Thomasville, Georgia, is a hub of training and talent for local manufacturers. But Mason Miller could tell there was something missing.

“We didn't have any training for advanced manufacturing in our area,” said Miller, vice president of Academic Affairs at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC), which offers education and training programs in technical and manufacturing fields. “Companies had to go out and recruit people from Michigan to run their machines. That's when we said, ‘We don’t want that to happen — we need to be doing that right here.’”

That’s where the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) stepped in. Working with partner program Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM), GTMI helped connect SRTC with the resources and expertise needed to develop a robust training program tailored to the needs of local manufacturers.

Miller said at first, he was skeptical. “When GTMI said they wanted to be partners, I thought, ‘OK, this is another situation where we're going to talk for a minute, everybody says things and then goes away — and that’s it,’” said Miller. “That's not how it's been at all.”

Rather, it’s been a true partnership driven by SRTC, with curriculum focused on automation and robotics developed by the Technical College System of Georgia and GTMI. The curriculum is also shaped by local industry input to directly address workforce gaps in the region’s manufacturing sector. 

“As a state institution, we're here to serve you,” said Steven Sheffield, senior assistant director of Research Operations at GTMI and a point person of the partnership. “Tell us the problem, and we will work hard to try to solve it with you.”

Filling the Workforce Gap

Miller was committed to giving SRTC students the advanced manufacturing skills needed to stand out in the workforce. Yet the evolving manufacturing landscape and the needs of local manufacturers revealed gaps in SRTC’s curriculum, particularly in AI, automation, and robotics.

With GTMI and Georgia AIM researchers contributing key expertise to the expanded smart manufacturing curriculum, Miller noted the partnership is “opening our eyes to what we can do with AI. We're going to start integrating that into our programs.”

Beyond AI and robotics, SRTC leadership identified a crucial gap in their program: training in precision machining, a skill that local manufacturers like Check-Mate Industries sorely needed. 

“If we want to attract new business and industry to Georgia, we need to be able to show them we can provide a skilled workforce,” said Miller. 

To address this missing piece, GTMI and Georgia AIM helped procure funding to acquire and refurbish precision-machining equipment from longtime partner Makino. Georgia AIM also supported the renovation and outfitting of two SRTC lab spaces with additional updated equipment. 

Last fall, SRTC launched its new Precision Manufacturing & Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Technology programs, with instructors trained by GTMI faculty in precision manufacturing. The new program at SRTC is one example of the ways GTMI experts are working with communities across the state to expand access to training and new technology.

“Not a lot of technical colleges have this type of machinery,” said Marvin Bannister, SRTC precision machining and manufacturing program chair. Instructors like Bannister received specialized training at GTMI’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility to ensure they felt confident teaching students how to operate the machinery. “Not only is it something else to add to my skill set, but the most important thing is that I'll be able to train other students who desire to learn on a machine like this.”

Because of SRTC’s expanded offerings, the technical college has strengthened partnerships and developed new internship programs with local manufacturers. “We all want the same thing,” said Miller, “which is to grow industry partnerships and to create a talent pipeline for our state.”

GTMI and Georgia AIM also support STEM programs with Thomasville area schools and internship programs for K-12 teachers with local manufacturers such as Check-Mate. These efforts deepen the connections between students and manufacturers, opening doors to future careers in the sector.

“We’re here to connect the dots and enable these types of partnerships,” says Steven Ferguson, a principal research scientist with GTMI and co-director of Georgia AIM. “When teams and their networks come together to solve a challenge for just one manufacturer, the impact can reach across an entire region.”

Reagan Cook stood at a career crossroads when her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering intersected with her recent master’s in data analytics.

She wanted to connect her experience in manufacturing with her burgeoning interest in data science but wasn’t sure which way to turn. Then, she stumbled upon a job opportunity that brought both into one path forward: A fellowship focused on artificial intelligence in manufacturing through the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, or PIN.

“I happened upon this fellowship and the vertical I landed on was AI in manufacturing, which was a good marriage of the two disciplines,” said Cook, who began the one-year paid position over the summer. The PIN fellowship, part of Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, places early career professionals into public and private opportunities.

