As the summer heat intensifies, with temperatures sometimes soaring to triple digits, the question of which fabrics are best for staying cool becomes particularly relevant. Sundaresan Jayaraman, a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, offers insights into the properties of various fabrics and why some are more effective than others in hot, humid conditions.

Jayaraman, a renowned expert in fibers, polymers, and textiles, recognizes linen as the best fabric for hot and humid conditions. He explains that linen's effectiveness lies in its superior moisture management properties. The fiber structure of linen allows it to absorb moisture quickly and then transport it away from the body. This is due to linen's high moisture regain capacity, which means it can absorb a significant amount of moisture without feeling damp.

“The moisture vapor transport rate for linen is much greater than that for cotton or polyester,” he explained. Additionally, linen's bending rigidity prevents it from clinging to the body, allowing for better air circulation.

Cotton is another popular fabric for summer, known for its softness and breathability. However, Jayaraman points out that while cotton effectively absorbs moisture, it tends to retain it longer than linen, making it feel clammy in extreme heat. Cotton's moisture vapor transmission rate is lower than linen’s, meaning it doesn't dry as quickly.

The structure of cotton fibers, which are ribbon-like and can trap more water, also affects cotton’s performance. While it’s more prone to sticking to the body due to its lower bending rigidity, cotton is generally comfortable for less humid conditions or for shorter durations in the heat.

While polyester may not be the first fabric that comes to mind for summer, its performance can be significantly enhanced with chemical treatments. Dri-FIT technology, for instance, improves polyester’s moisture-wicking properties, making it a popular choice for athletic wear.

“Regular polyester is terrible when it comes to moisture absorption,” admitted Jayaraman. “But Dri-FIT polyester doesn’t feel clammy and is very comfortable for being physically active in the summer months.”

While functionality is crucial, aesthetics also play a role in fabric choice for the summer. Linen, despite its excellent cooling properties, is prone to wrinkling and may not drape as elegantly as cotton or treated polyester. Jayaraman notes that linen's natural stiffness, which contributes to its cooling benefits, also leads to its tendency to wrinkle. He says, “For a crisp appearance, linen garments often require ironing before wear.” For those prioritizing appearance, cotton offers a softer drape and a smoother look, albeit with slightly less cooling efficiency.

The call from his mom is still vivid 20 years later. Moments this big and this devastating can define lives, and for Hong Yeo, today a Georgia Tech mechanical engineer, this call certainly did. Yeo was a 21-year-old in college studying car design when his mom called to tell him his father had died in his sleep. A heart attack claimed the life of the 49-year-old high school English teacher who had no history of heart trouble and no signs of his growing health threat. For the family, it was a crushing blow that altered each of their paths. 

“It was an uncertain time for all of us,” said Yeo. “This loss changed my focus.” 

For Yeo, thoughts and dreams of designing cars for Hyundai in Korea turned instead toward medicine. The shock of his father going from no signs of illness to gone forever developed into a quest for medical answers that might keep other families from experiencing the pain and loss his family did — or at least making it less likely to happen.  

Yeo’s own research and schooling in college pointed out a big problem when it comes to issues with sleep and how our bodies’ systems perform — data. He became determined to invent a way to give medical doctors better information that would allow them to spot a problem like his father’s before it became life-threatening. 

His answer: a type of wearable sleep data system. Now very close to being commercially available, Yeo’s device comes after years of working on the materials and electronics for an easy-to-wear, comfortable mask that can gather data about sleep over multiple days or even weeks, allowing doctors to catch sporadic heart problems or other issues. Different from some of the bulky devices with straps and cords currently available for at-home heart monitoring, it offers the bonuses of ease of use and comfort, ensuring little to no alteration to users’ bedtime routine or wear. This means researchers can collect data from sleep patterns that are as close to normal sleep as possible.  

“Most of the time now, gathering sleep data means the patient must come to a lab or hospital for sleep monitoring. Of course, it’s less comfortable than home, and the devices patients must wear make it even less so. Also, the process is expensive, so it’s rare to get multiple nights of data,” says Audrey Duarte, University of Texas human memory researcher.  

Duarte has been working with Yeo on this system for more than 10 years. She says there are so many mental and physical health outcomes tied to sleep that good, long-term data has the potential to have tremendous impact. 

“The results we’ve seen are incredibly encouraging, related to many things —from heart issues to areas I study more closely like memory and Alzheimer’s,” said Duarte. 

Yeo’s device may not have caught the arrhythmia that caused his father’s heart attack, but nights or weeks of data would have made effective medical intervention much more likely.  

Inspired by his own family’s loss, Yeo’s life’s work has become a tool of hope for others.  

