Adolfo Rocco, a graduate student assistant studying under SCL faculty members Alan Erera and Alejandro Toriello, recently earned his PhD after successfully defending his thesis "Service Network Design for Parcel Trucking". Adolfo's research focuses on applications and technologies that use optimization techniques to solve complex real-world problems. Its relevance to supply chain and logistics revolves around last-mile logistics, an essential part of the economy involving the transportation of goods from producers to end-consumers. As a result of the explosive growth of e-commerce in the past decade, e-commerce sales ratios have nearly tripled globally and demand for last-mile delivery is expected to grow 78% globally by 2030. One of the main objectives of last-mile delivery logistics is to deliver packages as affordably, quickly, and efficiently as possible.

Adolfo’s dissertation research involved a large-scale package express service network design in collaboration with one of the largest courier companies in China. The objective of the project was to support the growth and evolution of the intercity logistics network (expanding coverage, offering tighter service levels, and improving efficiency). The challenge was to build flat network models given large problem size, time requirements for package movement, and consideration for relevant operational constraints. The first phase of the project focused on a detailed intracity scheduling service network design problem for megacities and developing a simple rated-based model to design shuttle and commodity paths. The next project phase focused on linehaul consolidation planning, and specifically, determining the most cost-effective hubs for cross-docking activities through developing decomposition greedy approaches that employ smaller tractable integer programming problems. In the final project phase, the focus was on a freight flow plan that conforms generalized in-tree structure and which basically generalize the in-tree concept. A main goal of the project was to build a large-scale plan when hub selection is not a concern, time requirements are relevant, and conformity and enforcement of a generalized in-tree structure that enhances operational realism is accomplished. 

When asked why Rocco was interested in this specific research area, he commented, "I am passionate about employing operations research techniques to solve challenging real-world problems. I strongly believe that city logistics plays a major role in the economy because of the growth in world population and e-commerce in past years. City logistics directly impacts the lives of people and, if not addressed correctly, can have a negative impact on quality of life. Advances in scientific methodologies and computer capabilities permit us to employ enabling cutting-edge technology to tackle these challenges appropriately. This is an exciting field that I yearn more people get involved with."
 
Before being accepted into the PhD program, Adolfo worked for five years at an operations research consulting firm in Chile building optimization models for a Workforce Management technology system. In the summer of 2019 he interned at Delta, developing an approach to increase revenue through routing optimization. In the summer of 2020, Rocco interned with the worldwide capacity planning operations research group at Amazon, enhancing scheduling models for customer service agents. After earning his PhD, Adolfo will join Amazon as a Research Scientist working with the team he previously interned with. 

Dr. Christine Ries has been invited to serve on a Review Panel for the New NSF Future Manufacturing Program on Eco-Manufacturing. 

This new multidisciplinary NSF program supports fundamental research and education of a future workforce that would enable the types of manufacturing that are not existent yet or are at such early stages of development they are not yet viable (Future Manufacturing). Reviews considered impacts on the economy, workforce, human behavior, and society at large.

IDEaS recently awarded a series of grants to stimulate the research efforts of Georgia Tech’s brightest minds in data science and related disciplines. Faculty and student research programs targeted for IDEaS awards must demonstrate research goals that will be highly cross-disciplinary and emphasize how data science can assist in related research areas.

The Data Science Research Scholarships program will support scholarships for the Spring 2020 semester and focus on Ph.D. student research that enables new collaborative research or adds a data science dimension to established research projects. Each scholarship will fund 50% of the cost of a GRA appointment, with the project PI funding the remaining 50%. 

Data Science Research Scholarships 2020 Awards

• JC Gumbart (Physics) & David Sherrill (Chemistry): Force-field Development to Enable Simulations of Xeno-nucleic Acids
• Xiuwei Zhang (CSE) & Haesun Park (CSE): Development of an Integrative Clustering Method for Single Cells
• Vince Calhoun (ECE) & Audrey Duarte (Psych): The Chronnectomics of Memory
• Annalisa Bracco (EAS), Jie He (EAS) & Matt J. Kusner (University College London): Machine-learning Techniques for Cloud Modeling
• Toyya Pujol-Mitchell (ISYE), Nicoleta Serban (ISyE) & Constantine Dovrolis (CS): Network Weight Prediction Using Node Attributes
• Xiaofan Liang (City & Reg Planning), Clio Andris (City & Reg Planning) & Diyi Yang (IC): Advancing Metrics for Spatial Social Networks in the Era of Big Data
• Omar Asensio (Public Policy): Do Micromobility Options Reduce Traffic Congestion? Quasi-experimental Evidence from Uber Movement Data
• Constantine Dovrolis (CS) & Kelly F. Ethun (Emory/Yerkes): Connections Between Social Behavior and Food Intake in Rhesus Macaques

