Christine Conwell has been named interim executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), effective Sept. 10. 

A principal research scientist, Conwell has served as SEI’s director of planning and operations since 2020. In this role, she oversaw strategic and annual planning within SEI and partnered with campus researchers and units to create and execute strategic programs and events. Most recently, she led the development of a new five-year action plan and launched a signature initiative to build energy-focused research partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.  

Before her role at SEI, Conwell was managing director of the $40 million NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, where she oversaw daily operations, fostered collaborations between 12 universities and other partners, and developed outreach and educational programs. Annually, she worked with more than 80 faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students and advised on key opportunities to maximize the center's impact. She served as a key leader within CCE’s management team and, in 2020, she was awarded Georgia Tech’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement in the Research Enterprise Award for her leadership.

“Christine has been instrumental in the growth and expansion of the Strategic Energy Institute,” said Julia Kubanek, vice president of Interdisciplinary Research at Georgia Tech. “The strong research ties she has built as a long-standing member of the Georgia Tech research community, along with her outstanding leadership during the past few years, makes her the natural choice for SEI’s interim executive director.”

Conwell holds a B.S. in molecular biology and chemistry from Westminster College in Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Georgia Tech. She has authored several peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and grants on her research in DNA biophysics and non-viral gene delivery, and was a postdoctoral recipient of the NIH Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award. During her time at Georgia Tech, Conwell has served as a member of the Research Faculty Senate and the Faculty Executive Board, and she was selected as a member of the fifth Leading Women at Georgia Tech cohort.

“I am honored to serve as the interim executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute during this pivotal moment for energy research,” she said. “As we navigate an exciting period of innovation at the local, regional, and national levels, I am eager to build on our current momentum and deepen collaborations with our exceptional researchers, faculty, and staff to further advance our energy community and drive progress in the field.”

When the door to the Mars Dune Alpha habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, closed behind the crew members of the first Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission, Georgia Tech graduate Ross Brockwell was transported 152 million simulated miles to the Red Planet.  

For the next 378 days, Brockwell, a 1999 civil engineering graduate, and three other crew members participated in the study designed to gain insights into the challenges of deep space exploration and its effects on human health and performance. The crew performed robotic operations, habitat maintenance, agricultural activities, and simulated surface walks in the "sandbox" with the assistance of virtual reality while enduring intentional resource limitations, isolation, and confinement. 

A structural engineer by day, he has always dreamed of space travel, and when a fellow Yellow Jacket alerted Brockwell to the application for the CHAPEA mission, he seized the opportunity.  

"Sometimes, you get chances in your lifetime, and if I don't get a chance to actually go to Mars, if I can take this chance to help us get there as a planet, I'm honored," he said. 

Once inside the 1,700-square-foot habitat, Brockwell's role as the CHAPEA mission's flight engineer focused on infrastructure, building design, and organizational leadership. As much as he learned from his tasks throughout the mission, like anticipating possible failure points and contingency planning, NASA learned even more through physical and cognitive monitoring.  

"There was a lot of science, but some of the science was focused on us as the participants — our physiology and our performance — to make the mission as realistic as possible," he said.  

Communication is a key element in space travel. Getting a message from Mars back to family and friends or mission control on Earth took 20 minutes on average for the crew inside the habitat, testing their ability to isolate. Without constant communication with the outside world, the crew fostered camaraderie through team activities and celebrated birthdays and holidays together. Brockwell's ingenuity wasn't limited to official tasks; he used a 3D printer to create a bracket for mounting a mini-basketball hoop.  

Meals inside the habitat mirrored the shelf-stable food system of the International Space Station. While cultivated crops like tomatoes supplemented their main supply, Brockwell says there is a common misconception about astronaut food.  

"I say with all sincerity, it was delicious." His favorite dish was a peanut chicken and wild rice mix, but the crew often got creative by mixing soups and proteins to create new dishes. 

Other than the food, the biggest surprise to Brockwell was how quickly the mission was completed.    

"I hoped and thought it would be that way, but we proved that a well-comprised crew can have a good time while doing this. There were a lot of clichéd expectations that there would be issues that we just didn't have. I think we demonstrated that a mission like this can be a huge success and an enjoyable, positive experience, not just something to be endured," he said.  

Brockwell says that his time at Georgia Tech allowed him to learn the fundamentals of engineering principles and taught him to keep an open mind when exploring how things work. After receiving a master's degree in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology and completing the CHAPEA mission, he believes systems engineering can aid deep space exploration efforts for the next generation.  

