"Complex and extremely expensive endoscopes and related surgical equipment are very vulnerable to heat, and they are challenging to clean," explained Dr. Stephen Carter, an Atlanta-area dentist who is working with Georgia Tech Professor Kenneth Cunefare to develop the technique. "We believe that our methods will sterilize in shorter periods of time, which would be a substantial advantage for expensive medical equipment."

The patented technique uses a form of cavitation, a phenomenon in which acoustic energy applied to a liquid induces the creation of voids -- or bubbles -- that release energy when they collapse. By pressurizing their test chamber while inducing cavitation, Cunefare and Carter create a form of transient cavitation that causes violent collapse of the bubbles.

The enhanced cavitation takes advantage of the "anomalous depth effect," in which the impact of bubble collapse increases dramatically when subjected to roughly twice normal atmospheric pressure. Scientists have studied the phenomenon for years because it can damage submarines' propellers when operating at certain depths.

When applied to a solution of 66 percent isopropyl alcohol containing two forms of "marker" bacterial spores -- Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis -- the enhanced cavitation reduced the bacterial count by more than 90 percent, Cunefare said. Research indicates that both the alcohol solution and increased pressure are necessary for killing the spores with cavitation.

Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough spoke to attendees, noting that while Georgia Tech is breaking ground in technology transfer activities, economic devleopment is not a new mission for the university. The state created Georgia Tech in 1885 to help move the South's economy from an agrarian to an industrial one, so economic development has always been on par with Georgia Tech's education, research and service missions, he said.

"Today our mission is only different in that we are in an age of information and services," Clough explained. "We serve the original intent of our economic development mission in a different way."

Building upon extensive federally funded research in science and engineering, Georgia Tech faculty and students are creating innovative technologies with commercial potential. "We have many great new ideas boiling away at Georgia Tech, and many of them will make their way into the commercial arena," Clough said.

Georgia Tech is committed to supporting entrepreneurial activities by faculty and students to make this goal a reality, Provost Jean-Lou Chameau told the group. He pointed to Georgia Tech's creation of VentureLab last fall and the university's operation of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a technology business incubator. Also, the university's commitment was recognized earlier this year in "Innovation U.," a report from the Southern Growth Policies Board, which cited Georgia Tech as the most advanced with regard to universities' roles in a knowledge economy, Chameau said.

Since its formation a year ago, VentureLab has evaluated 90 research innovations involving more than 100 faculty. A dozen of those innovations were identified as having commercial potential. Of those with commercial interest, four have so far been the basis for formation of new companies. Two of them, Qcept Technologies and Radatec, Inc., have already been admitted to the ATDC.

He left his position as vice president at HP and recently returned to Georgia Tech to assume the helm of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. He had also previously taught at Tech from 1976-87. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the Internet, DeMillo's distinguished technology career spans business, government and academia, including major positions at HP, the National Science Foundation (NSF), Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore), Purdue University and Georgia Tech. Effective December 1, DeMillo fills the position formerly held by Dr. Peter A. Freeman, who joined the National Science Foundation in May.

"Rich's vision and three decades of experience are precisely what is needed to lead the College of Computing to even higher levels," said Jean-Lou Chameau, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Tech. "He brings experience at the highest levels of industry, government, and academia, and his leadership will provide a tremendous boost to the College. His research strengths dovetail perfectly with the research going on currently in the College and his long-time relationships with current faculty ensure a smooth transition and a fast start toward enhancing the reputation of an already solid academic unit."

DeMillo will lead the education, research and outreach activities of the College including such research areas as cognitive science, computer architecture, database systems, educational technology, future computing environments, graphics and visualization, human computer interaction, information security, intelligent systems and robotics, networking and telecommunications, programming languages and compilers, parallel and distributed systems, software engineering, and theoretical computer science.

"This is a very exciting time to be joining the Georgia Tech community, there are tremendous changes taking place in information technology and Georgia Tech has always been at the forefront of that change. I look forward to helping Georgia Tech continue its climb to the very top ranks in computing," said DeMillo.

About DeMillo
At Hewlett-Packard, DeMillo had worldwide responsibility for technology, technology strategy and the HP patent portfolio. He also chaired HP's Technology Council. DeMillo was responsible for many innovations in the oversight and governance of R&D at HP. He also starred in a national television ad campaign that featured him as a famous inventor that is changing the world but is relatively unknown outside the industry when compared to the type of attention afforded other pop cultural icons.

Prior to joining HP, he directed computer science research and applied research at Telcordia Technologies, in support of Telcordia's software businesses, telecommunications consulting businesses, as well as government and other externally sponsored R&D.

Prior to joining Telcordia in 1995, DeMillo was professor of computer science at Purdue University and served as director of the Software Engineering Research Center, a NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center a consortium of universities. Under DeMillo's leadership the Software Engineering Research Center became one of the most successful industrial research consortia in the nation.

From 1989 to 1991, DeMillo was director of the Computer and Computation Research Division at NSF. In this capacity he managed the largest computing research division at NSF and was responsible for most of the academic computer science research in the U.S., including programs in software engineering, theoretical computer science, numeric and symbolic computation, computer architecture, graphics, operating systems and programming languages. Among other achievements at NSF, DeMillo was responsible for successful national initiatives in High Performance Computing and Communications and Computational Biology.

From 1976 until 1987, DeMillo was Professor of Information and Computer Science at Georgia Tech and was founding director of Georgia Tech's Software Engineering Research Center. DeMillo's accomplishments as head of this center included the development and successful application of advanced software quality technology to high-visibility national security initiatives and systems such as the Patriot Air Defense System and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He also directed the Software Test and Evaluation Project for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role DeMillo was the chief architect of Department of Defense policy for software testing and evaluation.

DeMillo has held faculty appointments in Electrical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Electronics and Informatics at the University of Padua in Padua, Italy where he helped establish an international master's program in software engineering on whose Executive Committee he still serves.

DeMillo received his Doctoral degree in Information and Computer Science from Georgia Tech and received his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from College of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota.

About the College of Computing
The Georgia Tech College of Computing houses one of the largest computer science programs in the country with 68 academic faculty and 39 research faculty. The College strives to provide high quality instruction and to integrate computing knowledge into other academic disciplines as well as aspects of daily life. Approximately 2,000 students are enrolled in the college, including approximately 1,580 undergraduates and 410 graduate students, some 270 of which are Ph.D. students. The College is ranked 12th overall and houses several interdisciplinary research centers including the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), the Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center (GVU), Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems (CERCS), and the Modeling & Simulation Research and Education Center (MSREC).

President George W. Bush is to honor and recognize two professors from the Georgia Institute of Technology July 12 as being among the nation's most promising young researchers within their fields.
Assistant Professor Reggie DesRoches, a researcher in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Associate Professor John Zhang, a scientist in the Institute's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, are recipients of the 2001 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
The PECASE awards are the nation's highest honor for professionals working at the outset of their independent research careers. DesRoches and Zhang are to be among 60 scientists from throughout the nation to be honored by President Bush at the White House ceremony Friday.

The annual awards were established in 1996 to honor outstanding scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of knowledge and whose work is of greatest benefit to the nominating agency’s mission. Eight participating agencies award these young scientists and engineers with up to five years of funding to further their research in support of critical government missions.
DesRoches earned his PECASE award through the National Science Foundation for his work in earthquake-hazard mitigation. He will receive a $376,000 award, dispersed over five years. DesRoches has worked for Mobil Oil in its offshore engineering group and has research interests that include earthquake engineering, seismic design and analysis of bridges and structural applications of smart materials.
“I am delighted that the quality of Reggie’s scholarship has been recognized with a PECASE award,” said College of Engineering Distinguished Professor Bruce Ellingwood. “The extraordinary quality of our young faculty will ensure a bright future for the school’s teaching and research missions in civil and environmental engineering.”
Professor Roberto Leon, interim head of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, added his praise.
“Dr. DesRoches is conducting pioneering research on design of bridges for earthquake loads and the application of advanced materials to the repair and strengthening of structures,” Leon said. “This award is a recognition of the impact and importance of his work.”
Zhang earned his nomination for a PECASE award from Sandia National Laboratory–a U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Defense Programs Laboratory–for his innovations and vital contributions to the development of new tools, materials and applications that advance the science of component microfabrication from materials other than silicon.
These advances enhance the ability of the National Nuclear Security Administration to develop improved components for weapon systems. Zhang will earn a $250,000 grant for the next five years to pursue his work at Georgia Tech.
“It was a distinct and real pleasure for me to learn that John Zhang has been selected for a PECASE award,” said Gary Schuster, dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Sciences. “John’s selection for the award recognizes his strong and growing impact in materials chemistry, particularly in the area of nanoparticles. His research has taken our understanding of these unique materials beyond the cutting edge into territory that was unimaginable only a few years ago.”
Contacts:
Associate Professor John Zhang: (404) 894-6368; john.zhang@chemistry.gatech.edu
Assistant Professor Reggie DesRoches: (404) 385-0826, reginald.desroches@ce.gatech.edu

Georgia Tech's School of Applied Physiology will debut the nation's only two-year master's degree program in prosthetics and orthotics beginning fall 2002.

The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents approved the new master's program at its June 2002 meeting. During the same meeting, the Regents also approved the re-naming of Georgia Tech's former Department of Health and Performance Sciences to the School of Applied Physiology. The school remains a unit within Georgia Tech's College of Sciences.

Faculty in the School of Applied Physiology study the science of movement and the physiological basis of movement control. They also offer instruction related to the importance of maintaining sound physiological systems.

"Our approach to these tasks involves every biological level utilizing both basic and applied sciences," said Professor Robert J. Gregor, chairman of the School of Applied Physiology. "For example, attempts to understand how molecules transmit signals in skeletal muscle have a foundation in basic molecular biology and, ultimately, these relate to the applied science of movement control."

Faculty interests within the school range from the behavioral to the systemic and molecular levels. At the undergraduate level, the school instructs all Georgia Tech students in their health and wellness requirement and offers a Certificate in Health Science, which addresses student interest in basic medical science education.

At the graduate level, the School of Applied Physiology is home to the new master?s program in orthotics and prosthetics. It represents a close collaboration among faculty and students within Georgia Tech's Schools of Applied Physiology, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.

"We expect the fall 2002 class size to be about six or seven students," Assistant Professor Mark Geil said. "Plans are in place to increase the class size to a maximum of 12 students during the next few years."

The school's research into prostheses and orthoses, or braces, encompasses a wide variety of medical devices and techniques. These include prosthetic legs, braces for scoliosis, powered myoelectric prosthetic arms, knee-ankle-foot braces and HALO devices for spinal immobilization.

Geil said that many economic studies predict a severe shortage of qualified orthotics and prosthetics practitioners in the near future -- professionals who will serve the needs of the nation's aging population. Georgia Tech addresses this need by taking a fresh approach to prosthetics and orthotics education, one that goes beyond the educational methods that have been in place for years.

"Our students will experience real prosthetics and orthotics practice first-hand and at an aggressive rate throughout their experience at Tech," Geil said. "They will learn the potential for computer-aided design and manufacture in prosthetics and orthotics, and will be conversant in the clinical literature. Our aim is to produce the finest clinicians, researchers, designers and educators in the industry."

Other prosthetics and orthotics programs in the United States offer either baccalaureate degrees or post-baccalaureate certificates, Geil said. But Georgia Tech's program will be the only active, master's-level program available in the country.