• Diyi Yang (IC) & Mai ElSherief (IC): Defining, Characterizing, and Detecting Implicit Discriminatory Speech Online
• Umakishore Ramachandran (CS) & Zhuangdi Xu (CS): Generating Labeled Vehicle Tracking Dataset for Large-scale Geo-Distributed Camera Networks
• Surya R. Kalidindi (ME/CSE/MSE) & Christopher Saldana (ME): Advanced Materials-Manufacturing Data Curation
• Agata Rozga (IC), Thomas Ploetz (IC) & external: Annotation of Datasets from Severe Behavior Treatment Program at the Marcus Autism Center

• Diyi Yang (IC): Allen Institute for AI and University of Washington
• Josh Kacher (MSE): Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Rachel Cummings (ISyE): Georgetown University and U.S. Census Bureau

• Betsy DiSalvo (IC): Data Work Civic Engagement Panel
• Diyi Yang (IC): Natural Language Processing/Computational Social Science Seminar

Georgia Tech Arts is still seeking projects for the 2021 ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian
Creativity and Innovation Festival in Washington, DC. All Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff are invited to apply by May 1, 2020.

Even if you do not have a finished project exploring the intersection of science,
engineering, art, design, and technology, we encourage you to speak with Es
Famojure at esther.famojure@arts.gatech.edu about your concepts.

Learn about Georgia Tech's 2019 participants for some inspiration.

The festival brings together all institutions included in the Atlantic Coast Conference to
celebrate creativity and innovation with a specific focus on science, engineering, arts, and
design. It will be held April 9 -11, 2021 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American
History.

Submit your project for consideration by May 1, 2020 to be considered.

LEARN MORE & APPLY

Grad students! Minoring in policy? Want to take something really different, but relevant to your technical training, this summer? Want to take a SUMMER course?

In the SUMMER 2012 session Margaret Kosal, PhD, (INTA professor) and Robert Butera, PhD, are offering this course in Biotechnology and International Affairs which is cross-listed between BMED and INTA.

NOTE: This is a 5 week session, taught 3 hours/day 3 days/week for 5 weeks. Take note of the dates/days when registering!

INTA 8803 MK / BMED 8813 BIS

Biotechnology and International Security

This course will explore the interface between biotechnology and national security concerns. Rapid biotechnological changes are anticipated to occur over the ensuing decades in a globalized world characterized by complex security challenges. What security concerns are posed by rapid developments in biotechnology? How do governments deal with these concerns? Can regulatory frameworks keep pace with rapid developments in biotechnology? How are these issues handled at an international level? We will consider the role of government and non-governmental organizations in efforts to control these technologies. Finally, we will examine the role of the industry and the open market in shaping policy on these technologies.

Through the generous support of Dean Gary S. May and the College of Engineering, the BioEngineering Interdisciplinary graduate program is pleased announce the winners of the  three new BioEngineering Awards for calendar year 2011 as follows:

Best BioE Student Paper
Rolando Gittens - Ph.D. Student - Boyan Lab - Award Recipient 2012

Best BioE Ph.D. Thesis
Edward Phelps, Ph.D. - Garcia Lab -  Award Recipient 2012

Best BioE Advisor
Dr. Melissa Kemp, BMED - Award Recipient 2012

To honor these recipients, an awards ceremony will be held Fall semester 2012.

Younan Xia, an internationally recognized leader in the field of nanotechnology, recently joined the Georgia Institute of Technology as the first Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine.

Xia is the Brock Family Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, with a joint appointment in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research focuses on nanocrystals -- a novel class of materials with features smaller than 100 nm -- as well as the development of innovative technologies enabled by nanocrystals. These technologies span the fields of molecular imaging, early cancer diagnosis, targeted drug delivery, biomaterials, regenerative medicine and catalysis.

“The possible applications of nanotechnology in medicine have only begun to be explored, said Michael Cassidy, President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. “Dr. Xia’s expertise and collaborative vision will lead to vital new scientific discoveries that can be transformed into new tools to help people live healthier lives.”

Xia received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University in 1996, his M.S. in inorganic chemistry from University of Pennsylvania (with the late Professor Alan G. MacDiarmid, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2000) in 1993. He has received a number of prestigious awards, including AIMBE Fellow (2011), MRS Fellow (2009), NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2006), Leo Hendrik Baekeland Award (2005), Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar (2002), David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (2000), Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2000), NSF Early Career Development Award (2000) and the ACS Victor K. LaMer Award (1999).

“Dr. Xia is a world-renowned teacher and leader at the forefront of nanomedicine and materials science,” said Larry McIntire, the Wallace H. Coulter Chair of Biomedical Engineering. “His reputation and innovative research in these areas will clearly strengthen our expanding efforts in nanomedicine and biomaterials. We are honored to welcome him to the department and to the Institute.”