"Thinking about the effect of every component on every other component and the emergent properties from complex systems is crucial. I think that systems thinking is going to become increasingly important. Ecology and ecological thinking need to be part of it, especially for aerospace. If you're thinking about deep space exploration, an understanding of ecological principles and closed-loop systems will be key," he said.  

At the end of the mission, Brockwell savored the sights and smells of Earth for the first time in over a year, saying that's what he missed the most. But if the opportunity arose to take the 152-million-mile flight to Mars, he'd be on the first ship out.   

From airplanes to soda cans, aluminum is a crucial — not to mention, an incredibly sustainable — material in manufacturing. Since 2019, Georgia Tech has partnered with Novelis, a global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, through the Novelis Innovation Hub to advance research and business opportunities in aluminum manufacturing.

Novelis and the Georgia Institute of Technology recently co-hosted the 19th International Conference on Aluminum Alloys (ICAA19). Held on Georgia Tech's campus, this event brought together the brightest minds in aluminum technology for four days of intensive learning and networking.

Since its inception in 1986, ICAA has been the premier global forum for aluminum manufacturing innovations. This year, the conference attracted over 300 participants from 19 countries, including representatives from academia, research organizations, and industry leaders.

“The diverse mix of attendees created a rich tapestry of knowledge and experience, fostering a robust exchange of ideas,” said Naresh Thadhani, conference co-chair and professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering

ICAA19 featured 12 symposia topics and over 250 technical presentations, delving into critical themes such as sustainability, future mobility, and next-generation manufacturing. Keynote addresses from leaders at the Aluminum Association, Airbus, and Coca-Cola set the stage for insightful discussions. Novelis Chief Technology Officer Philippe Meyer and Georgia Tech Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki Abdallah headlined the event, underscoring the importance of Novelis’ partnership with Georgia Tech.

Marking the fifth anniversary of the Novelis Innovation Hub at Georgia Tech, Hub Executive Director Shreyes Melkote says that “ICAA19 represents a prime example of the close collaboration between Novelis and the Institute, enabled by the Novelis Innovation Hub.” Melkote, a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, also serves as the associate director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute.

“This unique center for research, development, and technology has been instrumental in advancing aluminum innovations, exemplifying the power of partnerships in driving industry progress,” says Meyer. “As we reflect on the success of ICAA19, we remain committed to strengthening our existing partnerships and forging new alliances to accelerate innovation. The collaborative spirit showcased at the conference is a testament to our dedication to leading the aluminum industry into a more sustainable future.”

Timothy Lieuwen has been appointed interim executive vice president for Research (EVPR) by Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, effective September 10. 

Lieuwen is a Regents’ Professor, the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute. His research interests range from clean energy and propulsion systems to energy policy, national security, and regional economic development. He works closely with industry and government to address fundamental problems and identify solutions in the development of clean energy systems and alternative fuels. 

A proud Georgia Tech alumnus, Lieuwen (M.S. ME 1997, Ph.D. ME 1999) has had a remarkable academic career. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Physical Society, the Combustion Institute, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering (foreign fellow). He has received numerous awards, including the ASME George Westinghouse Gold Medal and the AIAA Pendray Award. He serves on governing or advisory boards of three Department of Energy national labs: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to the National Petroleum Council. 

Lieuwen has authored or edited four books on combustion and over 400 scientific publications. He also holds nine patents, several of which are licensed to industry, and is founder of an energy analytics company, Turbine Logic, where he acts as chief technology officer.

In Lieuwen’s appointment announcement, President Cabrera said, “Tim’s extensive experience and knowledge of Georgia Tech makes him uniquely suited to lead our research enterprise as we search for a permanent EVPR. I am grateful for his willingness to serve the Institute during this period of remarkable growth, and I look forward to working with him and the rest of the team.”

When it comes to manufacturing innovation, the “valley of death” — the gap between the lab and the industry floor where even the best discoveries often get lost — looms large.

“An individual faculty’s lab focuses on showing the innovation or the new science that they discovered,” said Aaron Stebner, professor and Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. Chair in Manufacturing in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. “At that point, the business case hasn't been made for the technology yet — there's no testing on an industrial system to know if it breaks or if it scales up. A lot of innovation and scientific discovery dies there.”

The Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) launched the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF) in 2017 to help bridge that gap. 