Contacts:
Professor Robert J. Gregor
Chairman, School of Applied Physiology
(404) 894-1028
robert.gregor@ap.gatech.edu

Assistant Professor Mark Geil
School of Applied Physiology
(404) 894-3957
mark.geil@ap.gatech.edu

The Honorable Andrew Young, former Mayor of Atlanta, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Chairman of GoodWorks International, will introduce poets Lucille Clifton, one of America's most revered poets, winner of the National Book Award and a past Poet Laureate of the State of Maryland; Billy Collins, the best-selling poet in the country and current U.S. Poet Laureate; Stephen Dobyns, acclaimed poet and author of twenty novels, now translated into twenty languages, two of them, movies; and Rita Dove, a Pulitzer Prize winner and a past U.S. Poet Laureate, 1993-1995.

More poetry events are planned throughout the 2002-2003 school year as part of a bold commitment to bring the very best poets and writers in the country to Tech, to put poetry in students' curriculum, and reach beyond the campus to give the gift of poetry to the City of Atlanta. These programs are made possible by two endowments established to bring poetry and writing to campus by Industrial Engineering alumnus H. Bruce McEver, a successful businessman and a published poet, and professor emeritus Henry C. Bourne, Jr. In fact, these endowed Chairs are attracting some of the best poetry talent to spend a semester teaching Georgia Tech students and reaching out to the Atlanta community as the McEver Visiting Chair in Writing.

As the Bourne Chair in Poetry, Lux will invite a different internationally known poet or writer to hold the McEver Visiting Chair in Writing during the spring semester each year. Stephen Dobyns, will be the McEver chairholder in spring 2003, and Billy Collins, the current U.S. Poet Laureate, will sit as the McEver Visiting Chair in Writing, spring 2004.

"When we hear that astounded "'Poetry at Tech?'" says Lux, "we are delighted. The Margaret T. and Henry C. Bourne, Jr. Chair in Poetry and the H. Bruce McEver Visiting Chair in Writing are extraordinary gifts, and we will make extraordinary efforts to honor their generosity and vision."

In spring 2001 Lux was the first holder of the McEver Visiting Chair, and this fall he returned as the permanent Bourne Chair in Poetry.

"It is a privilege," says Lux, "to come to Georgia Tech at a time when it is expanding and enriching its humanities programs, and I intend to serve the educational needs and creative quests of Tech students with a whole heart and all the energies and experience I have in the field."

During the last 15 years of his life, some of Hejduk's architectural works moved from paper and models to built reality. His constructions appeared at sites around the world, including Berlin, Milan, Boston, Oslo, Philadelphia, London, Buenos Aires and Prague. Many of these projects came about when students, teachers and others fascinated by Hejduk's work came together to build. This included architecture students from Georgia Tech.
Beginning in 1986, a group of Tech students, led by project coordinator and studio critic James Williamson, began collaborating with Hejduk on the construction of House of the Suicide and House of the Mother of the Suicide. The process took four years and resulted in the two pieces that measure 20 feet high. While many students worked on the project, a core group of about a dozen stayed with it throughout its course.
That group consisted of Jack Ames (MArch 1990), Paul Bauer (BS 1985, MArch 1988), Rick Blanchard (BS 1988, MArch 1997), Nancy Caster (MArch 1990), Paige Cosby (BS 1988, MArch 1990), Jeff Cramer (BS 1986, MArch 1988), Jorge de la Cova (BS 1988, MArch 1990), Lyle Green (BS 1983, MArch 1988), Marshall Levy (MArch 1989), Kirk Marchisen (BS 1981, MArch 1986), Frank Pollacia (MArch 1989) and David Shonk (MArch 1990).
The first construction, House of the Suicide, was inspired by the story of Jan Palach, a college student who died in Prague after setting himself on fire in January 1969 to protest the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. Later, a friend of Hejduk, David Shapiro, wrote a poem about the event and its aftermath, The Funeral of Jan Palach. It provided a new context for Hejduk to design House of the Mother of the Suicide.
Work on the project was intermittent, but Georgia Tech students explored Hejduk's concept for the two sculptures via drawings, models, and full-scale mock-ups. Periodically, Williamson consulted Hejduk on design details, material selections and color for the two structures. The construction details were divined by students, who referred to the body of Hejduk's work in determining how a joint should come together, the design of a steel angle, the heft of a timber framing, or the fabrication of slender steel spikes.

Once completed, the two structures occupied the main lobby of Georgia Tech's College of Architecture. They later were disassembled and put into storage in Atlanta. However, in July, Institute officials completed a loan agreement with the Whitney Museum to include the important pieces in the upcoming Hejduk retrospective.
The Whitney exhibition includes selections from the John Hejduk Archive at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal and The Menil Collection in Houston. Among them are about 110 small works on paper and four architectural models, in addition to the two large-scale architectural sculptures from Georgia Tech. A book, with an essay by Hays and a preface by architect Toshiko Mori, will accompany the exhibition.
About the Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art is the leading advocate of 20th and 21st-century American art. Founded in 1930, the Museum’s holdings have grown to include nearly 13,000 works of art representing more than 2,000 artists. The Permanent Collection is the preeminent collection of 20th-century American art and includes the entire artistic estate of Edward Hopper, the largest public collection of works by Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, and Lucas Samaras, as well as significant works by Arshile Gorky, Marsden Hartley, Jasper Johns, Reginald Marsh, Agnes Martin, Georgia O'Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, and Ad Reinhardt, among other artists.

Dr. Jay David Bolter, co-director of the Wesley New Media Center and the Wesley Chair of New Media in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture at Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College, will deliver the commencement address at Georgia Tech's 213th commencement ceremony on Friday, August 2, 2002.
The ceremony will take place at 9:00 a.m. at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Approximately 922 students are expected to graduate.
In April, Bolter received Georgia Tech's Distinguished Professor Award. The prize, which includes the honor of delivering the summer commencement address, is the most prestigious award bestowed upon Tech faculty members. The recipient is chosen for his or her outstanding commitment to teaching, research and service and is selected by the Faculty Honors Committee. Bolter is the first Ivan Allen College faculty member to achieve this distinction.
Part of Bolter's research is exploring the ways technology can be used as a tool to improve education and society. One such project is exploring how augmented reality (AR) systems can enhance the way people absorb and use information. Augmented reality works by overlaying a computer-generated image on top of an image of the real world, giving the user access to a vast array of information about an object at a glance.
"In AR, you put on the headset and you can still see the visual world, but the computer adds its own views. Along with Blair MacIntyre in the College of Computing, we're designing a system that you could use in a museum where visitors are accompanied by a virtual character who is a historical figure. As you walk through the exhibit, she talks to you about her history," Bolter explained.
Another use for AR might involve having airplane mechanics wear goggles, which the computer would use to overlay their view of an airplane engine with schematics or a step-by-step illustration on which parts need to be adjusted.
Future applications include shirts for parental use to monitor babies and for military use to provide a trapped soldier's exact location and give triage units details about wounds.
In his speech to the graduates, Bolter said he will emphasize to them how they can use their technological skills to change the world.
"I want to make the point that digital information and the Word Wide Web isn't just about existing in some amorphous cyberspace, but has real and important consequences for our physical world and our social world," he said.
It's a point Bolter has made time and time again in his research and in the three books he has authored, Remediation: Understanding New Media with Richard Grusin in 1999, Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext and the History of Writing in 1991 and Turing's Man: Western Culture in the Computer Age in 1984.
Bolter came to Georgia Tech from the University of North Carolina in 1991. He holds a doctorate in the classics and a master's in computer science from UNC. He received his bachelor's in Greek from Trinity College in Toronto in 1973.

The Georgia Information Sharing and Integration Forum -- sponsored by Georgia Tech's Center for Emergency Response Technology, Instruction and Policy in collaboration with the White House Office of Homeland Security -- took place in the auditorium of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology, 575 14th St.

The forum was the first of four scheduled throughout the country at which White House officials hope to examine best practices for information integration and sharing developed by first-response agencies, private industry sources and state and tribal governments.

"Information security and the sharing of information among first-response agencies will be crucial for our nation's homeland defense efforts," Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough said during opening remarks at the forum Oct. 16.

"Georgia Tech is prepared to make a major contribution in this area of research," he said.

Beyond the impressive expertise available through the College of Engineering, Clough said, the Institute stands ready and able to assist in a variety of areas critical to the nation's homeland security needs -- especially in the fields of biology, chemistry, computing, information technology and logistics.

"We believe Georgia Tech possesses the capabilities to assist with all of these issues," he said. Clough also stressed the importance of strengthening ties and communication efforts among local first-response agencies and their state and federal counterparts.

"The way we obtain and use information is key to maintaining a secure society," he said, "and our nation's homeland security really depends on hometown security."

Steve Cooper, special assistant to President George Bush and senior director for information integration at the White House, also discussed challenges faced by the Office of Homeland Security. He said information sharing would be a cornerstone of the proposed Department of Homeland Security.

"I have learned that there are folks that are doing absolutely fantastic stuff within their communities of practice," Cooper said. "The rub is that [their work] is not connected to anything else."

In order to make homeland security work, officials must make connections among various communities and spread the word on best practices, he said. This includes ways in which first-responders might communicate during a crisis, for example, or new ways local, state and federal law enforcement officials might share information from national "watch lists" to apprehend wanted individuals.

"I would argue that we have the talent to address and detect terrorism. We just have to hook ourselves together," Cooper said. One way to do this, he said, might be to create or organize a central clearinghouse of information that could act like a central brain or nervous system, allowing the nation to respond to threats.

"It [would not be] meant to be a controlling brain. Everything does not need to be directed by the federal government," Cooper said. "What we do need to have is a brain that understands everything that is going on … so that we have the ability to connect and be aware of what's going on around us."

Cooper said federal officials realize that many needs and questions remain to be addressed in the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. Among them is striking the appropriate balance between privacy and security for citizens; aligning policies and laws with desired security outcomes; identifying and consolidating redundant and duplicative efforts at the federal level; and the introduction of new technology that will enhance information sharing.

During the two-day forum in Atlanta, organizers held panel discussions featuring members of the region's first-response community. They sought to identify what's needed and what's available to first responders in the way of information-technology networks that might help prevent future terrorist attacks or minimize loss of life and property in the event of an attack or other disaster.

Forum participants also examined lessons learned and best practices developed during previous emergency response situations and reviewed a plan for creating prototype emergency-response systems on a regional basis.

"Panel moderators facilitated discussions among all participants to the end of identifying reusable initiatives and solutions that can be incorporated into a regional emergency-response model," CERTIP Director Tom Bevan said. "In addition to the panel presentations, representatives from the Dallas Emergency Response Network described their network's operation for possible application to a Georgia regional-pilot project."

Attendees of the forum primarily were officials from CERTIP's partners in the Southeast who specialize in information technology issues. These specialists represent agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Hartsfield International Airport. CERTIP's state partners include the Department of Public Safety, the Georgia Mutual Aid Group and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, among others.

CERTIP was founded in 1999 to examine and apply emerging technologies that might counter the threat of chemical and biological warfare agents and aid the nation's first-response community in its efforts to protect lives and property. The center's partners include more than 35 regional and national government and private organizations.

For more information on CERTIP or its recent information-sharing forum, contact Director Tom Bevan, Center for Emergency Response Technology, Instruction and Policy, (404) 894-8076 or tom.bevan@gtri.gatech.edu.

Biomedical scientist Shuming Nie is testing the use of nanoparticles called quantum dots to dramatically improve clinical diagnostic tests for the early detection of cancer. The tiny particles glow and act as markers on cells and genes, giving scientists the ability to rapidly analyze biopsy tissue from cancer patients so that doctors can provide the most effective therapy available.

Nie, a chemist by training, is an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering – a joint department operated by the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Emory University – and director of cancer nanotechnology at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute.