Georgia Tech’s AI Hub will be directed by Pascal Van Hentenryck, announced Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president for Research. Van Hentenryck, A. Russell Chandler III Chair and professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, also directs the NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT). 

Georgia Tech has been actively engaged in artificial intelligence (AI) research and education for decades. Formed in 2023, the AI Hub is a thriving network, bringing together over 1000 faculty and students who work on fundamental and applied AI-related research across the entire Institute.  

“Pascal Van Hentenryck will drive innovation and excellence at the helm of Georgia Tech’s AI Hub,” said Abdallah. “His leadership of one of our three AI institutes has already shown his dedication to fostering impactful partnerships and cultivating a dynamic ecosystem for AI progress at Georgia Tech and beyond.” 

The AI Hub aims to advance AI through discovery, interdisciplinary research, responsible deployment, and education to build the next generation of the AI workforce, as well as a sustainable future. Thanks to Tech’s applied, solutions-focused approach, the AI Hub is well-positioned to provide decision makers and stakeholders with access to world-class resources for commercializing and deploying AI. 

“A fundamental question people are asking about AI now is, ‘Can we trust it?’” said Van Hentenryck. “As such, the AI Hub’s focus will be on developing trustworthy AI for social impact — in science, engineering, and education.” 

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Georgia Tech among the five best universities with artificial intelligence programs. Van Hentenryck intends for the AI Hub to leverage the Institute’s strategic advantage in AI engineering to create powerful collaborations. These could include partnerships with the Georgia Tech Research Institute, for maximizing societal impact, and Tech’s 10 interdisciplinary research centers as well as its three NSF-funded AI institutes, for augmenting academic and policy impact.  

“The AI Hub will empower all AI-related activities, from foundational research to applied AI projects, joint AI labs, AI incubators, and AI workforce development; it will also help shape AI policies and improve understanding of the social implications of AI technologies,” Van Hentenryck explained. “A key aspect will be to scale many of AI4OPT’s initiatives to Georgia Tech’s AI ecosystem more generally — in particular, its industrial partner and workforce development programs, in order to magnify societal impact and democratize access to AI and the AI workforce.” 

Van Hentenryck is also thinking about AI’s technological implications. “AI is a unifying technology — it brings together computing, engineering, and the social sciences. Keeping humans at the center of AI applications and ensuring that AI systems are trustworthy and ethical by design is critical,” he added. 

In its first year, the AI Hub will focus on building an agile and nimble organization to accomplish the following goals: 

• facilitate, promote, and nurture use-inspired research and innovative industrial partnerships;  

• translate AI research into impact through AI engineering and entrepreneurship programs; and 

• develop sustainable AI workforce development programs.  

Additionally, the AI Hub will support new events, including AI-Tech Fest, a fall kickoff for the center. This event will bring together Georgia Tech faculty, as well as external and potential partners, to discuss recent AI developments and the opportunities and challenges this rapidly proliferating technology presents, and to build a nexus of collaboration and innovation.  

The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence released its Spring 2024 special issue of AI Magazine (Volume 45, Issue 1). This issue highlights research areas, applications, education initiatives, and public engagement led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and USDA-NIFA-funded AI Research Institutes. It also delves into the background of the NSF’s National AI Research Institutes program, its role in shaping U.S. AI research strategy, and its future direction. Titled “Beneficial AI,” this issue showcases various AI research domains, all geared toward implementing AI for societal good.

The magazine, available as open access at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/23719621/2024/45/1, a one-year effort, spearheaded and co-edited by Ashok Goel, director of the National AI-ALOE Institute and professor of computer science and human-centered computing at Georgia Tech, along with Chaohua Ou, AI-ALOE’s managing director and assistant director, Special Projects and Educational Initiatives Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Georgia Tech, and Jim Donlon, the NSF's AI Institutes program director.

In this issue, insights into the future of AI and its societal impact are presented by the three NSF AI Institutes headquartered at Georgia Tech:

• AI-ALOE: National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education
  • Introduction to the Special Issue by Ashok Goel and Chaohua Ou.
  • The magazine features AI-ALOE’s work in reskilling, upskilling, and workforce development, showcasing how AI is reshaping adult learning and online education to prepare our workforce for the future.
• AI4OPT: AI Institute for Advances in Optimization
  • An overview of AI4OPT’s efforts in combining AI and optimization to tackle societal challenges in various sectors. The institute aims to create AI-assisted optimization systems for efficiency improvements, uncertainty quantification, and sustainability challenges, while also offering educational pathways in AI for engineering.
• AI-CARING: National AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups
  • AI-CARING’s section in the magazine details its comprehensive approach to using AI technologies to address the complex needs of aging adults, while navigating ethical considerations and promoting education in the field.
  • Co-authors contributing to AI-CARING's section include Sonia Chernova, associate professor at Georgia Tech and director of AI-CARING, along with members Elizabeth Mynatt, Agata Rozga, Reid Simmons, and Holly Yanco, all involved in AI-CARING research and education.