Now, GTMI is breaking ground on an extensive expansion to bring new capabilities in automation, artificial intelligence, and data management to the facility. 

“This will be the first facility of this size that's being intentionally designed to enable AI to perform research and development in materials and manufacturing at the same time,” said Stebner, “setting up GTMI as not just a leader in Georgia, but a leader in automation and AI in manufacturing across the country.”

AMPF: A Catalyst for Collaboration

Located just north of Georgia Tech’s main campus, APMF is a 20,000-square-foot facility serving as a teaching laboratory, technology test bed, and workforce development space for manufacturing innovations.

“The pilot facility,” says Stebner, “is meant to be a place where stakeholders in academic research, government, industry, and workforce development can come together and develop both the workforce that is needed for future technologies, as well as mature, de-risk, and develop business cases for new technologies — proving them out to the point where it makes sense for industry to pick them up.”

In addition to serving as the flagship facility for GTMI research and the state’s Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) project, the AMPF is a user facility accessible to Georgia Tech’s industry partners as well as the Institute’s faculty, staff, and students.

“We have all kinds of great capabilities and technologies, plus staff that can train students, postdocs, and faculty on how to use them,” said Stebner, who also serves as co-director of the GTMI-affiliated Georgia AIM project. “It creates a unique asset for Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students.”

Bringing AI and Automation to the Forefront

The renovation of APMF is a key component of the $65 million grant, awarded to Georgia Tech by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration in 2022, which gave rise to the Georgia AIM project. With over $23 million in support from Georgia AIM, the improved facility will feature new workforce training programs, personnel, and equipment. 

Set to complete in Spring 2026, the Institute’s investment of $16 million supports construction that will roughly triple the size of the facility — and work to address a major roadblock for incorporating AI and automation into manufacturing practices: data.

“There’s a lot of work going on across the world in using machine learning in engineering problems, including manufacturing, but it's limited in scale-up and commercial adoption,” explained Stebner. 

Machine learning algorithms have the potential to make manufacturing more efficient, but they need a lot of reliable, repeatable data about the processes and materials involved to be effective. Collecting that data manually is monotonous, costly, and time-consuming.

“The idea is to automate those functions that we need to enable AI and machine learning” in manufacturing, says Stebner. “Let it be a facility where you can imagine new things and push new boundaries and not just be stuck in demonstrating concepts over and over again.”

To make that possible, the expanded facility will couple AI and data management with robotic automation.

“We're going to be able to demonstrate automation from the very beginning of our process all the way through the entire ecosystem of manufacturing,” said Steven Sheffield, GTMI’s senior assistant director of research operations.

“This expansion — no one else has done anything like it,” added Steven Ferguson, principal research scientist with GTMI and managing director of Georgia AIM. “We will have the leading facility for demonstrating what a hyperconnected and AI-driven manufacturing enterprise looks like. We’re setting the stage for Georgia Tech to continue to lead in the manufacturing space for the next decade and beyond.”

Work done by Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) is translating into success stories across the state. Recently, these success stories framed another achievement: Helping to host Vice President Kamala Harris as she kicked off her Economic Opportunity Tour in Atlanta at the end of April.

The multi-state tour was designed to showcase ways the Biden-Harris administration has built economic opportunity, supported communities, and is investing in traditionally underserved areas. Georgia AIM is an example of this, as it helps to expand technology training, job opportunities and advances for manufacturing across the state. Along with Georgia AIM, the Georgia Minority Business Development Agency Business Center (Georgia MBC), and Southeast Business Hub, programs of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, also attended the event at the Georgia International Convention Center, near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“This event was a great opportunity to introduce the vice president to the work of Georgia AIM,” said Donna Ennis, co-director of Georgia AIM, which works to drive adoption of AI in U.S. manufacturing. “We were founded as part of the federal government’s Build Back Better plan. It’s important for her to see how we are putting the grant to work to deliver equity in artificial intelligence for manufacturing in Georgia.”

Prior to the arrival of Vice President Harris, attendees could visit tables set up in the entry hall and learn about a number of organizations, from banks to nonprofits to governmental agencies, that are working to level the playing field for underserved Georgians. Attendees included representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Rise, and Brunswick Job Corps Center.

The Georgia AIM table, staffed by Ryan Scott, the community engagement manager, and Kyle Saleeby, research engineer with Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI), was a popular stop, thanks to the tabletop “cobot” showing how robotics can be used in manufacturing and an array of 3-D printed industrial materials.