The fellowship is made possible through support from Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing, or Georgia AIM. Georgia AIM supports several PIN fellows each year through the AI in Manufacturing vertical. Participants spend six months working on a research project through the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) and then six months with a partner company where they focus on a project that enhances the use of smart technologies.

Cook recently completed her first six-month rotation as a researcher with the Melkote Advanced Manufacturing Research Group at Georgia Tech, working with GTMI Associate Director Shreyes Melkote. She is now in her next role at Carbice, an Atlanta semiconductor manufacturer.

That’s the interesting part of the PIN fellowship: those accepted into the program gain experience in both the public and private sectors. Upon completing the program, fellows enter the workforce with a unique, innovative skillset that contributes to the emerging roles AI is creating in manufacturing.

The PIN program also helps address a gap in the workforce. There is a growing need for professionals who understand AI and smart technologies, and the program’s public/private partnership provides useful training and experience to early career professionals who are eager to solve these challenges.

In Cook’s case, her first job after college was with a small manufacturer doing engineering design and CAD work. Her role expanded a bit to accommodate her data analytics background while working on her master’s degree practicum project. But due to the size of the company, her work returned to strictly engineering after she graduated. In contrast, through the PIN fellowship, Cook is working on developing machine learning models that can be used to search for parts in a database of CAD designs. This would allow manufacturers looking for CAD drawings or 3D models to find similar parts with designs already created, saving time by giving engineers a starting point. This research allows her to leverage both her analytics and engineering knowledge.

"I feel like I am learning a lot,” said Cook. The research position allows her to apply theoretical knowledge from her master’s degree in a research environment. “That’s been very interesting and eye-opening. I’m still early in my career and my only experience is fairly traditional corporate jobs, so working in the realm of the unknown is a different situation. With research, you’re just exploring and have no assurances that what you’re doing is going to work. ”

Moving to Carbice for the second half of her fellowship adds another layer of learning, she added, because it’s one thing to test out a theory in a lab; it’s different when you are working for a company that needs to see results.

“Working in the private sector allows you to identify and reality-check the needs of actual workplaces,” she added. “Because sometimes you have a compelling idea and interesting research, but in a corporate setting, first, is it useful, and second, if it is useful, is it even something the industry wants or is willing to adopt?”

This is a paradox Cook will face not only during the second half of her fellowship, but also going forward in her career. The foundational experiences attained through the PIN fellowship will give Cook an edge as she moves into her next role. Many manufacturers are interested in adopting AI and smart technologies, but the challenge is in identifying problems to solve.

Cook said she is confident the fellowship will give her new insights that can be beneficial to future employers. The program also offers networking opportunities and connections with respected professionals that will be beneficial in years to come, she added.

“It’s really good to have both the public and private perspectives. And because I’ve worked in a couple different manufacturing environments, I’m interested in how different my manufacturing rotation will be and if I can identify patterns, similar issues, or inefficiencies. And all that is useful knowledge to have,” she said. “For me specifically, the content of this work is going to be very helpful in tying my whole resume together.”

For more details on the AI and Manufacturing-focused PIN fellowship supported by Georgia AIM, visit the PIN website.

What’s the hottest thing in electronics and high-performance computing? In a word, it’s “cool.”

To be more precise, it’s a liquid cooling system developed at Georgia Tech for electronics aimed at solving a long-standing problem: overheating.

Developed by Daniel Lorenzini, a 2019 Tech graduate who earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, the cooling system uses microfluidic channels — tiny, intricate pathways for liquids — that are embedded within the chip packaging.

He worked with VentureLab, a Tech program in the Office of Commercialization, to spin his research into a startup company, EMCOOL, headquartered in Norcross.

“Our solution directly addresses the heat at the source of the silicon chip and therefore makes it faster,” Lorenzini said. “Our design has our system sitting directly on the silicon chips that generate the most heat. Using the fluids in the micro-pin fins, it carries the heat that’s produced away from the chip.”

That cooling solution is directly integrated into the electronic components, making it significantly more efficient than conventional cooling methods, because it enhances the heat dissipation process.

The result is a much lower risk of overheating and reduced power consumption, he said.

Lorenzini, who researched and refined the technology in the lab of Yogendra Joshi at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a patent for the technology in September 2024.