The magazine provides a comprehensive overview of how each of the 25 institutes is shaping the future of AI research.

About 'AI Magazine'

AI Magazine is an artificial intelligence magazine by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). It is published four times each year, and is sent to all AAAI members and subscribed to by most research libraries. Back issues are available online (issues less than 18 months old are only available to AAAI members).

The purpose of AI Magazine is to disseminate timely and informative articles that represent the current state of the art in AI and to keep its readers posted on AAAI-related matters. The articles are selected to appeal to readers engaged in research and applications across the broad spectrum of AI. Although some level of technical understanding is assumed by the authors, articles should be clear enough to inform readers who work outside the particular subject area. 

To learn more, click here.

Researchers with Georgia Tech and Emory University are field testing a new device that could help protect people who work outside from heat related injury. It’s a skin patch you can wear while working that sends detailed information to a smartphone or other device about important health markers like skin hydration and body temperature. The device takes different measurements than health wearables on the market currently and will be paired with an artificial intelligence program to predict health hazards. The team is calling the device BioPatch, and it’s being put to the test with landscaping crews. Researchers hope use of the device can guide better decisions about working in the heat.

The project involves collaboration between principal investigators Vicki Hertzberg from Emory University, W. Hong Yeo from Georgia Tech, and Li Xiong from Emory University. Their expertise spans statistics, mechanical and biomedical engineering, and computer science, respectively. Roxana Chicas of the Emory School of Nursing and Jeff Sands of the Emory School of Medicine, along with members of the Farmworker Association of Florida, are also part of the team. This video shows the device and data collection during a key component of testing during the summer.

Cicadas are the soundtrack of summer, but their pee is more special than their music. Rather than sprinkling droplets, they emit jets of urine from their small frames. For years, Georgia Tech researchers have wanted to understand the cicada’s unique urination.

Cicadas are the soundtrack of summer, but their pee is more special than their music. Rather than sprinkling droplets, they emit jets of urine from their small frames. For years, Georgia Tech researchers have wanted to understand the cicada’s unique urination.

Saad Bhamla, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and his research group hoped for an opportunity to study a cicada’s fluid excretion. However, while cicadas are easily heard, they hide in trees, making them hard to observe. As such, seeing a cicada pee is an event. Bhamla’s team had only watched the process on YouTube.

Then, while doing fieldwork in Peru, the team got lucky: They saw numerous cicadas in a tree, peeing.

Read more about what they discovered at Georgia Tech Research News.

The University of Waterloo and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, representing Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), have officially entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen academic and research ties between the two institutions. The MOU signifies a commitment to fostering collaborative initiatives in research, education, and other areas of mutual interest. Both universities, recognized for their global impact and innovation, are eager to embark on this journey of cooperation.

Charmaine Dean, Vice-President of Research & International, shared, “The University of Waterloo is pleased to embark on a new collaboration with Georgia Tech, featuring faculty and student exchanges, joint research projects, dual degrees, and conferences. Strengthening ties between our institutions through this collaboration creates a dynamic environment for our faculty and students to foster innovation in many areas of mutual excellence.”

“Georgia Tech is excited to see its NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4OPT), under the leadership of Prof. Pascal Van Hentenryck, partner with experts from the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute of the University of Waterloo. I am really looking forward to the impact that this partnership will have in advancing the fundamental knowledge of AI, in further expanding its applications, and in enabling its wider adoption,” noted Prof. Bernard Kippelen, Vice Provost for International Initiatives at Georgia Tech.

This collaboration is poised to elevate the academic and research landscape of both institutions, promoting global engagement and creating opportunities for students and faculty to thrive in an interconnected world.

In front of a standing-room-only crowd inside the John Lewis Student Center's Atlantic Theater, global leaders from the Hyundai Motor Group and Georgia Tech signed a memorandum of understanding, creating a transformative partnership focused on sustainable mobility, the hydrogen economy, and workforce development.  

As the automaker continues to construct its Metaplant America site in Bryan County — the cornerstone of Hyundai's $12 billion investment into electric vehicles and battery production across the state of Georgia — today's signing ceremony symbolizes the vision that Hyundai and Georgia Tech share on the road to advancing technology and improving the human condition. 

"As a leading public technological research university, we believe we have the opportunity and the responsibility to serve society, and that technology and the science and policy that support it must change our world for the better. These are responsibilities and challenges that we boldly accept. And we know we can't get there alone. On the contrary, we need travel partners, like-minded innovators, and partners with whom we can go farther, and today's partnership with Hyundai is a perfect example of what that means," Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said.  

