{"668190":{"#nid":"668190","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Research Next Project Team Promotes Collaboration With HBCUs","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWorkforce diversity in science and technology is widely seen as necessary for continued innovation. For Georgia Tech, striving toward inclusivity starts with a simple but crucial goal: building deep, lasting research partnerships.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/research-next\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/research-next\u0022\u003EResearch Next\u003C\/a\u003E, a planning initiative for Georgia Tech\u2019s research enterprise, was launched by Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki T. Abdallah in 2020 and co-chaired by Tim Lieuwen and Mark Whorton. As part of Phase 3, project teams worked throughout the past year to implement its goals. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOne Research Next project team has paved the way for inclusive research collaborations to thrive at Georgia Tech and beyond. The team was charged with identifying opportunities and developing support systems to facilitate research collaborations between Georgia Tech and HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) and MSIs (minority-serving institutions).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESince kicking off in March 2022, the project team solidified new research partnerships, developed a digital networking tool to connect Georgia Tech and HBCU researchers, and created and hired a full-time position at Tech for ongoing engagement with HBCUs and MSIs. The group was co-led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/george-white-0\u0022\u003EGeorge White\u003C\/a\u003E, senior director for strategic partnerships in the Office of the Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research and principal research engineer at Georgia Tech, and Thomas Martin, chief scientist for the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe goal of our work is not only to support collaborative research with HBCUs and MSIs, but also to strengthen the pipeline of top graduates who will enhance diversity in our state and nation\u2019s workforce,\u201d White said. \u201cOne of the first key steps was to hear from the groups we were charged to work with.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDefining the Challenge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe team began by leveraging GTRI\u2019s longstanding work and connections with HBCUs, which include federally funded collaborative research projects and workforce development initiatives. The group invited representatives from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tcrdf.org\/\u0022\u003ETougaloo College Research and Development Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E (TCRDF), a consortium of HBCUs whose mission is to advance research collaborations between HBCUs and the Department of Defense. Members of TCRDF educated the project team about challenges HBCUs face in obtaining federally sponsored research.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cGTRI has been fortunate to collaborate with TCRDF in support of the U.S. Army\u2019s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Aviation \u0026amp; Missile Center\u2019s mission to accelerate research collaborations with HBCUs and MSIs and enrich the workforce with a pipeline of talented graduates,\u201d Martin said. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThroughout the year, the project team hosted seminars with HBCUs where they highlighted research activities at the Institute and discussed how HBCUs could participate in areas of mutual research interests. The team also joined TCRDF\u2019s open virtual meeting hours every week to talk about research engagement opportunities at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn addition, they recommended that Georgia Tech create a dedicated, permanent position to facilitate ongoing engagement with HBCUs. Taiesha Smith, the first senior program manager for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s HBCU\/MSI Research Collaboration Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E, will lead outreach efforts to increase and foster enduring research collaborations. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI\u0027m excited to be the connective tissue between Georgia Tech, HBCUs, and MSIs in building sustainable and mutually\u0026nbsp;beneficial relationships that lead to successful research collaboration,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI aim to accomplish this goal through a commitment to understanding the needs of HBCUs and MSIs, communicating their value to all stakeholders, and supporting them in making appropriate connections across Georgia Tech and beyond.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESteps Forward\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe project team led the development of a software tool, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/collabnext-tool\u0022\u003ECollabNext\u003C\/a\u003E, that facilitates research interaction and collaborations between HBCUs and Georgia Tech. Using the tool, researchers can find partners at HBCUs based on specific disciplines and areas of interest. The tool is currently in beta version and has expanded to include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Fisk University, and the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative. A \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E hosts the tool and provides information about the initiative.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe team also is planning a forum that will bring together researchers from Georgia Tech and several HBCUs\/MSIs, as well as government officials and industry leaders from top STEM companies. A major goal of the event will be for participants to develop white papers to better position HBCUs and MSIs to compete for large federal funding opportunities. The multi-day event will be organized by the Office of the Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research and is set to take place in November. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdditional steps taken to establish and solidify research partnerships\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESubmitted a joint proposal for an NSF Regional Innovation Engine with TCRDF and seven HBCU\/MSI partner institutions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESubmitted a joint NSF proposal with the AUC Data Science Initiative, Morehouse College, and TCRDF to establish the inaugural research collaboration forum at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELaunched the Biomedical Data Science Summer Research Program. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPrepared a memorandum of understanding (pending) to establish a semiconductor research initiative with HBCU\/MSIs. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EModified an agreement with Ford Motor Company to allow HBCU\/MSI institutions to participate in sponsored research projects in collaboration with Georgia Tech. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EParticipated in the 2022 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.ed.gov\/whhbcu\/hbcu-week-conference\/2023-national-hbcu-week-conference\/\u0022\u003ENational HBCU Week\u003C\/a\u003E, hosted by the executive director for White House Initiatives on HBCUs. Georgia Tech will participate again in 2023 to introduce CollabNext and present best practices for engaging in collaborative research.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESubmitted proposals to the Department of Energy\u2019s Hydrogen Hub (with Battelle Memorial Institute) and Direct Air\u0026nbsp;Capture Hub (with Southern States Energy Board) to develop a collaborative\u0026nbsp;research and community engagement consortium made up of HBCUs and MSIs. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026nbsp;will serve as an unbiased science convener\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;the HBCUs\/MSIs, which will receive the majority of funding and engagement. This work is in partnership with Tech\u2019s Serve-Learn-Sustain.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThis Research Next project provided the opportunity not only to coordinate efforts across Georgia Tech to enhance research collaborations with HBCUs and MSIs, but also to position Georgia Tech as thought leaders in this initiative,\u201c said Martin.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETeam co-leader George White attended Hampton University, a prominent HBCU, and saw firsthand some of the resource challenges that the institutions face when trying to secure federally sponsored research. The initiative\u2019s mission continues to be important for him personally.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cOur work with HBCUs supports Georgia Tech\u2019s strategic plan by increasing accessibility and improving the human condition,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the vast resources we have here, it is important to work together to find solutions to these pressing challenges.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVisit \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E to learn more about the initiative. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWe would like to hear from you about any research collaboration with an HBCU or MSI. Please use the following link to complete the Share Research Collaboration form.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/collabnext-tool\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehttps:\/\/hbcumsi.research.gatech.edu\/collabnext-tool\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESince kicking off in March 2022, the project team solidified new research partnerships, developed a digital networking tool to connect Georgia Tech and HBCU researchers, and created and hired a full-time position at Tech for ongoing engagement with HBCUs and MSIs. The group was co-led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/george-white-0\u0022\u003EGeorge White\u003C\/a\u003E, senior director for strategic partnerships in the Office of the Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research and principal research engineer at Georgia Tech, and Thomas Martin, chief scientist for the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For Georgia Tech, striving toward inclusivity starts with a simple but crucial goal: building deep, lasting research partnerships."}],"uid":"36123","created_gmt":"2023-06-22 17:03:11","changed_gmt":"2023-06-28 19:30:05","author":"Catherine Barzler","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671015":{"id":"671015","type":"image","title":"Research Next ","body":null,"created":"1687455036","gmt_created":"2023-06-22 17:30:36","changed":"1687455199","gmt_changed":"2023-06-22 17:33:19","alt":"Research Next","file":{"fid":"254004","name":"rn pic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/22\/rn%20pic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/22\/rn%20pic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":109707,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/06\/22\/rn%20pic.jpg?itok=DEicMyWw"}}},"media_ids":["671015"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECatherine Barzler, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:catherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ecatherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}