The program featured a conversation with Harris and financial literacy and business advice podcasters Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, from Earn Your Leisure. The podcast has an audience of about 2 million people, a majority of whom are Black. Harris spoke to the crowd of approximately 400 people about the administration’s focus on access to capital for minority small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“One of the compelling reasons for me to start this tour now,” Harris said, “is to ask all the leaders here for help in getting the word out about what is available to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Because we are in the process of putting a lot of money in the streets of America.”

Some of those funds have gone to Enterprise Innovation Institute programs, including $65 million for Georgia AIM.

Georgia senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Rep. Nikema Williams also spoke at the event. Prior to the event, they joined Harris at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs(RICE), a partner project with Georgia AIM. RICE is developing a mobile lab with researchers at the University of Georgia College of Engineering that will showcase AI-based technologies to communities across the state.

“It was exciting to hear first-hand about the administration’s commitment to equity in small businesses and entrepreneurship,” Ennis said. “It dovetails perfectly with the commitment of the programs of the Enterprise Innovation Institute.”

Naiya Salinas and her instructor, Deryk Stoops, looked back and forth between the large screen on the wall and a hand-held monitor.

Tracing between the lines of code, Salinas made a discovery: A character was missing.

The lesson was an important, real-world example of the problem-solving skills required when working in robotics. Salinas is one of a half-dozen students enrolled in the new AI Enhanced Robotic Manufacturing program at the Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) Center, which is setting a new standard for technology-focused careers.

The set-up of the lab was intentional, said Stoops, who designed the course modules and worked with local industry to determine their manufacturing needs. Then, with funding from the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute's (GTMI) Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM) project, Stoops worked with administrators at Central Georgia Technical College to purchase robotics and other cutting-edge manufacturing tools.

As a result, the VECTR Center’s AI-Enhanced Robotic Manufacturing Studio trains veterans in industry-standard robotics, manufacturing modules, cameras, and network systems. This equipment gives students experience in a variety of robotics-based manufacturing applications. Graduates can also finish the 17-credit course with two certifications that carry some weight in the manufacturing world.

“After getting the Georgia AIM grant, we pulled together a roundtable with industry. And then we did site visits to see how they pulled AI and robotics into the space,” said Stoops. “All the equipment in here is the direct result of industry feedback.”

Statewide Strategic Effort

Funded by a $65 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration, Georgia AIM is a network of projects across the state born out of GTMI and led by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. These projects work to connect the manufacturing community with smart technologies and a ready workforce. Central Georgia received around $4 million as part of the initiative to advance innovation, workforce development and STEM education in support of local manufacturing and Robins Air Force Base.

Georgia AIM pulls together a host of regional partners all working toward a common goal of increasing STEM education, access to technology and enhancing AI among local manufacturers. This partnership includes Fort Valley State University, the Middle Georgia Innovation Project led by the Development Authority of Houston County, Central Georgia Technical College, which administers the VECTR Center, and the 21st Century Partnership.

“This grant will help us turn our vision for both the Middle Georgia Innovation Project and the Middle Georgia STEM Alliance, along with our partners, into reality, advancing this region and supporting the future of Robins AFB,” said Brig. Gen. John Kubinec, USAF (ret.), president and chief executive officer of the 21st Century Partnership.

Georgia AIM funding for Central Georgia Technical College and Fort Valley State focused on enhancing technology and purchasing new components to assist in education. At Fort Valley State, a mobile lab will launch later this year to take AI-enhanced technologies to underserved parts of the state, while Central Georgia Tech invested in an AI-enhanced robotics manufacturing lab at the VECTR Center.

“This funding will help bring emerging technology throughout our service area and beyond, to our students, economy, and Robins Air Force Base,” said Dr. Ivan Allen, president of Central Georgia Technical College. “Thanks to the power of this partnership, our faculty and students will have the opportunity to work directly with modern manufacturing technology, giving our students the experience and education needed to transition from the classroom to the workforce in an in-demand industry.”

New Gateway for Vets

The VECTR Center’s AI-Enhanced Robotics Manufacturing Studio includes FANUC robotic systems, Rockwell Automation programmable logic controllers, Cognex AI-enabled machine vision systems, smart sensor networks, and a MiR autonomous mobile robot.

The studio graduated its first cohort of students in February and celebrated its ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 17 with a host of local officials and dignitaries. It was also an opportunity to celebrate the students, who are transitioning from a military career to civilian life.