The state of Georgia and the Institute have positioned themselves as leaders in the electrification of the automotive industry. Hyundai is among the top sellers of electric vehicles in the United States as the company aims to produce up to 500,000 vehicles annually at the $7 billion Savannah plant when production begins in 2025. The plant will create 8,500 jobs, and the company's total investments are projected to inject tens of billions of dollars into the state economy while spurring the creation of up to 40,000 jobs.  

"It's clear, we are in the right place with the right partners," Jay Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said. "When our executive chairman first decided on [the site of] the metaplant, one of the first things he said was, 'Make sure we collaborate with Georgia Tech.’ Hyundai and Georgia Tech have a lot in common. We have proud histories. We celebrate excellence, and we have very high standards. What we love about Georgia Tech is the vision to be a leading research university that addresses global challenges and develops exceptional leaders from all backgrounds."  

Spearheading new opportunities for students, the partnership will create technical training and leadership development programming for Hyundai employees and initiate engagement activities to stimulate interest in STEM degrees among students. 

José Muñoz, president and global COO of Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America, says the company quickly realized the potential impact of the newly forged partnership with Georgia Tech.  

"Proximity to institutions like Georgia Tech was one of the many reasons Hyundai selected Georgia for our new EV manufacturing facility. Imagine zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered vehicles here on campus, advanced air mobility shuttling people to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, or riding hands-free and stress-free in autonomous vehicles during rush hour on I-75 and I-85. Together, Georgia Tech and Hyundai have the resources to fundamentally improve how people and goods move," he said. 

In pursuit of sustainability, Hyundai has invested heavily in the potential of hydrogen and plans to lean on the Institute's expertise to explore the potential of the alternative fuel source, primarily for commercial vehicles. Hyundai has deployed its hydrogen-powered XCIENT rigs to transport materials in five countries. 

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue was on hand for Tuesday’s ceremony. Reflecting on his visits to the company's global headquarters in South Korea prior to the construction of the West Point, Georgia, Kia plant, he praised the company's values and world-class engineering ability.    

"This is a relationship built on mutual trust and respect. It's a company, a family atmosphere, and a culture that I respect and admire for the way they do business and honor progress, innovation, and creativity. That is why I am so excited about this partnership between the Hyundai Motor Group and the Georgia Institute of Technology because that will only enhance that," Perdue said. 

Owned by Hyundai, Kia recently invested an additional $200 million into its West Point facility to prepare for the production of the all-electric 2024 EV9 SUV. The plant currently manufactures more than 40% of all Kia models sold in the U.S.  

The partnership also includes field-naming recognition at Bobby Dodd Stadium, which is now known as Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, and provides student-athletes and teams with the resources needed to compete at the highest levels, both athletically and academically.

“A stitch in time saves nine,” goes the old saying. For a company in Georgia, that adage became very real when damage to a key piece of machinery threatened its operation. The group helping with the stitch in time was the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), a program of Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute that — for more than 60 years — has been helping small- to medium-sized manufacturers in Georgia stay competitive and grow, boosting economic development across the state.

Silon US, a Peachtree City manufacturer that designs and produces engineered compounds used to create a wide range of products — from automotive applications to building materials, such as PEX piping and wire and cable, was experiencing problems with their extrusion line during a time of increasing customer demand. Problems with the drive mechanism on that extrusion line, a piece of equipment critical to the company’s ability to produce, threatened to shut them down. With replacement parts several weeks away, was it safe to continue operating? At what throughput rates? How much collateral damage might be incurred if they continued to operate?

That’s when Silon managers turned to GaMEP for help.

After working through ideas with GaMEP’s manufacturing experts, the team installed wireless condition monitoring sensors that provide continuous, real-time insights on their manufacturing assets’ health. With the sensors, Silon was able to find a sweet spot that not only allowed them to continue operating but also kept them from overexerting the equipment, preventing further damage.

The solution to that problem has now become a routine part of Silon’s process, as company technicians continue to use this sensor technology for early detection of any deviations or anomalies in the machinery’s health, allowing the company’s maintenance team to proactively respond by adjusting scheduled maintenance to avoid costly downtime.

GaMEP’s Sean Madhavaraman says, “Silon is more productive than ever and on track for growth. The strong results in this challenge are a great example of the decades-long focus of GaMEP to educate and train managers and employees in best practices, to develop and implement the latest technology, and to work together with businesses to find solutions.”

Daniel Raubenheimer and Matt Gammon, Silon’s general managers, also lauded GaMEP, saying, “GaMEP’s extensive experience within the manufacturing realm has been a great benefit to our company. The wireless condition monitoring sensors allow us to predict future breakdowns and mitigate a potential catastrophe — allowing us to operate in a safe manner, while saving money, time, and effort.”