{"70853":{"#nid":"70853","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Savannah Focuses on Educational and Sensing Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDavid Frost wants to change the perception that Georgia Tech only means Atlanta. He believes Georgia Tech\u0027s Savannah campus, located on a 46-acre tract of land off Interstate-95, is uniquely positioned to act as a catalyst for changing education, research and service in coastal Georgia and the southeastern United States. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Georgia Tech Savannah students go through the same degree program as the Atlanta students, but they get a little something extra,\u0022 says Frost, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, director of Georgia Tech Savannah and a Georgia Tech vice provost. \u0022With the distributed environment utilized for part of their academic engineering program, students are not bound by classroom walls or campus fences, but are very comfortable using technology to connect and interact. A large number of employers have commented that they like this in our graduates.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond their teaching responsibilities, each of Georgia Tech Savannah\u0027s 25 faculty members is conducting several research projects, ranging from hurricanes, tsunamis and beach erosion to development of technologies and logistics for port operations and distance learning. Frost notes that a growing number of research projects are being facilitated by Savannah-based industries such as Gulfstream and JCB, another benefit of being a coastal Georgia campus. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We have ties back to the main campus in Atlanta and are able to easily access resources, but our geographic location is a unique asset that allows our students and faculty to complement the programs and activities in Atlanta,\u0022 he says. \u0022By working together, we can move the Institute forward and make a greater impact in this state and beyond.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat follows is a small sampling of the research being conducted at Georgia Tech Savannah. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeveloping Educational Technologies that Enhance Student Experiences \u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMonson Hayes, professor and associate chair for electrical and computer engineering programs at Georgia Tech Savannah, says it was the inherent challenges of the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program that led him and his colleagues to explore how to enhance students\u0027 distance learning classroom experiences. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Oftentimes, faculty here will be teaching students that are distributed on other campuses. Delivering audio and video of lectures over the Internet can sometimes lead to lower quality, and traditional distance learning students can feel a bit detached,\u0022 he notes. \u0022That\u0027s what we want to change at Georgia Tech Savannah.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen Hewlett-Packard (HP) issued a call for proposals to explore how tablet PCs might be used in the classroom, Hayes and Elliot Moore, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, proposed using the PCs to get high-quality video of distance learning lectures to the students. They were awarded funding to jump-start their research project and HP also donated 22 tablet PCs. Due to the success of the program and the novelty of their idea, Microsoft provided additional funding the following year.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETablet PCs allow users to incorporate aspects of pen and paper into computing via a stylus pen or wireless keyboard. Information such as handwritten class notes or annotated electronic documents can be stored digitally and accessed wirelessly. The portability of the tablet PCs also allows professors to lead classroom discussions even if they are away from campus. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHayes and Moore began using software called DyKnow, which uses intuitive tools to enhance teaching strategies and engage students. The software allows instructors to turn over control of the classroom to any student, broadcasting material from the students\u0027 tablet PC to everyone else. Students can be engaged - from a distance - to solve problems, take quizzes and answer questions or polls. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Tablet PCs could probably be used in just about any STEM discipline - science, technology, engineering, mathematics,\u0022 Hayes says. \u0022They definitely involve a different teaching style and philosophy.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGhassan AlRegib, an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, is also researching educational technologies that project distant classrooms into a \u0027cyber classroom\u0027 that is accessible by instructors and students. Examining multimedia and immersive communications, he is collaborating with colleagues at several institutes and corporations to develop networking and streaming algorithms for sending multimedia objects over the Internet, in particular video and 3-D environments that require large bandwidth. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I come from a multimedia processing and communications background, and there\u0027s something called immersive communication where you can immerse people - students, teachers, business people, CEOs - in this virtual world,\u0022 AlRegib says. \u0022I want to know how we can use multi-camera arrays to capture the real environment.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe multi-camera array, provided by HP, consists of 24 small cameras aimed at a wall that is 32 feet long and eight feet high. The software developed by HP stitches all of the images together, allowing for high resolution in real time. For example, students in a remote classroom are able to zoom in and out to focus on writing on a whiteboard, and professors can see the facial expressions of students, making the experience as close to the traditional classroom as possible. The camera is currently operational in an experimental classroom at Georgia Tech Savannah where AlRegib\u0027s research group is conducting research and developing educational tools that utilize the camera. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The high resolution of the camera and the scenes being stitched together at the pixel level in real time are unique to this camera and make it cutting edge,\u0022 AlRegib notes. \u0022My prediction is that this will be the future of imaging in educational environments.