His research focuses on the field of nanotechnolgy, in which scientists build devices and materials one atom or molecule at a time, creating structures that take on new properties by virtue of their miniature size. The basic building block of nanotechnology is a nanoparticle, and a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, or about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Nanoparticles take on special properties because of their small size. For example, if you break a piece of candy into two pieces, each piece will still be sweet, but if you continue to break the candy until you reach the nanometer scale, the smaller pieces will taste completely different and have different properties.

Until recently, nanotechnology was primarily based in electronics, manufacturing, supercomputers and data storage. However Nie predicted years ago in a paper published in Science that the first major breakthroughs in the field will be in biomedical applications, such as early disease detection, imaging and drug delivery.

“Electronics may be the field most likely to derive the greatest economic benefit from nanotechnology,” Nie said. “However, much of the benefit is unlikely to occur for another 10 to 20 years, whereas the biomedical applications of nanotechnology are very close to being realized.”

Nie was recently recruited from Indiana University as a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scientist. While at Indiana, Nie and his colleagues constructed a nanoscale semiconductor crystal. Also called a quantum dot, this particle is made of semiconductors with a limited ability to conduct electricity.

Because quantum dots are so small, their electrons are compacted, causing them to emit light or to act as a fluorescent tag. Quantum dots can bond chemically to biological molecules, enabling them to trace specific proteins within cells. Nie calls them “bioconjugated nanoparticles” -- small particles that are chemically linked to biological materials.

Nanoparticle probes can be used as contrast markers in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in positron emission tomography (PET) for in-vivo molecular imaging, or they can be used as fluorescent tracers in optical microscopy. These tags can trace specific proteins in cells for cancer diagnosis or monitor the effectiveness of drug therapy. Because the dots glow with bright, fluorescent colors, scientists hope they will improve the sensitivity of diagnostic tests for molecules that are difficult to detect, such as those in cancer cells, or even the AIDS virus, Nie said.

“Basically, it is a barcoding technology that can encode genes and proteins,” Nie said. He plans to use bioconjugated nanoparticles for early identification, quantification, and localization of gene sequences, proteins, infectious organisms, or genetic disorders.

Many of the practical applications of nanoparticles are based on the different colors they absorb or emit in the light spectrum as their sizes change. A piece of gold, for instance, appears yellow in color, but appears red at nanoscale size. Broken down even smaller, it could appear to be blue.

Using a spectrum of six colors, in addition to four more colors in the infrared spectrum, scientists are able to finely tune nanoparticles to carry out tracking tasks traditionally accomplished using organic dyes. Nanoparticles have characteristics that are more desirable than dyes, however. Dyes fade more quickly, they can be toxic to cells, and they cannot be used together because each dye requires a different light wavelength to be visible. Nanoparticles can be illuminated using just one laser beam.

Scientists only have to vary the size of quantum dots slightly and they glow brightly in one of 10 available colors. When different sized dots are embedded in tiny beads made of a polymer material, the color of the bead can be finely tuned. Theoretically, beads with tiny permutations of color could tag a million different proteins or genetic sequences in a process called “multiplexing.”

Nie acts as a senior consultant to Bioplex Corp., a company spun out of his lab’s research in Indiana and headed by Tom Petzinger, CEO. The company, which holds the exclusive license from Indiana University for the synthesis of multiplexing dyes for imaging and detection, was recently added to the roster of start-ups at EmTech Bio, a business incubator jointly run by Georgia Tech and Emory University. Bioplex Corporation is partially owned by Pittsburgh-based LaunchCyte.

Scientists, including Nie, are currently studying methods of linking quantum dots to medical drugs or other therapeutic agents to target cancer cells. These dots could serve as “smart bombs” to deliver a controlled amount of drug to a particular type of cell.

Nie is working with Emory University cancer urologist Lelund Chung to use bioconjugated quantum dots as molecular probes to rapidly analyze biopsy tissue from cancer patients. The nanoparticles would be able to profile a large number of genes and proteins simultaneously, allowing physicians to individualize cancer treatments based on the molecular differences in the cancers of various patients. Even when cells appear to be similar under the microscope, their genes and proteins may be decidedly different, which explains why cancer patients with apparently similar cancers sometimes respond differently to the same treatment.

Nie and his colleagues are working on methods to deliver nanoparticles into specific kinds of tissues and cells -- a process that would make cancer therapy more selective. Using near-infrared imaging technology, they are monitoring the migration of the particles within cells.

Nie is also working with tissue engineers at Georgia Tech and Emory to study the use of nanoparticles to construct new materials that could be used as improved implants for damaged tissue, such as bone, cartilage, or skin. Bio-nanomaterials provide new opportunities in cell and tissue engineering, such as cell growth/differentiation, tissue scaffolding, and controlled release of multiple growth factors.

Georgia Tech alum Sandy Magnus (Ph.D., MSE ’96) is part of the six-member crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on a mission to upgrade the International Space Station. Atlantis lifted off Monday, Oct 7 at 3:45 p.m.
The major objective of the 11-day mission STS-112 is delivery of a 45-foot-long truss segment that ultimately will expand the space station to the length of a football field and increase its power by adding new photovoltaic modules and solar arrays. Three space walks will be carried out to install and activate the truss and its equipment.

Magnus, 37, will serve as Atlantis’ flight engineer and will be one of the operators of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. It will grapple the huge truss, lift it out of Atlantis’ payload bay and maneuver it for installation. It also will be used to transport spacewalkers as they connect power and data cables and other hardware to the truss exterior, including the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the railway, providing mobile work platforms for future astronauts.
Magnus received a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering in 1996. That same year, she was recruited by NASA and reported to Johnson Space Center for training and evaluation. The mission marks her first flight into space.
She joins a list of nine Yellow Jackets who have traveled into space aboard NASA missions, in addition to four Georgia Tech graduates who are currently training at NASA for future missions. The most recent was Mission Specialist Mike Massimino, a former professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering who helped upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

Atlantis is the first space shuttle to launch since NASA grounded its fleet earlier this year after discovering tiny cracks in fuel lines on Atlantis and Endeavour. NASA announced in August it planned to repair the cracks and move ahead with its launch schedule.
“Engineering and ground-processing teams have done outstanding work in the past few months to ensure the readiness of Atlantis for a safe flight,” NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said. “Because of the dedication and hard work of these teams, we have resolved the technical issues and are ready to resume the task of assembling the International Space Station. Atlantis is in great shape and ready to fly.”
The mission is commanded by U.S. Navy Capt. Jeffrey S. Ashby. U.S. Air Force Col. Pamela A. Melroy will serve as pilot. Mission specialists include David A. Wolf, M.D.; Piers J. Sellers, Ph.D.; Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, RSC Energia; and Magnus.
This will be Magnus’, Sellers’ and Yurchikhin’s first shuttle mission, Ashby’s third and Melroy’s second. This will be Wolf's third mission, his most recent being a 119-day stay aboard the Russian Space Station Mir in 1997 and 1998. Wolf and Sellers will conduct three spacewalks during STS-112 to install and outfit the new truss structure and spacewalk work platform.
The mission will be followed by Endeavour in November on a similar truss delivery and crew rotation that will take a new, three-person crew to the station and bring the current crew back to Earth.
A Georgia Tech Alum in Space
Magnus graduated from Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill., in 1982 and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1986 and 1990, respectively.

Between 1986 and 1991 Magnus worked for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company as a stealth engineer, working on internal research and development and studying the effectiveness of radar signature reduction techniques. She also was assigned to the Navy’s A-12 Attack Aircraft program, primarily working on the propulsion system until the program was cancelled.

From 1991 to 1996, Magnus completed her thesis work, which was supported by the NASA-Lewis Research Center through a Graduate Student Fellowship and involved investigations on materials of interest for “Scandate” thermionic cathodes. She received her doctorate from Georgia Tech’s School of Material Science and Engineering in 1996.

Selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in April 1996, Magnus completed two years of training and evaluation, which qualified her for flight assignment as a mission specialist. From January 1997 through May 1998, she worked in the Astronaut Office Payloads/Habitability Branch. Her duties involved working with the European Space Agency, the National Space Development Agency of Japan and Brazil on science freezers, glove boxes and other facility-type payloads. In May 1998 Magnus was assigned as a “Russian Crusader,” which involves travel to Russia in support of hardware testing and operational product development.

"Frontiers of Engineering is a unique opportunity for outstanding young engineers from a variety of disciplines to meet one another and discuss cutting-edge topics in the field," said NAE President Wm. A. Wulf. "This symposium brings together talented individuals who represent the future leaders in engineering."

Sotiropoulos' research focuses on the development of computational methods for simulating complex flows and the application of these methods to solve fluid mechanics problems encountered in a wide range of engineering applications. He has made novel research contributions in a diverse and multi-disciplinary range of topics in hydraulic engineering, environmental fluid mechanics, mechanical and biomedical engineering, ship hydrodynamics, and the application of chaos theory and non-linear dynamics to the study of fluid mixing.

Sotiropoulos has received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for simulating bridge foundation scour in natural rivers. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Hydroturbine Program, he is also developing CFD techniques for predicting turbulent flows in hydropower installations in order to assess and minimize the impact of turbulence on the aquatic ecosystem.

Sotiropoulos is currently serving as an associate editor for the ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.

"I am honored to be invited to participate in such a high-level forum for shaping the national engineering research agenda, especially because this year CFD is prominently featured among the symposium topics," Sotiropoulos said. "I am looking forward to broadening my own research horizons by interacting and exchanging ideas with such a talented group of colleagues."

The second participant from Georgia Tech, Abowd is known for his innovative research projects. From Classroom 2000, (later re-named eClass) to the Aware Home Research Initiative (AHRI), both sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Abowd has led some exciting projects using available technology in new ways to improve people's lives.

His research interests lie in the intersection between Software Engineering and Human-Computer Interaction, specifically ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) and the research issues involved in building and evaluating ubicomp applications that impact everyday lives.

His eClass project uses technology to free students from the laborious task of trying to capture every word of a lecture and allows them to participate more in classroom discussion. The lectures are captured on audio, video and in writing, and students can access and review the notes later via the Web.

"I am particularly excited by this opportunity to catch up on some of the important advances in engineering and to reflect on what grand challenges remain," Abowd said. "This year's symposium will focus on quantum computing and human factors engineering, among other topics, and I am honored to be considered a relevant contributor to these discussions."

As director of AHRI, Abowd has shepherded a number of innovative projects in this multi-disciplinary research program focused on developing applications and technologies in a home environment that perceives and assists the occupants. Most of this research takes place in the Broadband Institute Residential Laboratory (BIRL) on Tenth Street -- a lab equipped with the latest in broadband networking and sensing technologies that looks like a house.

The Frontiers of Engineering symposium will be held at the National Academies' Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif., and will explore topics in chemical engineering, human factors engineering, nuclear energy, and quantum information technology. Andrew Viterbi, president of Viterbi Group and co-founder of Qualcomm, will be a featured speaker.

Frontiers of Engineering is funded by the National Academy of Engineering and government and corporate sponsors. This year's sponsors are the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Microsoft Corp., Ford Motor Co., IBM Corp., and Cummins Engine Co.

Biomedical engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) are testing a device that, when implanted, mechanically lengthens an existing artery in patients preparing for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). The lengthened artery, when harvested and used as a graft, has the potential to greatly improve the long-term outcomes of bypass patients.

Designed to stimulate growth in the gastroepiploic artery – a small, disease-free artery about 3-7 mm diameters in size and located below the stomach – the device has shown to be effective in lengthening arterial tissue in pigs by as much as 30 cm – enough for a patient to undergo at least two CABG procedures, researchers say.

The patented process has been coined “distraction angiogenesis” by lead scientist Ray Vito, a professor at Georgia Tech who holds dual appointments in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Vito is president and CEO of Medanoia Medical Inc., a company he formed in February 2001, along with Jack Griffis, COO, to develop, manufacture and market the device. The process is similar to distraction osteogenesis – a process that has been used clinically since the 1950’s to lengthen bones, especially in the legs and face.