Now, EMCOOL, which has five empoloyees, is actively pursuing venture capital funding to scale its technology and address the escalating thermal management challenges posed by AI processors in modern data centers.

The system uses a cooling block with tiny, pin-like fins on one side and a special thermal interface material on the other. There's also a junction attached to the block, with ports for the fluid to flow in and out. The cooling fluid moves through the micro-pin fins and helps to carry away the heat.

Since the ports are designed to match the shape of the fins, it ensures that the fluid flows efficiently and the heat is dissipated as effectively as possible at chip-scale. 

As electronic devices — from high-performance personal computers to data centers used for artificial intelligence processing — become more powerful, they generate more heat. This excess heat can damage components or cause the device to underperform.

Traditional cooling methods, which include fans or heat sinks, often struggle to keep pace with the increasing demands of the newer model electronics. Lorenzini’s microfluidic system addresses the challenge of overheating with his patented, more effective, compact, and integrated cooling solution.

With the guidance of Jonathan Goldman, director of Quadrant-i in Tech’s Office of Commercialization, Lorenzini secured grant funding through the National Science Foundation and the Georgia Research Alliance to further the research and build design prototypes.

“We immediately had the sense there was commercial potential here,” Goldman said. “Thermal management, or getting rid of heat, is a ubiquitous problem in the computer industry, so when we saw what Daniel was doing, we immediately began to engage with him to understand what the commercial potential was.”

Indeed, the initial focus for the technology was the $159 billion global electronic gaming market. Gamers need a lot of computing power, which generates a lot of heat, causing lag.

But beyond gaming systems, the company, which manufactures custom cooling blocks and kits at its Norcross facility, is eyeing more sectors, which also suffer from overheating, Goldman said.

The technology addresses similar overheating electronics challenges in high-performance computing, telecommunications, and energy systems.

“This work propels us forward in pushing the boundaries of what traditional cooling technologies can achieve because by harnessing the power of microfluidics, EMCOOL's systems offer a compact and energy-efficient way to manage heat,” Goldman said. “This has the potential to revolutionize industries reliant on high-performance computing, where heat management is a constant challenge.”

In a significant move to bolster Georgia's workforce, Georgia Tech has partnered with Georgia Quick Start to advance manufacturing training and skill development. This collaboration, formalized by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on April 8, aims to elevate the quality and efficiency of manufacturing workforce training across the state.

“At Georgia Tech, innovation isn’t just about discovery — it’s about solving real-world challenges,” said Executive Vice President for Research Tim Lieuwen. “Georgia Quick Start ensures that cutting-edge research in advanced manufacturing translates into practical training solutions. Together, we are equipping Georgia’s workforce with the skills needed to drive economic growth and industry advancement.”

As manufacturing technologies and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, U.S. manufacturers increasingly require skilled workers experienced in advanced manufacturing. For decades, Georgia Quick Start, administered by the Technical College System of Georgia, has been addressing this need and has been recognized as the country’s top workforce training program for 15 years. 

Now, researchers at Georgia Tech will collaborate with Georgia Quick Start to enhance these efforts by developing Extended Reality (XR) training programs, providing a scalable and experiential solution to meet the growing demand for training. 

“We have been so successful for so many years because we stay focused on relevance, flexibility, and responsiveness,” said Scott McMurray, deputy commissioner for Georgia Quick Start. “This partnership is an example of how Quick Start is able to develop and deliver effective training even for companies working on the leading edge of advanced manufacturing technologies.”

Extended Reality, Scaled Training

XR technologies use a combination of virtual and augmented reality to create immersive, interactive experiences. By simulating real-world manufacturing environments and processes, XR has the potential to allow trainees to practice and refine their skills in a controlled, risk-free setting through standardized training experiences. This not only enhances the learning experience but also ensures consistency in training quality across a large workforce.

“Virtual reality scales training by gamifying complex tasks and removing the need for costly or hazardous physical equipment. Augmented reality scales on-the-job training by providing adaptive, context-aware guidance exactly when and where it’s needed, reducing the need for expert supervision,” said manufacturing XR researcher Mohsen Moghaddam, Gary C. Butler Family associate professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. “Together, they make training more consistent, up-to-date, accessible, and safe, especially for workers who may hesitate to ask for assistance from peers or supervisors out of fear of judgment.”

