Message from the Director
Welcome to the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) 2024 Annual Report. This year, GTRI celebrated 90 years of advancing research and innovation. From our humble beginnings as the Engineering Experiment Station (EES) during the Great Depression to becoming a nearly $1 billion entity, we continue to pursue our vision: Our people are the foremost innovators creating a secure nation, a prosperous Georgia, and a flourishing world. For nine decades, GTRI has led the way in fielding innovations ranging from our earliest days researching the aerodynamics of rotary wing aircraft to present day researching DNA for low power, high-capacity memory. As we look forward to the next 90 years, we are excited to leverage the unprecedented combined innovative power of GTRI and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) to impact the state of Georgia, the nation and the world. Thank you for your continued support!
FY24 was a year of strong growth and continued progress. GTRI’s dedicated workforce of more than 3,000 staff, research faculty and students completed over $919 million of impactful research and development fulfilling GTRI’s mission to enhance Georgia’s economic development, secure our nation, improve the human condition and educate future technology leaders. In this Annual Report you will find a small sample of our impact across these mission areas.
As the applied research unit of Georgia Tech and a Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Center, GTRI remains uniquely positioned to leverage the creativity of the whole of Georgia Tech as we adapt to the future challenges our sponsors and the world need us to solve. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We look forward to working with you to solve even greater challenges in FY25 and beyond.
James J. Hudgens
Senior Vice President, Georgia Tech
Director, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Celebrating 90 years, GTRI Continues Advancing Research Excellence to Solve Customers’ Toughest Challenges
Ninety years since its founding, GTRI has stayed true to its core mission of combining science and engineering to create practical solutions for government and industry.
Established in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station (EES), GTRI has grown to over 3,000 employees supporting eight laboratories in multiple locations around the country. GTRI recently held an event at its Atlanta headquarters to commemorate this historic milestone, where over 300 attendees gathered, including University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, and former GTRI directors Edward Reedy and Stephen Cross.
Central to the event was a presentation on GTRI’s top nine iconic technical achievements that were ordered by decade of GTRI’s existence. Among those innovations were advancements in millimeter wave technology in the 1950s, where EES built the first military-designated millimeter wave radar that set the foundation for increasingly capable systems in subsequent decades. Millimeter waves utilize high-frequency radio waves for precise object detection, speed measurement, and distance determination.
In the late 1960s, EES researcher Richard C. Johnson developed the compact range, a technology using a parabolic reflector to simulate long-distance radar waves within limited spaces. This innovation enabled accurate indoor target measurements and became widely adopted. In 1989, GTRI advanced this technology by building the world’s largest outdoor compact range at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, for the U.S. Army.
In the 1990s, GTRI developed the FalconView® mapping system for the U.S. Department of Defense. Now used by the military, various federal agencies, and allied countries, FalconView® serves as the mapping interface for mission planning software, helping warfighters navigate and avoid threats.
About a decade ago, GTRI developed the Angry Kitten® system, which utilizes advanced sensing techniques to counter rapidly evolving electronic warfare threats. Several versions of the Angry Kitten® technology are utilized across the Department of Defense. Most recently, GTRI has helped develop a technique for using synthetic DNA to provide high-density 3D archival data storage at ultra-low cost.
Today, GTRI remains committed to advancing technology across various fields, from defense and homeland security to public health, agricultural technology and education. Its multidisciplinary approach and close partnership with Georgia Tech drive innovation, shaping the future of technology and preparing emerging leaders to tackle the nation’s evolving needs.
Weather Radar Supports Research and Education, Helps Fill Coverage Gaps
Collaboration among three Georgia institutions of higher education – Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia – on the operation of a new weather radar system will enhance student learning, provide new opportunities for research, and help improve weather coverage in north Georgia.
GTRI Developing AI-Powered Disaster Management Hub for Southwest Georgia
GTRI is developing an artificial intelligence response hub for Southwest Georgia to improve disaster management and logistics, enhancing community resilience and response efficiency to save lives and reduce economic losses. The project is a collaboration with the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission (SWGRC).