“The long-term outcome of coronary bypass surgery is critically dependent on the graft that is used,” Vito said. “The consensus among surgeons and cardiologists is that arterial grafts are preferable to venous grafts (veins) because they stay open much longer. However, the human body has a very limited supply of arterial tissue that can be harvested without consequence to the patient. Distraction angiogenesis increases the supply of arterial tissue suitable for use as grafts.”

Coronary artery bypass surgery is among the most common operations performed in the world to bypass a blockage. Clogged arteries are often caused by a buildup of fat, plaque or cholesterol. According to American Heart Association statistics, 336,000 people underwent coronary artery bypass surgery in the United States in 1998.

Traditionally the surgery requires opening the chest and taking blood vessels from either the calf (saphenous vein) or chest (internal mammary artery) and detouring them around, or “bypassing,” the clogged arteries to improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart.

However, many patients cannot use either because the tissue is unsuitable for grafting or it has already been harvesting for a previous surgery. Up to 35 percent of patients lack saphenous veins or other suitable conduits. These types of patients are the ones being targeted for the new device, Vito said.

The device, when fully developed, is intended for endoscopic implantation about 30 days prior to a patient’s bypass surgery. After it is implanted, the device is autonomous and continuously distends the gastroepiploic artery, gradually increasing its length. Distraction angiogenesis uses mechanical forces to stimulate the body’s own adaptive processes to produce additional artery.

The engineered artery and device are harvested endoscopically at the time of CABG surgery. The residual artery may be surgically repaired by an end-to-end anastamosis (joining) so that normal blood flow is restored.

“The evidence supporting the superiority of arteries as conduits for CABG procedures is overwhelming,” Vito said. “Distraction angiogenesis is a relatively simple way of increasing the supply of autologous arterial tissue without compromising the perfusion of healthy tissue. An all arterial revascularization is cost effective and could dramatically reduce the need for further treatment.”

Vito and Griffis plan to continue testing and improving the device during the next year, followed by clinical trials. The team hopes to receive FDA approval and bring the product to market within five years or less.

The work recently caught the attention of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, which will award Vito with the 2002 Coulter Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Nov. 1. The award recognizes a technical achievement likely to have a significant impact on healthcare delivery and comes with a $100,000 grant to assist his company in bringing the technology to market.

The grant will support Mentoring for Success, a pilot program for sixth through twelfth graders in the City Schools of Decatur. The Decatur students will be paired with students from Georgia Tech and the Atlanta University Center schools.

Decatur was chosen for the program because it is a good school system with a mix of students of different races and incomes, said Paul Ohme, director of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) at Georgia Tech.

Although the system's test scores are solid as a whole, African American students tend to score lower in math and science, Ohme said. Also, minority students and girls do not enroll in higher-level science and math courses as frequently.

"These young people who have not taken these courses and have not challenged their minds may not be in a position to compete in the economy later on," Ohme said.

"This is an exciting opportunity for both our students and our teachers," said Jane Carriere, mathematics and science coordinator for the City Schools of Decatur. "We welcome Georgia Tech mentors into our classrooms to work with, challenge, and encourage our students."

The $50,000 grant is for one year, with the possibility of renewal for two years. The program would start by providing mentors for 25 sixth-graders and 25 ninth-graders and would add the same number each year. If the program is successful in Decatur, it will be offered to other school districts in metro Atlanta.

Arthur M. Blank, a co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, launched the youth-focused foundation that bears his name in 1995.

Atiba Mbiwan, program officer at the foundation, said Georgia Tech's stature as a leading technological institution played a role in the decision to award the grant.

"This certainly is an initiative that can make a difference in enhancing education," he said.

Birgit Burton, who helped secure the Blank Family Foundation grant as director of Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at Georgia Tech, said she is pleased the mentoring program was selected for funding.

"We need this support, particularly for these programs that are reach out to the community," she said, adding that only about 30 percent of Georgia Tech's funding comes from the state, and the rest must be raised from private sources.

Blank founded the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995 to share his civic values and the joy of giving with his family. Since that time, foundation and personal grants have paid total more than $86 million.

For more information, contact Paul Ohme, director of Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing, (404) 894-6179 or paul.ohme@ceismc.gatech.edu.

Also contact Jane Carriere, mathematics and science coordinator for the City Schools of Decatur, (404) 370-4410 ext. 20 or jane_carriere@decatur.city.k12.ga.us.

Atiba Mbiwan, Program Officer for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, may be reached by calling (404) 239-0600.

More wireless products than ever coming to market today include new features that help reduce the risk of using phones while driving. Since the introduction of cellular phones in 1983, the technology has evolved dramatically: from heavy, cumbersome and expensive devices to relatively cheap, easily-portable mini devices.
At any given time, about 3 percent of those driving passenger vehicles on American roadways - about 500,000 drivers - are talking on hand-held cell phones, according to a survey last year by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Statistics like this caught the attention of Georgia Institute of Technology students Anish Buch and Neil Saunders, both seniors in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. The two were enrolled this past spring in a design course called Interactive Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design in the Woodruff School. The course requires students to pair up and design a new product of their choice. Their result: a prototype of a small cell phone that flips open at the press of a button, making it easier and safer to use while driving, the two say.
"This design, in general, is a lot more durable and smaller than most flip-phones available out there," said Buch, 21, a senior in mechanical engineering. "However, what is really innovative about it is that it allows for single-handed operation, which increases comfort and ease of operation as well as safety while performing tasks, such as driving, that require undivided attention."
Designing a New Concept
Buch and Saunders followed design guidelines specified in a contest they learned was being sponsored by PTC and Motorola, called the PTC/Motorola Flip for Design competition. They figured they'd design the phone for class as well as enter it in the competition. Before they began designing the phone, the students researched the flip-phone products that are already on the market. They found most of the products to be cumbersome when it came to operation.
So they designed a phone that worked they way they wanted it to work. The phone is divided into two halves and joined by a hinge. Magnets on each half keep it closed. The notable flip-feature of the design uses a hinge-and-trigger system to spring open the phone. By pressing a trigger button in the area where the user grips the phone, two solenoids on the bottom face rise, pushing the upper half out just enough for the springs to overcome the magnetic force and bring the phone to the open position.
At the onset of the project, the two students went back and forth over what to design. They were required to design a cell phone or similar communication device with an innovative hinge-and-trigger system and one that had the ability to maintain its durability and functionality after being dropped from as much as six feet and opened and closed hundreds of thousands of times.
"The key features of the design- the hinge and trigger- need not be restricted to cell phones," Buch said. "They could be used on any similar device, some examples being pagers, PDA's, text-messaging devices and others that provide combinations of these features and more. However, since cell phones are the most popular and widespread cellular communications devices, Neil and I thought it seemed like the more appropriate design. Also, the flip-feature is more typical to cell phones than any other device."
The team entered the phone into the PTC/Motorola design competition and took home an award for the benefits that the design has for Motorola.
The Modeling Process
Once the team finalized their concept, they began modeling using the Pro/Engineer Computer Aided Design (CAD) software by PTC. During modeling, the two students made minute changes in size, springs and other physical aspects of the phone. While the single-handed operation was decided on very early during the design process, the trigger system was initially meant to be a button with a hook that held the two halves together. Design complications and durability issues prompted them to change to the solenoid system toward the latter stages of modeling.
Design issues such as these are worked out in class. Robert Fulton, a professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, was a strong source of support for the team during the process. Fulton teaches the course in which the students were enrolled, called ME 4041.
"They had a basic idea and started modeling from there," Fulton said. "Companies look for innovative changes in their products and students often have the best ideas for improving their products."
Students enrolled in Fulton's class form teams to create a design project of their choice. Recent designs include a newspaper dispenser that keeps customers from taking more than one newspaper, a pivot screwdriver and an innovative fishing reel.
Most of the student work is done in the CAD laboratory in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. The lab is equipped with 17 workstations where students learn practical applications using CAD and Computer-Assisted Engineering (CAE) applications in thermal and mechanical design.

Tord Dennis, a research engineer and who heads the lab, assists students as they learn to use the software and develop their computer-based modeling and design projects. He says the lab provides a solid foundation for building strong engineering ethics and practices.

Despite his illness, Isenhour spearheaded this past year's toy drive, which benefited families that lost loved ones during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In honor of Isenhour, the Student-Athlete Advisory Board this year chose to make the toy drive an annual event to benefit children affected by cancer.

"Mike was an inspiration to everyone at Georgia Tech for his courageous battle with cancer, and we hope to honor his memory, as well as give back to the community, by continuing the toy drive that he started," said Robert Brooks II, Isenhour's teammate and the basketball team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board.

Toys will be donated to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and to Ronald McDonald House. Fans attending the Tech-Florida State game are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy with them. Collection bins will be available at all gates into Bobby Dodd Stadium.

"The charities receiving the toys have requested that fans donate items that promote positive, non-violent fun," Brooks said. He added that each fan who donates a toy will receive a coupon redeemable for a $5 ticket to the men's basketball season-opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Isenhour, 23, died June 13, 2002. He played Division I basketball while on a full scholarship to Georgia Tech and graduated from the Institute in December 2001 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

For more information, contact Student-Athlete Advisory Board members Robert Brooks II, (404) 206-4332 or gte238w@prism.gatech.edu, and Amy Dock, (404) 206-4292 or gte118q@prism.gatech.edu .

Also contact Rob Skinner, staff adviser for the Student-Athlete Advisory Board and director of sports nutrition for the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, (404) 894-1069 or rskinner@gtaa.gatech.edu.

Schedule of Events

8:46 a.m.- Whistle Blows, followed by campus-wide moment of silence
10:29 a.m.- Whistle Blows, followed by campus-wide moment of silence
12:00 p.m.- Remembrance Ceremony at the Campanile
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.-Reflection Room open at the Ferst Center for the Arts
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. -Tapestry Project at Skiles Walkway
Remarks by Dr. G. Wayne Clough
First Anniversary Remembrance, September 11, 2002

Georgia Tech alum and prominent Atlantan Parker H. "Pete" Petit, CEO of Matria Healthcare, has made a $3.3 million gift toward the development of a complex of buildings on the Georgia Tech campus devoted to biomedical, environmental and molecular engineering research.

As a result, Georgia Tech will name the building that currently houses its bioengineering and bioscience programs the "Parker H. Petit Building."

The Petit Building, which was opened in 1999, will be among a four-building complex located at the corner of Ferst Drive and Atlantic Drive that will house a unique mini-campus for research and education that will meld and enrich Georgia Tech's engineering, science and information technology programs.

Petit's generous gift will assist Georgia Tech in completing the complex. In addition to the Petit Building, this complex will include the U.A. Whitaker Building for Biomedical Engineering, the Ford Motor Company Environmental Science and Technology Building, and the Molecular and Materials Science and Engineering Building.

On the naming of the building, Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough said: "It is wonderfully appropriate that we name in his honor the remarkable landmark building. It is a symbol of new growth, and stands as an eloquent testimony to the vital role that Pete Petit has played in promoting Tech's research in these emerging fields. His concern, his generosity, and his vision have made a sustained and dramatic contribution to bioengineering and bioscience research at Tech and we thank him for his continuous and generous support of this institution."

The newly named Parker H. Petit Building is a $30 million, 150,000 square-foot facility configured to facilitate interdisciplinary research programs of faculty and their research groups, including both graduate and undergraduate students, mirroring Tech's commitment to bio-related research. More than 500 students, staff and faculty are housed in the interdisciplinary building and are actively engaged in bio-related research.