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlRegib is also conducting research in collaborative virtual environments, a technology he and his colleagues developed for use in science teaching and 3-D manuals, among others. The transmission algorithms - which allow for a networking of multiple virtual environments - dictate when and in what state information is to be transmitted across the network. When multiple virtual environments are networked, users have the opportunity to cooperate or compete with other users. Interacting with humans more realistically models the actual world on which the virtual environment is based.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022All of this fits into communication - the camera captures the visual and the collaborative system captures the motion,\u0022 he says. \u0022Both capture the real environment and map it into a virtual environment so people can meet, interact and work together in a natural way. The applications are really endless.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EApplying Sensing Technologies to Real-World Problems\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJames Tsai, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech Savannah, probably knows more about Georgia\u0027s 18,000 miles of highways than just about anybody else. For more than 10 years, he has been working with the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement a pavement preservation and management system - Georgia Pavement Management System - based on information technology and geographic information systems (GIS). \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The focus of my research is pavement distress, preservation and management,\u0022 he says. \u0022Departments of transportation typically spend more than half of their total annual budgets on infrastructure, especially pavements. Applying the right pavement treatment method in the right location at the right time means saving money, so the economic impact of my research is potentially large.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETsai works with a 10-member, multi-disciplinary Georgia Tech research team on pavement condition assessment, pavement rehabilitation technology, deterioration and forecasting models, long-term system performance simulation, and resource optimization. For local transportation agencies, Tsai and his team have developed and implemented an integrated asset-management system that uses global positioning system technology. They are extending their research to manage other assets, including traffic signs, bridges and railroads. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of Tsai\u0027s research, sponsored by the Innovation Deserving Exploratory Analysis Program of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, has involved the development of an intelligent sensing system and vehicle to automatically collect roadway asset and pavement distress information. Tsai and his team developed innovative image-processing technology using cameras and lasers to measure pavement quality, roadway signs, number of lanes, pavement width and shoulder width. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022By using sensing technologies, including lasers and cameras mounted on a van, we can take photographs every 20 feet and obtain laser data to automatically collect information on signs and pavement distress,\u0022 Tsai says. \u0022We have developed algorithms to analyze pavement distress and to build a forecasting and optimization model. This sensing technology provides us the most comprehensive and accurate information.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year will mark the tenth anniversary of the implementation of Tsai\u0027s Computerized Pavement Condition Evaluation System (COPACES), a program used by Georgia DOT to evaluate its highway system. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhereas Tsai is using sensing technologies to examine surfaces, David Frost, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Savannah campus, is using them to go below the surface. He has improved traditional penetrometers - instrumented cylindrical devices made of hardened steel - used to record friction resistance and pore pressure in soils. They are also used to evaluate soil types and predict where soil will liquefy, to determine how foundations of buildings will behave and to study the characteristics of natural and man-made geo-materials under earthquake and other dynamic loading conditions. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022When we first began this research in 1996, we were studying how to quantify the roughness or smoothness of these man-made materials \u0027 called geo-membranes \u0027 that are often used in landfill liner systems,\u0022 he recalls. \u0022This earlier research sparked an idea to build something that would allow us to produce a number that quantitatively relates the device texture to soil behavior. Through the insight we\u0027ve gained, we can now tell you how much texture and what type of texture will work best for a particular application.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe original cone penetrometer - considered the standard for more than 50 years by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) - was designed to have a smooth surface. Frost and his colleagues modified the device to include multiple sleeves of different roughness that would yield different measurements. The National Science Foundation funded work on the multi-friction penetrometer, and ASTM recognized Frost and his student with its 2003 International Hogentogler Award, an annual award given to the authors of a paper of outstanding merit on soil and rock for engineering purposes. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This new device gave us the potential to measure multiple values of force with a single device in a single sounding,\u0022 says Frost. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFrost has since developed a multi-piezo friction penetrometer, which is able to measure not only force, but also water pressure. Each textured sleeve is associated with a piezo sensor so friction force and water pressure can be measured independently. The device is especially useful when studying earthquakes. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFrost, who most recently traveled to China as part of a U.S. delegation to meet with Chinese government officials and study the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province, is currently exploring how to miniaturize the technology for investigating the characteristics of soil on the moon. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Because of plans to perhaps build permanent bases on the moon and on Mars, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun investigating soil,\u0022 he says. \u0022Our devices, which have been patented by Georgia Tech, represent a dramatically different approach to what technology was available and used when previous lunar explorations occurred in the late \u002760s and early \u002770s.\u0022\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cstrong\u003EImagining Georgia Tech\u0027s Coastal Future\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFrost is passionate about moving the Savannah campus forward by leveraging local assets and opportunities as part of a network of campuses and programs that educates the leaders of a technology-driven world. According to Frost, this will be achieved in part by continuing to develop educational programs, conducting basic and applied interdisciplinary research, stimulating regional economic development, developing an interdisciplinary academic environment, expanding access to an engineering-centered education, and growing a modern campus. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPlanning metrics call for 500 students to be enrolled at the Savannah campus by 2012, with more than half participating in an out-of-classroom experience like the cooperative education program or an international program. In the same time, faculty research expenditures will increase, a graduate-student-to-faculty ratio of four to one will be achieved, and at least two dual degree programs with partner institutions will be offered. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This all comes back to technology,\u0022 Frost says. \u0022Technology is the enabler that allows us to achieve our vision. Innovative education has no boundaries.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Savannah in a Snapshot \u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EApproximately 160 students are enrolled at Georgia Tech Savannah - 132 undergraduates and 32 master\u0027s and doctoral students. Degrees are available in civil, computer, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering. The first undergraduate degrees were awarded in fall 2001, and since then, nearly 275 students have graduated from the Savannah campus. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere is also a strong transfer program as part of the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program (GTREP), a formal academic collaboration between Georgia Tech and three partner institutions: Armstrong Atlantic State University and Savannah State University in Savannah, and Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga. Students are taught by Savannah-based faculty complemented by distance instruction from other Georgia Tech campuses. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, students have access to world-renowned researchers in a wide variety of disciplines and expertise. There are 16 instructional labs in areas such as automation and robotics, digital education, electronic circuits and instrumentation, hydromechanics and systems and controls, and 18 research centers and laboratories. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAcademics are not the only focus of Georgia Tech Savannah; outreach is also an integral part of the campus. The Savannah office of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) - Georgia Tech\u0027s nationally recognized science and technology incubator - assists new ventures arising from Savannah\u0027s diverse technology community that includes educational institutions such as the Savannah College of Art and Design, established companies and a growing community of startups. Currently, there are six ATDC member companies in Savannah. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Savannah campus is also home to a regional office of Georgia Tech\u0027s Enterprise Innovation Institute, an organization that helps companies, entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThis article was originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of Research Horizons, Georgia Tech\u0027s research magazine.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308  USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Nancy Fullbright (404-894-2214); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:nancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Enancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: David Frost (912-966-7948); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:david.frost@ce.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edavid.frost@ce.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Nancy Fullbright\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coastal Campus Provides Education, Research and Service"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"David Frost wants to change the idea  that Georgia Tech only means Atlanta. He believes Georgia Tech\u0027s Savannah campus is uniquely positioned to act as a catalyst for changing education, research and service.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Savannah campus is emerging as a research leader"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2008-10-30 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:19","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2008-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70854":{"id":"70854","type":"image","title":"Savannah campus","body":null,"created":"1449177328","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:28","changed":"1475894623","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:43"},"70855":{"id":"70855","type":"image","title":"David Frost","body":null,"created":"1449177328","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:28","changed":"1475894623","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:43"},"70856":{"id":"70856","type":"image","title":"Elliot Moore","body":null,"created":"1449177328","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:28","changed":"1475894623","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:43"}},"media_ids":["70854","70855","70856"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtsav.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Savannah"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"143","name":"Digital Media and Entertainment"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7143","name":"coastal"},{"id":"1432","name":"education"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"167277","name":"Savannah"},{"id":"169638","name":"sensing"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}