The collaboration will leverage Moghaddam’s research and the AR/VR training space within the expanded Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility, providing a state-of-the-art environment for developing and deploying XR training technologies. Researchers from the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) and Georgia AIM(Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) will also play pivotal roles in the development of these training programs.

“Partnerships like these highlight the power of the integrated University of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia’s workforce development ecosystem,” said Thomas Kurfess, Regents’ Professor and GTMI executive director. “Our country not only needs the creation of new jobs but also the skilled workforce to fill them. At Georgia Tech and GTMI, we are serving as an enabler of innovation in that workforce development.”

When Air Force veteran Michael Trigger began looking for a new career in 2022, he became fascinated by artificial intelligence (AI). Trigger, who left the military in 1989 and then worked in telecommunications, corrections, and professional trucking, learned about an AI-enhanced robotics manufacturing program at the VECTR Center. This training facility in Warner Robins, Georgia, helps veterans transition into new careers. In 2024, he enrolled and learned how to program and operate robots.

As part of the class, Trigger made several trips to the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI). When the faculty asked if anyone wanted an internship, Trigger raised his hand. 

“Coming to Georgia Tech allowed me to clarify what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve always been in service-based jobs, but I was interested in additive manufacturing,” or 3D printing.

For five months every weekday, Trigger drove from his home in Macon to Georgia Tech’s campus for his internship. The paid internship took place at Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF). This 20,000-square-foot, reconfigurable facility serves as the research and development arm of GTMI, functioning as a teaching laboratory, technology test bed, and workforce development space for manufacturing innovations.

During his time there, Trigger focused on computer-aided manufacturing and met with faculty and students to learn about their research. The internship wasn’t convenient, but it was worth it. 

“From our campus visits, I understood the mission of AMPF, so the fact they offered me this opportunity was huge for me,” he said. “The internship had a big impact on my life in terms of the technical and soft skills I gained.”

Building the Workforce

Launching new careers is just one of AMPF’s goals in testing new manufacturing and growing the future U.S. workforce. Since 2022, AMPF has improved the manufacturing process at all parts of the talent pipeline — from giving corporate researchers space to test and adopt AI automation technologies to training and upskilling their employees. Collectively, GTMI and AMPF’s efforts have led to a stronger, bigger network of manufacturers that other companies and the U.S. government can rely on. 

“We are going to need to manufacture more in the U.S. — from computer chips to cars — so we want to create jobs and fill them,” said Tom Kurfess, GTMI’s executive director. “We need more people working in the manufacturing sector, and we've got to make these jobs better and make people more efficient in them.” 

AI is one way to boost efficiency, but artificial intelligence won’t cut humans out of the process entirely. Rather, people will be integral to monitoring the systems and advancing them. As AI becomes more widely adopted, a college degree won’t necessarily be required to work in the AI field.

“Our workforce is going to need the next generation of employees to be amenable to retraining as the technology updates,” said Aaron Stebner, a co-director of the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing program (AIM). A statewide program, Georgia AIM helps fund AMPF and sponsored Trigger’s internship. “Education is going to be more of a lifelong learning process, and Georgia Tech can be at the forefront of that.”

While GTMI already integrates AI into many processes, it remains committed to staying ahead of the curve with the latest technologies that could boost manufacturing. The facility is in the process of an expansion that will nearly triple its size and make AMPF the leading facility for demonstrating what a hyperconnected and AI-driven manufacturing enterprise looks like. This will enable GTMI to build and sustain these educational pipelines, which is key to its work.

“We’re developing the workforce for the future, not of the future,” explained Donna Ennis, a co-director of Georgia AIM. “It’s AI today, but it could be something else five years from now. We are focused on creating a highly skilled, resilient workforce.”

Part of Georgia AIM’s role is creating the pipelines that people like Trigger can follow. From bringing a mobile lab to technical colleges to hosting robotics competitions at schools, these efforts span the state of Georgia and touch populations from “K to gray.” 

“Kids don’t say they want to be a manufacturer when they grow up, but that’s because they don’t know it’s a viable career path,” Ennis said. “We’re making manufacturing cool again.”