Petit's gift follows an earlier donation he made of $5 million in 1996 to endow the bioengineering and biosciences building, and a gift of $1 million made in 1985 to fund the Distinguished Chair in Engineering in Medicine which is held by Robert M. Nerem, director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, which is housed within the Petit Building.

"The vision and leadership exhibited by Pete Petit's generous gifts have taken the dreams of Georgia Tech's faculty in bioengineering and bioscience to a new level," Nerem said. "He has been a driving force behind the development of bio-related research at Tech and the naming of the building is a worthy tribute to his contributions."

Georgia Tech has been engaged in bio-related research for more than 25 years and in that time has grown into one of the best programs in the country. In March of 2002, U.S. News and World Report ranked Tech's bioengineering program among the best graduate programs in the country.

"I believe that the research conducted by the faculty in the bioengineering and bioscience complex will improve our quality of life and act as a catalyst for economic development in our state and region in the years ahead," Petit said. "I am very fortunate to be able to assist with and play a role in the development of this complex for the bioengineering and bioscience activities at Georgia Tech."

Petit received a bachelor's in mechanical engineering in 1962 and a master's in engineering mechanics in 1964 from Georgia Tech. In 1970, the Petit family lost their second son to a crib death. This tragic loss was the impetus for the development of the first home physiological monitor for infants who were at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Petit founded Healthdyne to develop and market this product, and the company became an internationally based corporation that manufactured high technology medical devices, developed healthcare information systems, and provided medical services. In 1995, Healthdyne was split into three publicly traded companies, Healthdyne Technologies, Healthdyne Information Enterprises, and Matria Healthcare.

The combined revenues of the companies reached approximately $500 million. Healthdyne Technologies and Healthdyne Information Enterprises have been merged with other successful public companies. Currently, Petit is Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Matria Healthcare, the largest corporation providing comprehensive disease management services.

Georgia Tech's Inaugural Pumpkin Carving Contest -- sponsored by members of the American Institute of Architecture Students -- was held 12-2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002 in the College of Architecture's courtyard, 247 Fourth Street NW.

Faculty members had an hour and 15 minutes to carve their pumpkin beginning Wednesday at noon. Each pumpkin carver was encouraged to bring extra props to add more character to their self-interpretations.

Once finished, the instructors "defended" their self-interpreations in a short presentation before being judged by their students.

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is a national organization that promotes excellence in architectural education and practice plus community awareness and participation among its members. The Georgia Tech chapter of AIAS actively organizes seminars, tours and special events enhancing student life as part of the Institute's Architecture Program.

For more information on the AIAS, contact Assistant Professor Wanda Ward Dye, faculty adviser for the American Institute of Architecture Students, (404) 385-1274 or wanda.dye@arch.gatech.edu.

"Ken brings a substantial history of commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and service to LCC, Ivan Allen College, and the Institute," says Sue Rosser, Dean, Ivan Allen College, the Liberal Arts College of Georgia Tech. "He also has a wealth of administrative experience, in addition to his past service as Chair of LCC and Interim Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. He is someone who has maintained a substantial research agenda at the same time he has worked hard with students, colleagues and alumni. He was involved in writing Georgia Tech's Strategic Plan over the past several years and also led the 10th anniversary celebration for the Ivan Allen College."

"LCC faculty and students have built exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs over the past ten years," says Knoespel. "Our programs have become models for interdisciplinary work in Europe as well as in this country. It is exciting to see our work influencing changes not only in the humanities but also in the shape of the university at the start of a new century. Our research and teaching in digital media as well as our work in literature, film, and the study of science and technology resonates strongly with the broadening identity of Georgia Tech. I'm proud of LCC and Georgia Tech and look forward even more to creating opportunities for our students and celebrating our research."

Most recently Knoespel led the launch of the McEver Program in Liberal Arts and Engineering. The Program is endowed with a gift by Industrial Engineering alumnus Bruce McEver, whose support of the liberal arts at Tech stems from his experiences of the humanities at Georgia Tech. It involves the development of a series of seminar courses co-taught by faculty from Ivan Allen College and College of Engineering for students from a variety of majors. During the fall semester Knoespel is teaching a seminar devoted to "Situating Science: Innovation and Creativity in Sites of Science" with Wendy Newstetter from Biomedical Engineering.

Knoespel served as interim chair of LCC in 1990 - 1997 during which time he participated in building the undergraduate B.S. in Science, Technology and Culture (STAC), the M.S. in Information, Design and Technology (IDT), and the Continuing Education Programs associated with LCC's New Media Center. Most recently he has negotiated Georgia Tech's membership in the Newberry Library Renaissance Consortium, which also includes the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago.

A review of Knoespel's work illustrates his interdisciplinary interests and expertise. He is the author of a book on early modern scientific commentary and many articles and chapters on the history and philosophy of science and technology. He has also written extensively on the manuscripts of Isaac Newton and northern European science. His current research includes a book on visualization practices within science and technology and another project on the emergence of science in Sweden and Russia particularly in regard to the Baltic Sea. He is frequently invited to give presentations about the changing forms of university education. He has been a visiting professor at Cornell University, a senior fellow at the Edelstein Center for the History of Science and Technology at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and a visiting professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. Knoespel was a founding editor of the journal Configurations published by Johns Hopkins University Press. At Georgia Tech he is also affiliated with the Program in Cognitive Science and the Ph.D. program in the College of Architecture.

The School of Literature, Communication, and Culture (LCC) is part of Ivan Allen College, the Liberal Arts College of Georgia Tech. LCC works at the intersection of literary and communications studies. The school's 52 full-time faculty members provide Tech undergraduates with a broad array of communications courses, including freshman composition, technical communication, and electronic communication. LCC provides a wide range of humanities offerings including courses in British and American literature, film, theater, performance studies, digital arts, and creative writing. LCC faculty are active researchers and bring to both graduate and undergraduate classes nationally recognized expertise in literary, cultural, and digital media studies. Graduates of the school's Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology and Culture (STAC) and Master of Science in Information Design and Technology (IDT) programs are positioned to assume important roles as leaders in the exciting new fields developing in the interface between technology and culture.

It includes upcoming shows by the Yellow Jacket Band, the Georgia Tech Orchestra and the Georgia Tech Chorale, plus performances by several solo artists.

All shows will be held in Georgia Tech's Robert Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst Drive NW, in Atlanta. For tickets, call the Ferst Center Box Office, (404) 894-9600. Or, for more information on individual performances, contact Administrative Assistant Christine M. Marks 404 894-3193 or christine.marks@music.gatech.edu.

Upcoming Performances:

* Thursday, November 7
"Surround Sounds"
The "Yellow Jacket" Band presents its first indoor performance and will feature small ensembles in a multi-media setting.

* Tuesday, November 12
"Symphonic Classics!"
Enjoy an evening of classic wind literature.

* Wednesday, November 13
"The GT Orchestra in Italy"
Musical ports of call throughout Italy including "Fall" and "Winter" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony.

* Monday, November 25
Solos and Ensembles"
Georgia Tech instrumentalists will perform solo and ensemble literature from Handel to Bartok.

* Tuesday, December 3
"Chorale Concert"
The Georgia Tech Chorale and the Orchestra present "Bach Magnificat."

* December, December 5
"Music of the Season"
Start your holiday off on a merry note with the Music Department's annual holiday concert.

Contact:

Administrative Assistant Christine M. Marks
(404) 894-3193
christine.marks@music.gatech.edu

Biomedical scientists will explain the latest medical advances made possible through the union of medical research and engineering technology. Learn about new products available through tissue engineering, creating brain activity with computer chips, new ways to diagnose and treat heart disease and cancer, and brain imaging of thoughts and feelings.

This course is designed for the general public but also will be of interest and value to health care professionals, business persons, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the latest advances in science. No science background is necessary.

The MiniMedical School course will begin Tuesday, Oct. 1, and continues for four consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m., with cookies and coffee served at 6:30. Tuition is $80 ($68 for past MiniMedical School graduates and Georgia Tech and Emory faculty, staff and students) and includes a "textbook," an Emory MiniMedical T-shirt, and a (mini) medical degree diploma.

Classes are held on the Emory University campus in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Administration Building, 1440 Clifton Road, with free parking in the Michael Street parking deck and shuttles to transport you to the auditorium.

You may register online at www.emory.edu/eve/short_courses/index.html. Or, register by calling the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning, 404-727-6000.

Course topics are as follows, followed by short discussions:

Oct. 1: Overview of biomedical engineering Tissue engineering overview, including new bioengineered devices

Oct. 8: Biomedical engineering and cancer, including nanotechnology and genomics Cardiology advances, including artificial heart valves and pediatrics

Oct. 15: Advanced imaging systems, including functional MRI and PET Behavioral imaging (visualizing thoughts and feelings)

Oct. 22: Biomedical engineering and the brain, including creating brain activity with computer chips and advances in recording brain activity

Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Djerassi, who led the team of research chemists that first synthesized a steroid oral contraceptive in October 1951, will discuss "Sex in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Free copies of several books written by Djerassi will be available to Tech students on a first-come, first-served basis, and he will autograph books before and after his lecture.

Today Djerassi is a professor emeritus of chemistry at Stanford University. He is one of the few American scientists to have been awarded both the National Medal of Science -- for the first synthesis of a steroid oral contraceptive -- and the National Medal of Technology, for promoting new approaches to insect control. Djerassi also was named by Time as one of the 30 most eminent people of the millennium.

This past year Djerassi released a new book, "This Man's Pill." In it, he weaves a personal narrative that illuminates the impact his invention has had on the world at large -- and on him personally. The book presents a forcefully revisionist account of the early history of the pill, debunking many of the journalistic and romantic accounts of its scientific origin.

Djerassi does not shrink from exploring why we have no pill for men or why Japan only approved it in 1999. Emphasizing that development of the pill occurred during the post-World War II period of technological euphoria, he believes that its creation could not be repeated in today's cultural climate.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Djerassi has received 19 honorary doctorates and many other honors, such as the first Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the first Award for the Industrial Application of Science from the NAS, and the American Chemical Society's highest award - the Priestley Medal.

For the past decade, Djerassi has turned to fiction writing, mostly in the genre of "science-in-fiction," whereby he illustrates, in the guise of realistic fiction, the human side of scientists and the personal conflicts faced by scientists in their quest for scientific knowledge, personal recognition and financial reward.

In addition to his five novels ("Cantor's Dilemma;" "The Bourbaki Gambit;" "Marx, deceased;" "Menachem's Seed;" "NO"), he has written several short stories, an autobiography and a memoir. He also has recently embarked on a trilogy of "science-in-theatre" plays.

The 2002 Karlovitz Lecture is part of the Karlovitz Science Seminars, sponsored by the Georgia Tech College of Sciences. It is named in honor of Les Karlovitz, the former director of Georgia Tech's School of Mathematics who was dean of the College of Science and Liberal Studies beginning in 1983. Karlovitz left Georgia Tech in 1989 and died in 1990. His widow, Julie Karlovitz, established the Karlovitz Science Seminars in his memory.

Hosted by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, with sponsorship from MBNA America, Buzz Bash is a fun way to catch up with old friends, make new connections and have fun -- all in one evening on Tech's campus.

"It's a carnival, reunion, pep rally, band party and fireworks show, all rolled up into one," said Event Manager Amy Willmore with the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.

Willmore said this year's Buzz Bash begins at 7 p.m. in the Festival Area at Bobby Dodd Stadium, 155 North Avenue. Free parking will be available in lots along North Avenue. Admission is $20 a person or $15 for Georgia Tech students, faculty and staff. Children 12 and younger may attend for free.

The night includes live music, roaming street entertainment and appearances by Buzz, Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Marching Band and the Georgia Tech Cheerleaders. Food, soft drinks, beer and wine are included with the admission price. Admission includes three drink tickets per person.