The Bioengineering and Bioscience Unified Graduate Students (BBUGS) have launched a new website. The new BBUGS website offers features that will enhance the communication and interactions among the students and the bio-community. BBUGS members can now create profiles that will be viewable to the public which allow students to share their current research and accomplishments with other academic and industry organizations within the bioengineering and bioscience fields.

Additionally, the new BBUGS website has incorporated a message board whereby BBUGS members can post announcements pertaining to job openings, scholarship/grant availabilities, seminars/workshops or upcoming social activities. The new website design includes new and improved functionality to make navigation throughout the website less complicated and more manageable.

BBUGS is currently the largest, most diverse, graduate student group on the Georgia Tech campus and is an interdisciplinary student group, comprised of 8 different departments, with their home in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. Comprised of over 500 members, BBUGS serves as the core student group for the bioengineering and bioscience community and is open to all Georgia Tech and Emory University students from bio-related fields.  Existing members are encouraged to go to the new website and create a profile to stay engaged. 

In order to continue to provide Georgia Tech researchers with "state of the art" equipment, unparalleled performance and more opportunities to access shared resources, select research cores in the Petit Institute will begin to recover materials, supplies and maintenance-related costs by charging a minimal fee for the use of various pieces of equipment. 

While the Micro CT and histology cores are already set up as cost recovery service centers, we plan to bring the microscopy core online as a cost recovery service center in February of 2012.

Other cores will follow as rates are developed and approved by the Georgia Tech Office of Grants and Contracts Accounting. A phased approach will be used in setting the rates to aid laboratories in planning and provide researchers with an opportunity to make adjustments to budgets.

Beginning in February 2012, users will be charged a small percentage of the cost-based rate for usage. The initial charge to Georgia Tech users for confocal time is anticipated to be $2.75/hr. The rates will be increased in subsequent years but remain highly subsidized by the Petit Institute.

In order to administer the new cost recovery service center, users will access Petit Institute core facilities resources through a new online reservation system, serviced by iLab. The Petit Institute website will remain intact and the only change is that users will register, view and reserve equipment, request services, view bills and enter payment information through the iLab Solutions website.

The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech announces its 2012 class of Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars.  The "Petit Scholars" are top undergraduate students from Atlanta-area universities chosen from a highly competitive selection process to conduct independent research projects for a full year at the Petit Institute. 

The Petit Scholars program is administered by the Petit Institute and Todd McDevitt, a Petit Faculty Fellow and associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, who volunteers as the faculty advisor for the program.

"We had a very competitive applicant pool this year," McDevitt said.  "Due to the generosity of various donors, we were able to award nineteen research scholarships this year."

From January through December of 2012, each of the 19 scholars will be mentored by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in a Petit Institute laboratory.  During this period, the scholars will work to develop their own research projects which they themselves have selected after a thorough interview process with potential mentors.  Research is conducted within the areas of cancer biology, biomaterials, drug design, development and delivery, molecular evolution, molecular cellular and tissue biomechanics, regenerative medicine, stem cell engineering and systems biology.  Many scholars will have made enough progress in their research by the end of the year to participate on scientific publications and/or present at conferences.  

The class of 2012 is represented by students from Georgia Tech, Emory University, Spelman College and Agnes Scott College.

2012 Class of Petit Scholars:
Michael Butler - Georgia Tech
Frederick Damen - Georgia Tech
Kyle Ferguson - Georgia Tech
Kelsey Gratton - Georgia Tech
Alexandria Harrison - Spelman College
Susan Hastings - Georgia Tech
Kathleen Heller - Georgia Tech
Jacob Johnson - Georgia Tech
Taylor Kavanaugh - Georgia Tech
Lu Ling - Georgia Tech
Robert Mannino - Georgia Tech
Mohamad Ali Najia - Georgia Tech
Marc Powell - Georgia Tech
Sydney Rowson - Georgia Tech
Abhinav Sharma - Emory University
Andrew St. James - Georgia Tech
Patrick Strane - Georgia Tech
Anirudh Sundararaghavan - Georgia Tech
Alexandra Wagner - Agnes Scott College

Since its inception in 2000, the program has supported hundreds of top undergraduate researchers who have gone on to distinguished careers in research, medicine and industry.  Originally established as a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for Tissue Engineering, the program was expanded to a full year research opportunity that has grown from funding 10 scholars per year to 19 scholars in 2012.

Funding for the Petit Scholars is supported by Atlanta area community members, including the Friends of the Petit Institute, as well as corporate sponsorship.  If you are interested in donating to this valuable program, please contact us.

Petit Scholars program information