there is sometimes overlap between them.[96][97]
GTRI contributes to the Georgia Tech research environment for faculty and students by conducting externally sponsored, applications-oriented research programs that benefit the state, region, and nation. These programs, led by GTRI research faculty, contribute to national security, civilian needs, and industrial competitiveness, and provide students with career experience through graduate research assistantships, cooperative education programs, and undergraduate assistantships. Since 1995, GTRI (and in particular, its Huntsville Laboratory) has been a University Affiliated Research Center, a designation by the United States Department of Defense intended to maintain what it calls "essential engineering and technology capabilities".[98]
GTRI is the largest single employer of Georgia Tech graduate and undergraduate students; as of fiscal year 2010, GTRI employed 69 graduate co-ops, 129 undergraduate co-ops, and 132 student assistants.[99][100][101] GTRI's contributions to the Georgia Tech community include collaborative research with academic faculty, courses originated by GTRI faculty, and joint service efforts. Collaboration is strong between the faculties of GTRI and the academic schools and departments. Many GTRI researchers hold appointments as adjunct faculty members in Georgia Tech academic departments, serve on thesis advisory committees, and teach both academic and continuing education courses.[102][103]
GTRI reaches out to Georgia Tech's academic and research departments for collaboration on many research activities, building interdisciplinary teams that take advantage of the broad expertise within Georgia Tech’s highly ranked programs.[104] One such collaboration is with the Georgia Tech Information Security Center to create GTRI's newest laboratory, the Cyber Technology and Information Security Laboratory (CTISL).[105]
GTRI conducts its research programs through eight laboratories that focus on specific subjects:
| Name | Research area | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS) | ATAS develops advanced systems concepts and performs research related to aerospace systems, power and energy systems, threat systems, intelligent autonomous systems, and systems engineering methodologies. Contains the Agricultural Technology Research Program. | [106][106] |
| Cyber Technology and Information Security Laboratory (CTISL) | CTISL is the newest lab, founded on October 1, 2010. It focuses on cyber security and features existing business areas such as secure information systems and resilient command and control with emerging areas such as cyberwarfare, while collaborating with the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. | [107] |
| Electronic Systems Laboratory (ELSYS) | ELSYS focuses on systems engineering solutions in electronic defense; modeling, simulation and analysis; countermeasures technique development; sensors performance analysis; electronic warfare systems integration; standardized test procedures; flight test support; laboratory support stations and test systems; missile warning system improvements; technology insertion and human factors. | [108] |
| Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL) | EOSL has technology thrusts in the areas of electro-optical modeling and analysis, microelectronic and nanotechnology development, remote sensing, acoustics, and mechanical systems. | [109] |
| Applied Systems Laboratory at Huntsville (ASLH) | This laboratory, in Huntsville, Alabama, primarily supports the United States Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (USA AMRDEC) in its aviation and missile R&D efforts. | [110] |
| Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL) | ICL conducts a broad range of research in areas of computer science, information technology, communications, networking, and the development of commercial products from university research. Until October 1, 2010, the lab was named the "Information Technology and Telecommunications Laboratory." | [111] |
| Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory (SEAL) | SEAL researchers investigate radar systems, electromagnetic environmental effects, radar system performance modeling and simulations, and antenna technology. | [112] |
| Signature Technology Laboratory (STL) | STL conducts research and development in electromagnetic materials and structures, electromagnetic apertures and scattering, optical and infrared physics and phenomenology, and secure information systems. | [113] |
Many interdisciplinary research centers report through GTRI:[114]
| Name | Research area | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Geographic Information Systems | The Center for GIS develops spatial programs and enhances digital spacial databases. | [115] |
| Center for International Development and Cooperation | The Center for IDC develops low-cost radar and phased array concepts through joint international research activities. | [116] |
| Center for Optimization of Simulated Multiple Objective Systems (COSMOS) | COSMOS develops tools relating to the simulation of complex systems. | [117] |
| Commercial Product Realization Office (CPRO) | CPRO provides clients with comprehensive technology selection, product design, prototyping, production preparation, product data documentation, and testing assistance. | [118] |
| Center for Innovative Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies | This center researches low-temperature fuel cells, solid-oxide fuel cells, hybrid power systems, fuel processing, microscale fuel cells, battery materials, and rapid-charging batteries. | [119][120] |
| Environmental Radiation Center (ERC) | ERC researches the effect of radiation in various environments. | [121] |
| Foundations for the Future (F3) | F3 provides vendor-neutral technology advising and customized professional development experiences for educators. | [122] |
| Georgia Tech Quantum Institute (GTQI) | GTQI combines the strengths in engineering and technology at Georgia Tech with the emerging field of quantum information science in order to advance both fundamental science and emerging quantum information technologies. | [123] |
| Landmarc Research Center | Landmarc is a multi-discipline research and development center focused on mobile and wireless solutions. | [124] |
| Military Sensing Information Analysis Center | This center fosters communications within Military Sensing Technology community; creates standards; and collects, analyzes, synthesizes, maintains, and distributes critical information within the field. | [125] |
| Modeling & Simulation Research & Education Center | This center develops and supports modeling and simulation programs. | [126] |
| Office of Policy Analysis and Research (OPAR) | OPAR integrates public policy considerations into GTRI's technical research and facilitates GTRI's input into the science and technology policy debate | [127] |
| Phosphor Technology Center of Excellence (PTCOE) | PTCOE develops phosphor technologies, including improving low-voltage thin-film electroluminescence displays, field emission display films and thin-film cathode ray tube films. | [128] |
| Severe Storms Research Center (SSRC) | SSRC organizes and coordinates the state's severe weather forecasting, serving as a focal point for severe storm research in Georgia. | [129][130] |
| Test & Evaluation Research and Education Center (TEREC) | TEREC serves as a focal point for solving the problems of the Test and Evaluation Community. | [131] |
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