"This year's event also includes something new, the Young Alumni Loft," Willmore said. "It will be the gathering place for Tech graduates of 1990 and after. These alumni may register before Oct. 11 for a special price of $17 per person and receive four drink tickets. At the door, they will pay the regular adult price of $20 per person and receive three drink tickets."

The night ends with fireworks beginning at 9 p.m.

For advance registration, log on to http://gtalumni.org/GetInvolved/events/buzzbash.html before Oct. 11. Following that date, visitors may register at the event or at the Georgia Tech Alumni House, 190 North Avenue NW.

The Alumni Association's Homecoming Headquarters - located inside the Alumni House -- will be open Thursday, Oct. 24, 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 25, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. until kick-off.

The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents approved the new master's program at its June 2002 meeting. During the same meeting, the Regents also approved the re-naming of Georgia Tech's former Department of Health and Performance Sciences to the School of Applied Physiology. The school remains a unit within Georgia Tech's College of Sciences.

Faculty in the School of Applied Physiology study the science of movement and the physiological basis of movement control. They also offer instruction related to the importance of maintaining sound physiological systems.

"Our approach to these tasks involves every biological level utilizing both basic and applied sciences," said Professor Robert J. Gregor, chairman of the School of Applied Physiology. "For example, attempts to understand how molecules transmit signals in skeletal muscle have a foundation in basic molecular biology and, ultimately, these relate to the applied science of movement control."

Faculty interests within the school range from the behavioral to the systemic and molecular levels. At the undergraduate level, the school instructs all Georgia Tech students in their health and wellness requirement and offers a Certificate in Health Science, which addresses student interest in basic medical science education.

At the graduate level, the School of Applied Physiology is home to the new master's program in orthotics and prosthetics. It represents a close collaboration among faculty and students within Georgia Tech's Schools of Applied Physiology, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.

"We expect the fall 2002 class size to be about six or seven students," Assistant Professor Mark Geil said. "Plans are in place to increase the class size to a maximum of 12 students during the next few years."

The school's research into prostheses and orthoses, or braces, encompasses a wide variety of medical devices and techniques. These include prosthetic legs, braces for scoliosis, powered myoelectric prosthetic arms, knee-ankle-foot braces and HALO devices for spinal immobilization.

Geil said that many economic studies predict a severe shortage of qualified orthotics and prosthetics practitioners in the near future -- professionals who will serve the needs of the nation's aging population. Georgia Tech addresses this need by taking a fresh approach to prosthetics and orthotics education, one that goes beyond the educational methods that have been in place for years.

"Our students will experience real prosthetics and orthotics practice first-hand and at an aggressive rate throughout their experience at Tech," Geil said. "They will learn the potential for computer-aided design and manufacture in prosthetics and orthotics, and will be conversant in the clinical literature. Our aim is to produce the finest clinicians, researchers, designers and educators in the industry."

Other prosthetics and orthotics programs in the United States offer either baccalaureate degrees or post-baccalaureate certificates, Geil said. But Georgia Tech's program will be the only active, master's-level program available in the country.

"We're excited about Dr. Clark's appointment, and we look forward to his leadership," said Thomas Galloway, dean of Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, home of the Institute's Music Department. "His passion for music and technology should be an invaluable strength for our students, many of whom share the same such passion."

Clark comes to Georgia Tech from the University of South Alabama, where he joined the faculty in 1992. He served as acting chair of USA's Department of Music between 1996 and 1999, when he was appointed full chair. While in Mobile, Clark coordinated USA's music theory courses and helped design, install, develop and supervise a multimedia Musical Instrument Digital Interface lab and classroom.

Previously, Clark was a department coordinator at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, between 1983 and 1986. He also was an assistant professor at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, from 1986 to 1990. Between 1990 and 1992, Clark was an assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, where he taught music theory, conducted a jazz band and helped design and develop the university's Arts Resources Technology/Computer Assisted Training Laboratory.

Clark is a member of the Technology Institute for Music Educators' National Advisory Board and is among the presenters in the College Music Society's Speakers Bureau. He frequently addresses the topics of multimedia applications, the growth of music technology and the use of such technology in the music studio.

In 1980, Clark earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, Calif. The next year, he earned a master's degree in french horn performance at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Arizona in 1990.

CATEA, a unit within Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, develops and evaluates accessible environments and assistive technology -- devices designed to allow or improve performance of activities of daily living or work for the disabled.

"This is an excellent pairing for both the center and the college," said Thomas Galloway, dean of Georgia Tech's College of Architecture. "Dr. Sprigle's background in biomedical engineering and his experience addressing unique challenges affecting the disabled community will prove to be strong assets to CATEA and its research staff."

In addition to his duties as CATEA's director, Sprigle holds an adjunct appointment in Georgia Tech's School of Applied Physiology and will continue a collaborative research relationship with The Shepherd Center, an Atlanta-based catastrophic care hospital that treats people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular illnesses and urological problems.

"The staff within CATEA appears dedicated to their mission, and that results in a lot of self-motivation to do a good job," Sprigle said. "Any director in any organization feels fortunate to be among self-driven folks, so I look forward to working at Tech."

Since 1996, Sprigle has directed the Center for Rehabilitation Technology at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, NY. The center offers comprehensive services in assistive technology, especially in the areas of seating, mobility, computer access, augmented communications for the disabled and environmental controls.

During his term at the Center for Rehabilitation Technology, Sprigle held a faculty appointment as assistant professor of clinical physical therapy at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also was a senior lecturer for the Graduate School of Health Sciences for the New York Medical College.

Previously, Sprigle was a senior research scientist and adjunct professor of mechanical engineering and occupational therapy at the State University of New York at Buffalo between 1993 and 1996. He also was a member of the research staff for the Transportation and Wheelchair Rehabilitation Engineering Centers in the University of Virginia's Biomedical Engineering Department between 1987 and 1993.

Sprigle remains an active consultant for a variety of biomedical engineering companies and frequently speaks on the topics of pressure ulcers and the engineering aspects of wheelchairs. Among his many research interests are rehabilitation engineering, assistive technology and biomechanics. He also has a special interest in the areas of pressure-ulcer prevention, posture stability among wheelchair users, assistive technology outcomes, and the development of standards for wheelchair cushions and support surfaces.

"For someone who has spent his career in both rehabilitation research and service delivery, CATEA's position and mission represent a fantastic opportunity for me," Sprigle said. "CATEA is quite unique in that it offers the scientific allure of being within an excellent university, but its mission includes significant interaction and service within the disability arena."

Sprigle also said he is impressed by CATEA's ability to extend the state-of-the-art through research as well as apply the state-of-the-art through its service programs.

"But this ability comes with the obligation to share this knowledge through publication and presentation," he said. "The center's faculty and staff infuse themselves with the community of the Institute and work well with other departments and faculty. This is imperative, since CATEA has a lot to offer others and gains a lot from collaboration."

Sprigle is a member of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel's Board of Directors and of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. He also is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Physical Therapy Association.

Sprigle earned his bachelor's degree in engineering science and mechanics from the University of Florida in 1982. He went on to earn a master's degree in biomedical engineering in 1985, followed by a Ph.D. in biomechanics in 1989, both from the University of Virginia. He earned an additional master's degree in 1998, this time in physical therapy from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), as it is called, will work with NASA Langley to develop new technologies for the nation and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The institute will be located near the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

The institute also will offer masters and doctoral degrees in science and engineering locally at its partner universities and via distance learning connections. The partnership could potentially generate combined research grants and contracts that total $379 million over 20 years, according to NASA.

“Establishment of the NIA is the exciting culmination of a three-year effort by NASA’s Langley Research Center,” said Robert Loewy, chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Aerospace Engineering. “It is a strategic partnership with great potential, linking more closely than ever a strong team of universities dedicated to education and research with the preeminent research capabilities of NASA Langley, and incorporating the proven technology transfer capabilities of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.”

Last year, NASA officials started a national search for university and nonprofit partners to run the institute. The contract was awarded to a consortium of universities and a non-profit corporation that founded the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIAA), which was formed specifically to create a science and research organization called the NIA.

In addition to the Georgia Institute of Technology, the NIAA is comprised of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, the University of Maryland in College Park, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation in Reston, Va.

The purpose of the NIA will be to:

·conduct leading-edge aerospace and atmospheric research and develop revolutionary new technologies

·provide comprehensive graduate and continuing education in science and engineering

·incubate and stimulate the commercialization of new intellectual property developed through the institute’s activities

·promote aerospace science and engineering and provide outreach to the region and nation

Locating the NIA at the Langley Research Center will facilitate the institute’s involvement in agency-sponsored research programs and foster collaboration with NASA, including access to its world-class research facilities.

The institute is a long-term commitment on the part of NASA to expand collaboration with universities, industry, other government agencies and the broader scientific community to fully leverage expertise inside and outside of government.

Once fully operational, the institute will become a strategic partner working with NASA to enhance its world-class aerospace and atmospheric research capability. The institute will complement Langley’s research creativity and expand research and technology development opportunities. In addition, the NIA will be a significant new research and education asset for the nation.

The NIA creates an even stronger bond between NASA and Georgia Tech. Earlier this year, NASA, through the Glenn Research Center, designated Georgia Tech as one of seven new NASA institutes at universities across the country because of Tech’s considerable expertise in aerospace engineering.

Led by Georgia Tech’s School of Aerospace Engineering, the primary focus of the NASA institute, called a “University Research, Engineering and Technology Institute” (URETI), is development of new propulsion and power technologies to enable NASA and industry to produce engines that meet highly restrictive environmental regulations, burn less fuel, reduce global warming, improve safety and possess lower acquisition and operating costs.

The URETI also provides support for undergraduate and graduate students, curriculum development, personnel exchange, learning opportunities and training in advanced scientific and engineering concepts for the aerospace workforce in government and industry.

While at the Institute, the chamber winds will perform master classes for students in the Music Department, a unit within Georgia Tech's College of Architecture. They also will discuss important aspects of ensemble performance.

All classes will take place in the Couch Building, 840 McMillan St. NW.

"The Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings are world-renowned musicians with numerous accolades to their credit," said Assistant Professor Andrea Strauss, director of bands for Georgia Tech. "This visit will be a fantastic opportunity for our students, because not only will they get to experience their quality of performance, but the students will engage in a hands-on encounter with some of the best musicians touring the country."

The Georgia Tech Symphonic Band is one of seven Atlanta organizations that worked together to bring the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings -- and its conductor, H. Robert Reynolds -- to the city for this residency. During their stay through Oct. 8, the chamber members expect to make contact with as many as 700 musicians, Strauss said.

In addition to their work with Atlanta-area music students, the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings will perform works by Mozart, Kramer and Krommer for the public beginning 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Kennesaw Mountain High School, 1898 Kennesaw Due West Road. Admission is $10 at the door.

Set to open its 21st season, the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings has a simple goal: To perform great repertoire using more players than typically seen in chamber music concerts. Today, the chamber supplements its Detroit subscription season with both recording and touring, and it has established a national reputation for artistic excellence.

Touring activities have included appearances throughout Michigan plus Ohio, New York, Illinois, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. To great critical acclaim, the ensemble has released four compact discs, three of which are on the Koch International Classics label.

Educational programs are central to the mission of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and today they have a grant to pursue educational activities for the year from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Atlanta residency of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings is made possible by:

The Georgia Tech Symphonic Band
The Kennesaw State University Wind Ensemble
The Georgia State University Wind Symphony
The Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony
The Atlanta Wind Symphony
The Kennesaw Mountain High School Bands
The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra

For more information, contact Assistant Professor Andrea Strauss, Director of Bands for the Georgia Institute of Technology, (404) 894-8974 or andrea.strauss@music.gatech.edu .