Mold Conditions Awareness Tool (MCAT) Could Protect Soldier Barracks
Ingenuity from a group of soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart – and help from GTRI engineers – has produced a possible solution for an issue affects personnel at multiple U.S. Army facilities located in areas with high humidity and temperatures. The Mold Conditions Awareness Tool (MCAT) is now undergoing large-scale testing in a barracks building.
GTRI, Georgia Tech Use Quantum Computing to Optimize CFD Applications
GTRI and Georgia Tech researchers are developing an application of quantum computing to solve proof-of-principle problems in computational fluid dynamics that could streamline efficiencies and reduce costs in aircraft design, weather prediction, nuclear weapons testing and more.
Identifying What’s ‘Not Normal’ Could Help Protect Electric Power Systems
By developing a deep and comprehensive understanding of what constitutes “normal” operations inside electric power systems, cybersecurity researchers at GTRI and the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering hope to identify “abnormal” and “illogical” control system commands that may indicate the presence of insider threats – or malicious attackers.
GTRI Combines Physics and Machine Learning to Enhance Satellite Operations Analysis
Machine learning (ML) has strong potential for predicting how satellites spin, which could ultimately prevent collisions in space. However, the complexity of data inputs in these algorithms can make their predictions unreliable and difficult to interpret. GTRI researchers are developing a physics-informed ML approach that could help address this challenge.
Center Helps Protect Medical Devices from Electromagnetic Interference
Implantable and wearable medical devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and glucose monitors are increasingly being used to improve human health. GTRI’s Medical Device Test Center helps protect these devices from electromagnetic interference generated by such equipment as inventory control systems, security and logistical systems, RFID systems – and even other medical devices.
Knowledge-Driven Robot Could Handle Maintenance on Space Missions
While the crew is away from a space station orbiting near Mars, a critical battery panel module begins to show signs of failure. With no humans available to install a spare module, the issue could begin to affect systems in the outpost. A knowledge-driven robotics (KDR) system under development at GTRI could be integrated with the outpost’s diagnostic and maintenance systems to address such scenarios.
Addressing Individual Trapped Ions to Enable Quantum Simulations
By unlocking the ability to control and read the states of ions in a tiny spinning crystal, GTRI scientists have set the stage for a new way of performing analog quantum simulations that could offer insights into the complexities of many-body physics.
NSA and GTRI Collaborate to Assure Trustworthiness of AI for National Security Uses
Artificial intelligence, particularly applications in machine learning, is attracting attention for uses in a broad range of areas – including national security – where the ability to understand complex patterns could be extremely helpful. GTRI researchers are collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) to develop metrics, tools and techniques to improve AI for such high-stakes applications.
Sensor Modernization for MQ-9 Reaper Adopts Open Systems Technology
Modernization efforts utilizing the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) standard have enabled the rapid development and prototyping of upgrades for critical systems on the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely-piloted aircraft. The enhancements were implemented in prototype systems GTRI delivered to the U.S. Air Force.
PVI Trainer Enhances EW System Training for Mobility Aircrews
A new training system that can run on ordinary tablet computers is enhancing existing electronic warfare (EW) instruction for the crews of U.S. air mobility aircraft. Known as the Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) Trainer, the simulation system developed by GTRI complements training missions in real aircraft and improves access to on-the-ground training.
ABE Simulates Threats to Help Train U.S. Army Helicopter Pilots and Crews
A virtual training environment developed for aircrews of U.S. Army rotorcraft has been deployed to training ranges in the U.S. and Europe to help familiarize warfighters with the threats they may encounter – and help them practice tactics, techniques, and procedures. GTRI researchers developed the program for the Project Management Office for Aircraft Survivability Equipment.
GTRI Supports Development of Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)
The U.S. Army is moving its air and missile defense assets to a new fire control network that will allow sensors such as radars and a variety of defensive and offensive weapons anywhere on the network to be fully integrated. GTRI has supported development of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), which was approved for full rate production in April 2023.