Creating Corporate Connection

To create these job opportunities, GTMI is also partnering with corporations. Companies can join a consortium to access the AMPF research facilities and collaborate with researchers. Any size or type of company can take advantage of AMPF facilities — from corporations including AT&T and Siemens to small startups like Alegna, which licenses and commercializes Navy research.

“The ability to manufacture domestically is critical, not only for national security purposes, but also to keep the U.S. economically competitive,” said Steven Ferguson, a principal research scientist and executive director for the GT Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium. “Having the AMPF puts Georgia Tech within the innovation epicenter for these areas and will help us reshore manufacturing.”

The benefit of such an arrangement is twofold. Companies can work with the newest manufacturing technologies and make their own advances, and Georgia Tech builds a network of manufacturers across the state and world that students can work with. For example, AT&T uses the AMPF to test sensors for expanding personal 5G networks, and George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Professor Carolyn Seepersad has Ph.D. students funded by a Siemens partnership through AMPF.

Trigger was able to connect and collaborate with some of these corporations and researchers during his internship. “I told them about my interest in machine learning because I wanted to see how they were integrating machine learning into their research projects,” he said. “All of them invited me to come by to observe and be part of the research.”

Starting a New Path

Because of his research collaborations during his AMPF internship, Trigger now has a new focus. “The internship clarified for me that AI is where everybody is going,” he explained. He wants to be at the forefront of AI manufacturing and hopes to pursue a certificate in machine learning next.

While he knows he still has much to learn, AMPF gave Trigger a foot in the door and confidence about the future. He — and other veterans like him — will help build the workforce that propels America forward in manufacturing.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a syndicate of eight Southeast universities — with Georgia Tech as the lead — a $15 million grant to support the development of a regional innovation ecosystem that addresses underrepresentation and increases entrepreneurship and technology-oriented workforce development. 

The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Southeast Hub is a five-year project based on the I-Corps model, which assists academics in moving their research from the lab to the market. 

Led by Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization and Enterprise Innovation Institute, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub encompasses four states — Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. 

Its member schools include:

• Clemson University 
• Morehouse College 
• University of Alabama 
• University of Central Florida 
• University of Florida 
• University of Miami 
• University of South Florida 

In January 2025, when the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub officially launches, the consortium of schools will expand to include the University of Puerto Rico. Additionally, through Morehouse College’s activation, Spelman College and the Morehouse School of Medicine will also participate in supporting the project. 

With a combined economic output of more than $3.2 trillion, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub region represents more than 11% of the entire U.S. economy. As a region, those states and Puerto Rico have a larger economic output than France, Italy, or Canada. 

“This is a great opportunity for us to engage in regional collaboration to drive innovation across the Southeast to strengthen our regional economy and that of Puerto Rico,” said the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s Nakia Melecio, director of the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub. As director, Melecio will oversee strategic management, data collection, and overall operations​. 

Additionally, Melecio serves as a national faculty instructor for the NSF I-Corps program. 

“This also allows us to collectively tackle some of the common challenges all four of our states face, especially when it comes to being intentionally inclusive in reaching out to communities that historically haven’t always been invited to participate,” he said. 

That means bringing solutions to market that not only solve problems but are intentional about including researchers from Black and Hispanic-serving institutions, Melecio said. 

Keith McGreggor, director of Georgia Tech’s VentureLab, is the faculty lead charged with designing the curriculum and instruction for the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub’s partners. 

McGreggor has extensive I-Corps experience. In 2012, Georgia Tech was among the first institutions in the country selected to teach the I-Corps curriculum, which aims to further research commercialization. McGreggor served as the lead instructor for I-Corps-related efforts and led training efforts across the Southeast, as well as for teams in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Republic of Ireland. 

Raghupathy “Siva” Sivakumar, Georgia Tech’s vice president of Commercialization and chief commercialization officer, is the project’s principal investigator. 

The NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub is one of three announced by the NSF. The others are in the Northwest and New England regions, led by the University of California, Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively. The three I-Corps Hubs are part of the NSF’s planned expansion of its National Innovation Network, which now includes 128 colleges and universities across 48 states. 

As designed, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub will leverage its partner institutions’ strengths to break down barriers to researchers’ pace of lab-to-market commercialization. 