"We are very proud of Mike's accomplishment and gratified that he was able to take advantage of our new graduate degree in Information Security so quickly," said Rich DeMillo, John P. Imlay, Jr. Dean of Computing, Distinguished Professor of Computing and Director, Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC). "We are working to build one of the best information security programs in the country."

Torrey completed his undergraduate degree in computer science from the Catholic University of America in May 2001, where his interest in information security began. Torrey considered graduate school at Duke University, James Madison University, Johns Hopkins, and University of Central Florida but felt Tech was leading the way in the InfoSec field. His first semester Torrey greatly enjoyed the introductory courses in information security and cryptography and knew he wanted to concentrate in that area. When the new degree was approved in February, Torrey had already completed many of the required courses.

"What has impressed me most about the program has been the faculty," said Torrey "It is a difficult task simply to keep up with all of the new developments or in fact being responsible for new developments in the InfoSec field, let alone teach it. In my opinion the faculty have done an amazing job in both cases."

Torrey is considering a conditional job offer from the National Security Agency and an offer from Anteon Corporation.

The first graduate program of its kind in Georgia, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the new Master of Science degree in February. The degree is designed to help fill the high demand for individuals with both the practical skills and theoretical understanding of information security. Students can focus on either technical or policy issues of information security. The 32-hour interdisciplinary program is housed in the College of Computing with coordination with the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, the DuPree College of Management, and the Georgia State University Management Information Systems program. The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), a National Security Agency Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education, developed the comprehensive curriculum and brings together faculty and resources in information security from across campus.

The mission, sponsored by the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences, was an effort to help elevate the state of K-12 and post-secondary education in Iran. The academicians represented universities throughout the United States.

The journey marked DiGregorio's first trip to Iran, but he said it was an important one for humanitarian reasons, and it should lead to several mutual-collaboration projects between Iranian and American institutions of higher learning.

"I'm a firm believer that education is the world's great equalizer," DiGregorio said. "I went there to help improve their educational system, which could lead to more and better jobs for the Iranian people, and eventually to peaceful co-existence in the Middle East."

DiGregorio was asked to assist Iranians in formulating a strategy for distance learning throughout their country. Others members of the education mission addressed the country's integration of research and education, vocational and technical training, computer-based education and other topics.

"The invitation to visit Iran was extended by the Iranian Academy of Sciences, which is the counterpart of our National Academy of Sciences," DiGregorio said. Iran faces several issues regarding distance education, he said, including a lack of resources to implement appropriate distance-learning technologies and the lack of an infrastructure to support such technology.

"Basically, Iran is at square one when it comes to distance learning," he said. "There, 'distance learning' really means 'remote campuses,' where students and faculty come together face-to-face. In addition, they deliver some courses via audiotape, but that's about the extent of their technology.

"We were at least able to tell them what the latest developments are in distance learning here," he added. But regardless of its limitations, DiGregorio said the Iranian system works. This past year, the country taught about 300,000 people through correspondence courses and remote campuses, he said.

DiGregorio's group toured facilities and met with Iranian academicians in Tehran and Shiraz. The National Research Council covered all expenses for the visit, and no state funds were used for the trip, he said.

The National Research Council is part of the National Academies, which also comprise the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine. They are private, non-profit institutions that provide science, technology and health-policy advice under a Congressional charter. The council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public and the scientific and engineering communities.

For more information on the education mission to Iran, contact Joe DiGregorio, Georgia Tech's director of Professional Education, International Partnerships, (404) 385-4350 or joseph.digregorio@conted.gatech.edu .

Professor Flannery, a theoretical physicist in Georgia Tech's School of Physics, is an expert in the theory of atomic and molecular collision processes and is generally regarded as a world leader in his field.

"The Beams Award is considered to be a very prestigious award for outstanding research in physics," said W. Lawrence Croft, the chair of SESAPS, professor and head emeritus with the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Mississippi State University. "It means that Dr. Flannery's peers consider him to be one of the most outstanding research physicists in the Southeast."

This marks the third time a Georgia Tech researcher has been tapped for the Beams Award. The first recipient of that honor was the late Georgia Tech physicist Joseph Ford, who earned the award for 1990. Regents Professor Uzi Landman in the Georgia Tech School of Physics also earned the award for 1999.

Criteria considered in the selection process include "whether this research led to the discovery of new phenomena or states of matter, provided fundamental insights in physics, or involved the development of experimental or theoretical techniques that enabled others to make key advances in physics. It is expected that the contributions of the award recipient should have received the critical acclaim of peers nationally and internationally."

Flannery earned his distinguished 2002 award for his "pioneering, seminal, influential and enduring contribution to atomic and molecular collision physics," Croft said. It consists of a medal and certificate.

The award was established in recognition of the scientific achievements of Jesse Beams, an experimental physicist at the University of Virginia for most of his career. He was one of five scientists appointed by the National Research Council to study uranium fission before the United States entered World War II -- an effort later given the code name of The Manhattan Project.

Beams, who received the National Medal of Science, constructed the world's first electron linear accelerator and developed the magnetic ultracentrifuge. Today the two devices are widely used by researchers in the physical and biological sciences plus medicine and engineering.

Flannery has distinguished himself nationally and internationally with his research. His papers on recombination, electron-excited atom collisions and Rydberg collisions have had tremendous impact and helped define modern understanding of atomic and molecular physics. Flannery currently studies ultracold collisions, especially within his theoretical formulations of Rydberg plasmas and the production of antimatter. His work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 1971, Flannery held academic positions with The Queen's University of Belfast and the Harvard -Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.

He has attained a long list of honors, including Georgia Tech's Distinguished Professor Award, presented in 1995; the prestigious Will Allis Prize, from the American Physical Society (APS), awarded in 1998 for his study of ionized gases and for developing a theory of three-body recombination; and the illustrious Sir David Bates Prize from the Institute of Physics (IOP), awarded in 2002 "for his distinguished contributions to the field of theoretical atomic physics and for his studies of recombination processes with applications to astrophysics and plasma physics."

Flannery now has garnered key prizes from the APS, SESAPS and IOP -- the main scientific organizations of the worldwide physics community.

He is an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy and Queen's University -- his alma mater -- bestowed on him in 1998 an honorary D.Sc. degree for his distinction as a scientist. He is a fellow and chartered physicist with the IOP in London and a fellow of the APS.

For more information, contact Regents Professor M. Raymond Flannery, Georgia Tech School of Physics, (404) 894-5263 or ray.flannery@physics.gatech.edu .

Also contact Professor W. Lawrence Croft, chair of the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society and Head Emeritus of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Mississippi State University, (662) 325 -9451 or croft@ra.msstate.edu .

Snyder begins Jan. 2, succeeding Regents’ Professor Ashok Saxena, who has chaired MSE since 1993, but now plans to devote more time to research and teaching in MSE.

Since 1996, Snyder has chaired Ohio State’s MSE department, which comprises 29 faculty, 165 undergraduates and 125 graduate students and post-doctoral researchers. Last year the department ranked 15 in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings edition.

Before beginning his tenure at Ohio State, Snyder was a professor of ceramic science for 26 years at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University where he also directed the Institute of Ceramic Superconductivity and continues to hold the honorary title of Professor Emeritus.

“Dr. Snyder brings a wealth of experience to the position of MSE chair,” said Don Giddens, dean of the College of Engineering. “While he was chair at Ohio State, that department moved up in stature significantly, and I believe his enthusiasm, energy and vision are just the right combination for us at this time. He will emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of materials science and engineering in both education and research and will be a fine collaborator with others schools at Georgia Tech. I join the MSE faculty, students and staff in looking forward eagerly to his arrival.”

Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering awards degrees at all levels, and offers courses for students from other disciplines in engineering and science, which allows them to earn a minor in MSE. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the School’s undergraduate program at No. 10 in the nation and the graduate program at No. 11.

The School’s educational and research strengths lie in materials synthesis, materials characterization, and modeling of structure-property-performance relationships of a wide variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, biomaterials, electronic, superconducting and photonic and magnetic materials.

Currently the School comprises 21 full-time faculty members and two joint faculty members, 52 undergraduate students and 74 graduate students and 31 post-doctoral researchers.

“Georgia Tech is a national treasure in engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering is one of the best in the world,” Snyder said. “I am delighted to join this distinguished faculty and look forward to working with them to meet the challenges of our ever-changing technology. It will require every bit of the excellence that has been achieved at Georgia Tech to maintain America’s technological leadership, which is being increasingly challenged throughout the world.”

Snyder’s research has focused on understanding and then manipulating the structure-property relationships in advanced materials. He has focused significant effort on developing the method of X-ray powder diffraction as an atomic and microstructural probe. In particular, Snyder has focused on bringing characterization techniques to an in situ, dynamic mode to support the next major development in materials science: computational materials design.

In 1995 he was appointed Professeur Invité at the Université de Rennes in France. He has held visiting appointments at the Siemens Central Research Laboratory in Munich, Germany, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. He has published eleven books, nine chapters and 235 technical papers. He holds eight patents and has delivered over 1,000 talks at conferences, industries, and universities worldwide. Snyder has graduated 20 Ph.D.’s and 20 MS students.

Now she has joined another special group: Davis has been named by President Bush as one of only 32 NASA executives nationwide to receive one of the country’s highest honors for government service work.

Davis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Applied Biology from Tech in 1975, received the 2002 Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award for her contributions to the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and other space projects.

Davis is currently the director of Flight Projects at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

“The honor conferred on Jan Davis is a source of pride and inspiration to me and the entire Marshall team,” said Art Stephenson, director of the Marshall Center. “Her selection demonstrates that hard work, dedication and achievement by those in public service do not go unrecognized, and that is tremendously gratifying to me.”

Davis oversees more than 1,400 civil service and contract workers at the Marshall Center. Her directorate is responsible for payload and science operations for the International Space Station, such as training crews to operate Space Station science experiments and operating the control center for those experiments. Other support for the International Space Station includes the production of eight EXPRESS racks which house experiments, the management of Node 2, Node 3, and three Multipurpose Logistics Modules, and the design and production of the Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System. Davis is also responsible for the Chandra X-ray Observatory Program Office, overseeing operations of the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope.

“We’re in a period of change at NASA,” Davis said. “You have to be an aggressive leader of change if you’re going to succeed. I’ve been fortunate to work in a wide range of technical areas, from engineering, to science, to space flight. I’ve also had the chance to view NASA as an engineer, a team leader, an astronaut, and an executive. I try to bring that experience to bear every day because what we’re doing in space is so important to this country’s future.”

The Presidential Rank Awards honor executives who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time. They are recognized for their strong leadership skills, strength, integrity and a commitment to outstanding public service. They are judge on their accomplishments and abilities in the areas of leading people leading change, achieving results, business ability, building coalitions, and fostering communications.

Davis, who grew up and went to school in Huntsville, began her career at Marshall in 1979 as an aerospace engineer. She worked on several major NASA programs and projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, and the Space Shuttle. Davis was selected to join the astronaut corps in 1987. She spent more than 670 hours in space over the course of her three Shuttle flights.

In 1998, Davis became director of the Human Exploration and Development of Space Independent Assurance Office for NASA Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., providing safety oversight for all human spaceflight programs. She returned to Marshall in 1999 as deputy director of the Flight Projects Directorate and was named director of the directorate in January 2001.

NASA cited Davis for her work - both at both NASA Headquarters and upon her return to Marshall - to revamp and streamline business practices, eliminate bureaucracy and increase productivity. She worked with colleagues at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and other field centers to establish new lines of communication, improve morale and build a cohesive team. She proved her results-oriented management style by automating processes and reducing costs, while maintaining critical work, including the delivery of experiment racks to the International Space Station, the construction and flight of logistics modules and carriers for Space Station supplies, and maintaining round-the-clock operations at the Space Station Payload Operations Center at the Marshall Center.