Photographic Sequences Show Effects of Space Exposure on New Materials
Newly gathered long-term image sequences of materials exposed to space conditions on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) could help the designers of future spacecraft know what to expect from a new generation of advanced materials. Led by GTRI researchers, the study’s results will help validate ground-based testing of the materials.
Debt-Free Degrees: How GTRI’s Tuition Assistance Program Supports Employee Education
GTRI offers a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) that enables employees to pursue debt-free degrees by covering tuition and fees for eligible staff enrolled at University System of Georgia (USG) institutions. In 2023, there were 155 GTRI employees who participated in TAP.
STEM Reaches Beyond the Classroom
GTRI’s K-12 outreach program STEM@GTRI hosted 71 high school students from 12 Georgia school districts for its 2024 summer internship program. Students gained real-world STEM experience, working on projects ranging from developing AI solutions to enhance GTRI operations, applying robotics to poultry processing, and collecting and analyzing data on Atlanta traffic patterns.
New GTRI-PE Courses Equip Leaders for Emerging Challenges
GTRI’s Professional Education Program (GTRI-PE), in partnership with Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), has launched a new certificate in Autonomous Intelligent Systems (AIS). The introductory course offers a comprehensive overview of autonomous systems, including foundational topics in robotics and machine learning, preparing students to design, implement, and manage AIS.
Rural Computer Science Initiative Expands
The Rural Computer Science Initiative, designed by GTRI’s K-12 outreach program STEM@GTRI and Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC), has expanded to 40 Georgia school districts and 4,400 student participants since its launch in 2022.
The program connects Georgia Tech faculty and students with rural schools to co-teach interactive modules on topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and robotics while helping local teachers develop the necessary skills to ultimately teach these subjects independently. Each module is two weeks in duration and is taught virtually by Georgia Tech in collaboration with the teacher in the classroom. At the end of the module, students complete a project aimed at using the technologies they learned about to address a real-life challenge facing their communities. Tech faculty and students then provide feedback on their projects.
The program is helping shape Georgia’s future workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving technology landscape. The program is supported with funding from the State of Georgia.
GTRI: The Year in Video 2024
Protecting Soldier Barracks from Mold
Ingenuity from a group of soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart – and help from GTRI engineers – has produced a possible solution for an issue affects personnel at multiple U.S. Army facilities located in areas with high humidity and temperatures. The Mold Conditions Awareness Tool (MCAT) is now undergoing large-scale testing in a barracks building.
Weather Radar Supports Research and Education, Helps Fill Coverage Gaps
Collaboration among three Georgia institutions of higher education on a new weather radar system will enhance student learning, provide new opportunities for research, and help improve severe weather coverage in north Georgia. The X-band weather radar is now providing data for a section of north Georgia where information on severe storms such as tornados can be limited.
Georgia Tech Research Institute's Top 9 Technical Achievements
For GTRI’s 90th Anniversary celebration, the most impactful innovations produced during each decade of the organization’s history were identified. A team reviewed historical records and consulted with researchers and senior leadership to compile a long list of candidate innovations. The nine most impactful developments were chosen from that list and described in this video.
Tribute to Richard Truly
At the 90th Anniversary celebration, GTRI honored the life and legacy of Richard Truly, a pioneer in space exploration and technology and GTRI’s director in the 1990s. From piloting NASA's second Space Shuttle mission to leading the shuttle program's revival after the Challenger disaster, Truly's contributions were immense.
Tribute to Abit Massey
GTRI’s impact wouldn’t have been possible without the vital partnerships it has built over the years. One of its most influential partners was the Georgia Poultry Federation, led by Abit Massey, who passed away on June 14, 2024, at 96. Massey played a key role in establishing GTRI’s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP).
Protecting Medical Devices from Electromagnetic Interference
Implantable and wearable medical devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and glucose monitors are increasingly being used to improve human health. GTRI’s Medical Device Test Center helps protect these devices from electromagnetic interference generated by such equipment as inventory control systems, security and logistical systems, RFID systems – and even other medical devices.
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 3,000 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $919 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.