"Our Hub member institutions have successfully commercialized transformative technologies across critical sectors, including advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, cybersecurity, and biomedical fields,” said Sivakumar. “We aim to achieve two key objectives: first, to establish and expand a scalable model that effectively translates research into viable commercial ventures; and second, to address pressing societal needs.

"This includes not only delivering innovative solutions but also cultivating a diverse pipeline of researchers and innovators, thereby enhancing interest in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, is a proponent of the Hub’s STEM component. 

“As a biology major-turned-congresswoman, I know firsthand that STEM education and research open doors far beyond the lab or classroom.,” Williams said. “This National Science Foundation grant means Georgia Tech will be leading the way in equipping researchers and grad students to turn their discoveries into real-world impact — as innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. 

“I’m especially excited about the partnership with Morehouse College and other minority-serving institutions through this Hub, expanding pathways to innovation and entrepreneurship for historically marginalized communities and creating one more tool to close the racial wealth gap.” 

That STEM aspect, coupled with supporting the growth of a regional ecosystem, will speed commercialization, increase higher education-industry collaborations, and boost the network of diverse entrepreneurs and startup founders, said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute. 

“This multi-university, regional approach is a successful model because it has been proven that bringing a diversity of stakeholders together leads to unique solutions to very difficult problems,” he said. “And while the Southeast faces different challenges that vary from state to state and Puerto Rico has its own needs, they call for a more comprehensive approach to solving them. Adopting a region-oriented focus allows us to understand what these needs are, customize tailored solutions, and keep not just our hub but our nation economically competitive.” 

The federally funded IAC program provides small to mid-sized industrial facilities in the region with free assessments for energy, productivity, and waste, while also supporting workforce development, recruitment, and training.

“This IAC is a great example of the ways in which Georgia Tech is serving all of Georgia and the Southeast,” said Tim Lieuwen, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and Regents’ Professor and holder of the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

“We support numerous small and medium-sized enterprises in rural, suburban, and urban areas, bringing the technical expertise of Georgia Tech to bear in solving real-world problems faced by our small businesses.”

Georgia Tech’s IAC, which serves Georgia, South Carolina, and North Florida, is administered jointly by the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). The organization has performed thousands of assessments since its inception in the 1980s – usually at the rate of 15 to 20 per year – and typically identifies upwards of 10% in energy savings for clients.

The assessment team, overseen by IAC associate director Kelly Grissom, comprises faculty and student engineers from Georgia Tech and the Florida A&M University/Florida State University College of Engineering.

In addition, Georgia Tech leads the Southeastern IACs Center of Excellence, which partners the institution with fellow University System of Georgia (USG) entity Kennesaw State University, local HBCU Clark Atlanta University, and neighboring state capital HBCU Florida A&M University.

Although mechanical engineering has historically been the chief area of concentration for IAC’s interns, the program currently accepts students across a range of disciplines. “Increased diversity from that standpoint enriches the potential of the recommendations we can make,” said Grissom.

Students are integral to the program, as is Grissom’s role in facilitating their experiences with client engagement and technical recommendations.

“Kelly is the reason our program has been recognized,” said Randy Green, energy and sustainability services group manager at GaMEP. “He works tirelessly to ensure that assessments are accomplished with success for our manufacturers and students.”

“We also recognize our partnership with the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and with IAC program lead Comas Haynes, Ph.D., who works diligently to keep us on track and connected with our sponsors at the U.S. Department of Energy,” Green added.

The DoE accolade represents “a ‘one Georgia Tech’ win,” symbolic of the synergistic relationships forged across the Institute, said Haynes, who also serves as the Hydrogen Initiative Lead at Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and Energy branch head in the Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Haynes specifically cited Green’s “technical prowess and managerial oversight” as another key to the IAC program’s success.

Said Devesh Ranjan, Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair and professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, “It is truly an honor for Georgia Tech to be named the Department of Energy Industrial (Training and) Assessment Center of the Year. Clean energy and manufacturing have been a focus for the Institute and the Woodruff School for a long time, and GTRI, EI2, and SEI have collaboratively done phenomenal work in helping manufacturers save energy, improve productivity, and reduce waste.”

To check eligibility and apply for assistance from Georgia Tech’s IAC, click here.