The new technologies at the VECTR Center lab are opening new doors to a growing, cutting-edge field.

“From being in this class, you really start to see how the world is going toward AI. Not just Chat GPT, but everything — the world is going toward AI for sure now,” said Jordan Leonard, who worked in logistics and as a vehicle mechanic in the U.S. Army. Now, he’s upskilling into robotics and looking forward to using his new skills in maintenance. “What I want to do is go to school for instrumentation and electrical technician. But since a lot of industrial plants are trying to get more robots, for me this will be a step up from my coworkers by knowing these things.”

Whether it’s typing an email or guiding travel from one destination to the next, artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a role in simplifying daily tasks.

But what if it could also help people live more efficiently — that is, more sustainably, with less waste?

It’s a concept that often runs through the mind of Iesha Baldwin, the inaugural Georgia AIM Fellow with the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN) at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Born out of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, the Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) project works with PIN fellows to advance the project's mission of equitably developing and deploying talent and innovation in AI for manufacturing throughout the state of Georgia.

When she accepted the PIN Fellowship for 2023, she saw an opportunity to learn more about the nexus of artificial intelligence, manufacturing, waste, and education. With a background in environmental studies and science, Baldwin studied methods for waste reduction, environmental protection, and science education.

“I took an interest in AI technology because I wanted to learn how it can be harnessed to solve the waste problem and create better science education opportunities for K-12 and higher education students,” said Baldwin.

This type of unique problem-solving is what defines the PIN Fellowship programs. Every year, a cohort of recent college graduates is selected, and each is paired with an industry that aligns with their expertise and career goals — specifically, cleantech, AI manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and cybersecurity/information technology. Fellowships are one year, with fellows spending six months with a private company and then six months with a public organization.

Through the experience, fellows expand their professional network and drive connections between the public and private sectors. They also use the opportunity to work on special projects that involve using new technologies in their area of interest.

With a focus on artificial intelligence in manufacturing, Baldwin led an inventory management project at the Georgia manufacturer Freudenberg-NOK, where the objective was to create an inventory management system that reduced manufacturing downtime and, as a result, increased efficiency, and reduced waste.

She also worked in several capacities at Georgia Tech: supporting K-12 outreach programs at the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility, assisting with energy research at the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center, and auditing the infamous mechanical engineering course ME2110 to improve her design thinking and engineering skills.

“Learning about artificial intelligence is a process, and the knowledge gained was worth the academic adventure,” she said. “Because of the wonderful support at Georgia Tech, Freudenberg NOK, PIN, and Georgia AIM, I feel confident about connecting environmental sustainability and technology in a way that makes communities more resilient and sustainable.”

Since leaving the PIN Fellowship, Baldwin connected her love for education, science, and environmental sustainability through her new role as the inaugural sustainability coordinator for Spelman College, her alma mater.  In this role, she is responsible for supporting campus sustainability initiatives.

Adoptive T-cell therapy has revolutionized medicine. A patient’s T-cells — a type of white blood cell that is part of the body’s immune system — are extracted and modified in a lab and then infused back into the body, to seek and destroy infection, or cancer cells. 

Now Georgia Tech bioengineer Ankur Singh and his research team have developed a method to improve this pioneering immunotherapy. 

Their solution involves using nanowires to deliver therapeutic miRNA to T-cells. This new modification process retains the cells’ naïve state, which means they’ll be even better disease fighters when they’re infused back into a patient.

“By delivering miRNA in naïve T cells, we have basically prepared an infantry, ready to deploy,” Singh said. “And when these naïve cells are stimulated and activated in the presence of disease, it’s like they’ve been converted into samurais.”

Lean and Mean

Currently in adoptive T-cell therapy, the cells become stimulated and preactivated in the lab when they are modified, losing their naïve state. Singh’s new technique overcomes this limitation. The approach is described in a new study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

“Naïve T-cells are more useful for immunotherapy because they have not yet been preactivated, which means they can be more easily manipulated to adopt desired therapeutic functions,” said Singh, the Carl Ring Family Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. 

The raw recruits of the immune system, naïve T-cells are white blood cells that haven’t been tested in battle yet. But these cellular recruits are robust, impressionable, and adaptable — ready and eager for programming.

“This process creates a well-programmed naïve T-cell ideal for enhancing immune responses against specific targets, such as tumors or pathogens,” said Singh.

The precise programming naïve T-cells receive sets the foundational stage for a more successful disease fighting future, as compared to preactivated cells.