Davis, a 1971 graduate of Huntsville High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in applied biology in 1975 at Georgia Tech, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1977 from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering in 1983 and 1985, respectively, from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. In 2001, she was elected to both the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame and the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

Steven Byrnes of West Roxbury, Mass.*, Elysa Wan of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Nigel Mesta of Statesville, N.C., won scholarships Nov. 23 for projects submitted to the Siemens Westinghouse Competition, the nation's leading research-based science and mathematics competition for high-school students.

Georgia Tech was the official host of the competition's Southern regional finals, one of six such events held throughout the country this past month. Five individuals and three teams presented their original scientific research, technological inventions and mathematical theories to a distinguished panel of judges made up of prominent scientists and faculty from the Institute.

Byrnes, 18 and a senior at Roxbury Latin School, finished the finals as the top Individual Winner; Wan and Mesta, both 17 and students at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Raleigh, took Team Winner honors. This weekend they advance to the national competition in Washington, which will be held at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They will compete with the nation's other regional finalists for scholarships ranging from $10,000 to a top prize of $100,000.

"I was really excited when I won, but I was also surprised because the projects that I was competing against were really strong," Byrnes told a writer for The Boston Globe. "This experience has taught me that I really enjoy doing research and theoretical math, and I hope to have a career where I can do theoretical research all the time and maybe teach, too."

Less than 3 percent of students who enter the competition earn invitations to Washington to compete as national finalists.

"These students are some of the most brilliant young people in America," said Albert Hoser, chairman and CEO of The Siemens Foundation, which awards more than $1 million annually in scholarships and grants through the Siemens Westinghouse Competition and other programs. "It is inspiring to see these extraordinary high-school students working at the highest levels in science, mathematics and technology at such an early age."

Paul Ohme, director of Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing, said it is an honor for Georgia Tech to host the regional finals of the Siemens Westinghouse Competition.

"It is vital that we encourage new generations to pursue science and math in school, and this competition is a wonderful way to do that," Ohme said.

During the Southern regional finals, Byrnes earned a $3,000 scholarship for his project, "Poset-Game Periodicity." Wan and Mesta shared a $3,000 award for their team project, "Investigation of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Candidate in Starburst Galaxy M82." Nine runners-up earned a bronze medal and a $1,000 scholarship each.

Byrnes' project analyzes a class of two-player games known as poset games. A poset, or partially ordered set, is a mathematical object satisfying a few simple properties, and any poset can be turned into a two-player game. Byrnes developed a new theorem, the Poset Game Periodicity Theorem, which concerns general poset games: That is, as a poset expands in two directions, periodic patterns emerge in the associated poset game not only in losing positions, but also in positions with any fixed g-value, or a general classification of game positions.

Using his theorem, Byrnes was further able to prove the following: He resolved two open conjectures about a specific poset game called Chomp; he proved several results about the computational complexity of calculating g-values in poset games; and he gave an efficient, or polynomial-time, winning strategy for a large class of poset games.

Games such as these are important to a growing field known as discreet mathematics and for their potential applications in a wide range of computer-network issues, such as the use of secure codes and reliable communications across "noisy channels."

"What impressed us most about Steven's project is that he has solved some problems that up until now professional mathematicians have not been able to solve," said Professor Thomas Morley, the lead mathematics judge at Georgia Tech. "This work is clearly top level. Steven could easily have earned a Ph.D. for this project, which is astonishing for a high-school student."

Morley went on to say that Byrnes' work also is worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed mathematics journal, which is a singular distinction shared by the world's top scientists and recognized experts in their fields.

Wan and Mesta earned their scholarship by presenting an astronomy project that supports the theory of the existence of space objects called intermediate-mass black holes. This relatively new class of objects is poorly understood. Their mass is between those of stellar black holes, which are produced by the death of a large star, and super-massive black holes, which can be found in the center of galaxies.

By combining infrared data with X-ray data, and by investigating the region of an intermediate-mass black hole candidate in a galaxy named M82, Wan and Mesta inferred the presence of an aged superstar cluster coincident to the black hole. Their proposed theory is that this aged superstar cluster fuels the intermediate-mass black hole.

"Although this team's work cannot prove conclusively that intermediate-mass black holes exist, it certainly bolsters current theories," said Academic Professional James Sowell, the astronomy judge at Georgia Tech. "Their findings are another step in understanding the evolution of galaxies."

Administered by the College Board and its partner, Educational Testing Service, the Siemens Westinghouse Competition has quickly earned wide respect from the academic community for its rigorous judging standards. Of the more than 1,100 students who entered the competition this year, fewer than 8 percent submitted projects deemed worthy of being selected as regional finalists.

Entries are judged at the regional and national levels by prominent scientists and faculty from six leading research universities, which also host the regional competitions: the Georgia Institute of Technology (South), Carnegie Mellon (Mid-States), the University of Notre Dame (Midwest), the University of California, Berkeley (West), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (New England), and the University of Texas at Austin (Southwest).

The New-Jersey based Siemens Foundation is dedicated to providing scholarships and increased access to higher education for students in science, mathematics and technology-related disciplines. Established in 1998 to promote and support educational activities, the Siemens Foundation recognizes and supports America's most promising science and mathematics students and teachers, plus schools that do the most to promote education in the core sciences.

Its mission is based on the culture of innovation, research and educational support that is the hallmark of Siemens' U.S. operating companies and its parent company, Siemens AG.

For more information on winners of this year's competitions, or for questions about this weekend's events, contact Marie Gentile with the Siemens Foundation, (732) 603-5886 or (212) 258-4246. You also can reach Gentile by e-mail, marie.gentile@sc.siemens.com .

Also contact Director Paul Ohme, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing, (404) 894-6179 or paul.ohme@ceismc.gatech.edu .

*Editor's Notes: Byrnes was moved from the Northeast regional competition held at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology because his father is a senior lecturer there. He went on to win top prize in the individual category and a $100,000 scholarship for his mathematics project in the national 2002 Siemens Westinghouse Competition. Wan and Mesta earned a $20,000 scholarship for their team entry in Washington, D.C.

"Teresa comes to Georgia Tech with impeccable police credentials," said Robert K. Thompson, senior vice president for Administration and Finance at Georgia Tech. "She brings considerable experience in higher education, rising from police officer to assistant director/chief of public safety during her 12 years at North Carolina State University and nine years as chief at East Carolina. We are delighted that she has agreed to join the Tech team in this extremely important position and look forward to working with her in creating an even safer, more secure campus environment."

"I am excited to take on the new challenge of leading Georgia Tech's growing Police Department," said Crocker. "The department's responsibility for campus security is growing as part of national homeland security efforts as well as the continued expansion of campus into the heart of Midtown Atlanta."

Crocker will be responsible for protecting the life and property of people on the Georgia Tech campus, which includes over 350 acres and approximately 200 academic, residential and recreational buildings -- more than 9 million square feet of functional building space. A city within a city, Georgia Tech has nearly 16,000 students and approximately 6,000 faculty and staff. During special events, the number of visitors to campus can exceed 50,000.

Crocker received a Master of Science degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from North Carolina Central University and received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Campbell University.

The chapter, which has 400 members, named the DuPree College of Management as the University of the Year and also named DuPree MBA student, Eduardo Neeter, the MBA Student of the Year.

The 2002 awards were announced on December 6 at the chapter's Third Annual Awards Fiesta, an annual event held to recognize organizations, professionals, and graduate students that promote and encompass the best values of the Latino community.

According to NSHMBA, the DuPree College of Management received the award for its commitment to promoting leadership, education, professional development, and community advocacy among Hispanic students, professionals, and the community. The College's MBA Career Services has supported the organization in cosponsoring, hosting, and advocating career-related events for Hispanic MBAs in the Atlanta area for the past several years.

Accepting the award for the College, Dean Terry C. Blum said, "We are proud of our relationship with NSHMBA and are honored to receive this award as University of the Year. We value diversity at Georgia Tech, and our Hispanic MBA students bring a valuable perspective to the program."

DuPree MBA student Eduardo Neeter was chosen Student of the Year for his outstanding educational achievements, contributions, and leadership in the Hispanic community.

"I am extremely honored to receive this award," said Neeter. "As the vice president of the MBA class of 2003 at Georgia Tech, my consistent goal has been to contribute to the Hispanic as well as the overall business student community in Atlanta. I am proud to belong to an organization that fosters Hispanic leadership in the business environment."

The organization also awarded Delta Air Lines the Corporation of the Year award and Maria Guerra-Stoll of GSB Architects as the Professional of the Year Award.

Proceeds from the Awards Fiesta are for the NSHMBA Scholarship Fund. NSHMBA was created in 1988 to "foster Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development in order to improve society."

Atlanta-based Lancope, a member of Georgia Tech's ATDC business incubator, will work with the National Security Agency (NSA) and joint Department of Defense research teams to develop "Therminator" - a system for both government and private deployment to detect incoming and outgoing network attacks and sophisticated denial of service attacks in real-time.

Therminator will integrate the high-speed data flow architecture of Lancope's behavior-based intrusion detection system StealthWatch with NSA's complex data reduction and data visualization technology.

"Therminator will identify sophisticated cyber-war attacks that are launched by renegade or terrorist organizations that cannot be detected using traditional signature-based intrusion detection systems," said Copeland, chair and chief scientist with Lancope, and the technology transfer chair at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech.

Named "Project Therminator," the plan is expected to produce a graphical representation of network traffic that allows information security specialists and network administrators to provide more proactive protection of data. The StealthWatch technology combats hacking exploits and corporate network misuse on enterprise networks by using techniques that show the paths they took by listing equipment used to access networks. It operates at giga-speeds, and provides intelligent alarming, advanced network surveillance and forensic data on network activity.

U.S. Army Major General Dave Bryan, the Commanding Officer of the Joint Task Force for Computer Network Operations, is part of the government team working with Lancope. He said: "We must carefully script our systems to look for the unexpected because they are going to camouflage their malicious activity as otherwise normal activity. Therminator is one very promising approach to this challenge."

Lancope's StealthWatch recently received the Innovation In Infrastructure Award (i3) in the security category from the editors of eWeek Magazine and PC Magazine at Spring NetWorld+Interop 2002 and was named "Most Impressive" by eWeek in 2001.

Copeland holds the John H. Weitnauer, Jr., Technology Transfer Chair at Georgia Tech and is responsible for developing programs to accelerate the transfer of campus-developed technology into areas that benefit the economy. He teaches senior and graduate courses on computerarchitecture, operating systems, and networks, and advises a number of Ph.D. candidate students.

Ackerman began his communications career in 1964 and has served in numerous capacities with BellSouth. He was named president and chief executive officer of BellSouth Telecommunications, BellSouth's local telephone service unit and largest subsidiary, in November 1992. On January 1, 1995, he was promoted to vice chairman and chief operating officer of the parent company, BellSouth Corporation. Ackerman was elevated to the position of president and chief executive officer of BellSouth on January 1, 1997. A year later, he was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the company.

Ackerman also is a member of the boards of Wachovia Corporation and The Allstate Corporation. His civic commitments include immediate past chair of the Georgia Research Alliance and membership on the board of the Woodruff Arts Center. He is the chairman of the National Council on Competitiveness, vice chairman of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, a trustee of Rollins College, and a former member of the board of governors for the Society of Sloan Fellows of MIT.

BellSouth is a Fortune 100 company serving nearly 44 million customers in the United States and 14 other countries. BellSouth's operating telephone company serves local residential and business customers in nine southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In the residential market, the company offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also provides a full array of broadband data and e-commerce solutions to business customers, including Web hosting and other Internet services.