{"186141":{"#nid":"186141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cross Explains Tech\u2019s Evolving Research Strategy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut there is still much to be done to make it easier for faculty members, students and others to pursue the well-respected research that occurs at Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur goal is for people around the world to ask \u2018What does Georgia Tech think?\u2019 when they have a question or problem,\u201d said Steve Cross, executive vice president for research. \u201cTo do this, we need to find new ways for faculty, students and post docs to explore and solve exciting problems by working together across traditional academic disciplines.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn this two-part Q\u0026amp;A series, Cross will discuss Tech\u2019s relationship with research and respond to common questions. In this installment, he explains the Institute\u2019s evolving research strategy and the establishment of 12 core research areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIs research separate from the educational component of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey are intimately linked. We do research because it is reputationally important (helping attract the best faculty, students, and postdocs) and because of its importance in economic development. But, of course, research is also key to enhancing our educational role. Our main product is, and will always be, well-educated students. It is significant that this focus remains connected to our history, specifically the initial shops and foundries of Tech. When the Institute opened its doors, students worked in those shops and foundries in parallel with their coursework \u2014 as is the case today with the research many of our students do in campus laboratories.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is Georgia Tech\u2019s research strategy?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EThe research strategy has three objectives. The first is pursuing transformative research. We want to make it even easier to pursue research that is game-changing and leading edge, and have people asking, \u201cWhat does Georgia Tech think?\u201d The second objective is strengthening collaborative partnerships with industry, government and nonprofits. We want to be viewed as leaders who define grand challenges and engage communities in collaborative problem solving.\u0026nbsp;The third objective is maximizing the economic and societal impact of our research. This strategy involves the entire Tech research enterprise: the colleges and schools, the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, our contracting and licensing operations, our development and support functions, and our Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs).\u0026nbsp;We strive to be a research environment that is powered by ideas, led by faculty, energized by students and supported by professionals as \u201cone Georgia Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you see as your role in this?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EMy main role, and that of my team, is to support those who do the research. We are behind the scenes helping make others\u0026nbsp;successful. I also have an important role in communicating and marketing the impact of our research to various stakeholders, including sponsors and alumni. In addition, I serve as an internal advocate for faculty and students, and sometimes I challenge us to do more than we may think possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you define interdisciplinary research? How does the Institute support it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EAn interdisciplinary pursuit can be contrasted with a multidisciplinary one where two or more existing disciplines are involved in achieving some outcome. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/institutes\u0022\u003EIRIs\u003C\/a\u003E were created to provide intellectual crossroads where different academic pursuits could merge to explore and solve problems. They provide an environment where interaction among traditional academic disciplines is natural. It is the intersection of these fields at the boundaries of their knowledge that creates new ways of thinking about problems and new ways to solve them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExplain our 12 core research areas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EShortly after I was selected for this position, I was looking at a website that listed many of the centers, labs and groups across Tech. There was not much rhyme or reason to how they were grouped, and many were not even listed. Unless you had intimate knowledge about the Institute\u2019s internal structure, it did not make much sense. Given my role in communicating and marketing our research capabilities, I wanted a better way to describe our research to the outside world.\u0026nbsp;So, with help from the associate deans of research and school chairs, we constructed a master list of all the centers, labs, groups and institutes. A list of around 300 dictated that we group many into similar thematic areas.\u0026nbsp;Out of this distillation process came \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/areas\u0022\u003E12 areas\u003C\/a\u003E. It is not cast in concrete and can change when it makes sense to describe it differently.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubmit questions and comments regarding research at Tech at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u0022\u003Ewww.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;To read the Q\u0026amp;A, in its entirety, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/a89ndkx\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-01-23 13:24:43","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:29","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"186001":{"id":"186001","type":"image","title":"Robert Guldberg and Steve Cross","body":null,"created":"1449179081","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:41","changed":"1475894833","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:13","alt":"Robert Guldberg and Steve Cross","file":{"fid":"196151","name":"cross_research.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3896590,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg?itok=hUiz421j"}}},"media_ids":["186001"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/research-strategy-interview","title":"Full Version of Q\u0026A"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"56171","name":"12 core research areas"},{"id":"3671","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"8402","name":"Executive Vice President for Research"},{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"56191","name":"Interdisciplinary Research Institutes"},{"id":"56201","name":"IRIs"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"56181","name":"researchers"},{"id":"167317","name":"Steve Cross"},{"id":"166847","name":"students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirkeng@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}