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RESEARCH NOTES
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
Mike Sinclair (standing left) and
Georgia Gov. Zell Miller observe a guest examining an eye surgery
simulator during the GCATT Open House. Sinclair is director of Georgia
Tech's Interactive Multimedia Technology Center.
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The Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology (GCATT) recently began work in a new building that will support the development of new technologies, applications and high tech companies in the information industry.
Formed in 1991, GCATT is a center at Georgia Tech and a division of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), an economic development partnership of state government, universities and industry. GCATT fosters the growth of Georgia's information industry through collaborative programs in research, education, healthcare and public policy.
Projects supported by GCATT include:
constructing a high-speed network testbed
for technology and applications research.
highlighting Georgia K-12 teachers who
are successfully integrating technology into their classrooms through
the program "Search for Innovative Teachers -- Teaching with Technology."
working with the Centers for Disease
Control to build a statewide Information Network for rapid dissemination
of healthcare data.
hosting symposia on public policy issues
that affect the growth of the information industry.
The building houses collaborative projects among leading information industry companies and the GRA universities. GRA scholars, synergistic laboratories for research in areas such as multimedia, distance learning, telemedicine and virtual reality, as well as exhibit space are all located inside the building. The GCATT building also is the product of Gov. Zell Miller's vision for Georgia to become the world center for telecommunications technology.
Universities participating in GCATT and the GRA are: Clark Atlanta University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia. Contributors to GCATT and to the GCATT building are: AT&T, Bay Networks, BellSouth, Cisco Systems, Cox Enterprises, DENON, Equifax, Georgia Power Foundation, Georgia Tech Foundation, Hitachi, Lucent Technologies, Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Scientific-Atlanta, The State of Georgia, Turner Broadcasting System, Turner Entertainment Networks and VSI Enterprises.
Further information is available from Steven Spell, GCATT,
250 14th Street, N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318. (Telephone: 404/894-9211) (Fax: 404/894-1445)
PHOTO BY BOB CASANOVA
The Aerospace and Transportation Laboratory participated in the
FAA-sponsored "Operation Helistar," which explored helicopter operations
in Atlanta during the Centennial Olympic Games.
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GTRI has changed the names of two research groups to reflect their growth. The Arlington Research Group (ARG) is now the Arlington Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Aerospace Sciences Laboratory has been renamed the Aerospace and Transportation Laboratory (AERO).
The Arlington Lab provides test and evaluation support to U.S. Air Force Headquarters. Arlington's research has grown significantly since it split away from its parent unit, the Electronic Systems Laboratory, about a year ago. The Arlington Lab director is Ed Eagar.
Since 1992, GTRI's Aerospace Sciences Lab has moved from a sponsor base of more than 60 percent Department of Defense research to today's majority of advanced transportation research. This growth, which is acknowledged in the name change, came about through director Bob Cassanova's leadership of a multi-lab initiative to increase sponsored advanced transportation research. The initiative also contributed to the expected establishment of the interdisciplinary Georgia Transportation Institute at Georgia Tech.
Further information about the Arlington Lab is available from Ed Eagar, Arlington Research Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, 1700 North Moore Street, Suite 1910, Arlington, VA 22209. (Telephone: 703/528-0883) (E-mail: ed.eagar@gtri.gatech.edu)
Further information about the Aerospace and Transportation Laboratory is available from Dr. Bob Cassanova, Aerospace and Transportation Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0844. (Telephone: 770/528-7826) (E-mail: bob.cassanova@gtri.gatech.edu)
Suspect SpeechDigital analysis of an individual's speech patterns could lead to an intoxication testSlurred speech is often a sure sign that someone's been drinking. Now, a Georgia Tech researcher is working with colleagues from Indiana University to digitally quantify this telltale sign, which could lead to a simple, non-invasive way to test a person's sobriety. "This is basically an effect of fine motor control," says Dr. Kathleen Cummings, an instructor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "We're looking at specifically what happens during speech production at your vocal cords, how steadily you can produce the excitation going through your vocal cords." Preliminary results show that intoxicated speech is marked by jumpy changes in pitch and energy production and unsteady opening and closing of the vocal cords. Much work is left to be done, but Cummings says translating her research into a practical public safety device could be relatively easy. Law enforcement officials could record someone's speech at an accident or traffic stop, then analyze it later by computer against a sample taken at a different time. Or, devices could be placed on motor vehicles, aircraft or assembly lines that would test a person's speech against previously recorded and digitized samples. If the test showed that the person was intoxicated, access would be denied. Although researchers plan to let others sort out legal issues, they will compare their results against other factors that alter the way a person speaks, such as colds, diseases, injuries or speech impediments. Regardless of how the research is used, Cummings and her colleagues hope their work adds to the basic knowledge and understanding of how speech is produced. The project is sponsored by the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. Further information is available from Dr. Kathleen Cummings, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0250. (Telephone: 404/894-3335) (E-mail: kate@ee.gatech.edu) |
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PHOTO BY STANLEY LEARY
Aerospace engineers conduct
modeling and simulation research in this flight simulator.
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Modeling and simulation technology is making fundamental and widespread contributions to the economic, as well as military, strength of the United States.
Areas in which Georgia Tech offers expertise include:
Scientific modeling: Scientists and
engineers at Georgia Tech make sense of the physical world by simulating
basic physical processes.
Education and training: The EduTech
Institute at Georgia Tech sponsors several programs in exploratory
simulations to improve learning effectiveness. Multimedia in
Manufacturing Education is a highly visible program that develops
manufacturing-related interactive courseware and provides the
infrastructure and resources necessary to enhance manufacturing
education in the classroom and on the job.
Graphics and visualization: Georgia Tech
houses the Graphics, Visualization and Usability (GVU) Center, where
research spans realistic imagery, algorithm animation, medical imaging,
scientific data visualization, adaptive user interfaces, human-computer
interaction and virtual environments.
Information systems: Computer scientists on
campus have produced useful models and simulation tools for the medical
arena, human-machine interaction and traffic management systems. They
offer guidance in computer networking and battery technology.
Military applications: Tech researchers
have developed a wide variety of military application models and
simulations, ranging from numerical simulation of basic phenomenology to
support for the Defense Modeling and Simulation Office's (DMSO) High
Level Architecture (HLA) framework, which makes the interoperability of
all types of military models and simulations possible.
Modeling, Simulation and Gaming (MSG) of
Warfare Short Course: This course provides a forum for the military,
industry and academia to discuss and experience the various technologies
currently available to the analytical, training community.
Further information and a brochure about modeling and
simulation research at Georgia Tech are available from the Modeling and
Simulation Initiative Focus Group, Georgia Tech Research Institute,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0832. (Telephone:
404/894-3523) (Fax: 404/894-9081)
PHOTO BY GARY MEEK
Dr. Wayne Tincher works with
graduate students exploring new systems for textile coloration.
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A Georgia Tech professor in the School of Textile and Fiber Engineering has received the highest honor presented in textile chemistry in the United States.
Dr. Wayne C. Tincher was honored with the 1996 Olney Medal by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. He is the first Georgia Tech faculty member selected for the award in the program's 51- year existence.
Presented yearly, the Olney Medal recognizes "outstanding achievement in textile or polymer chemistry or other fields of chemistry of major importance to textile science."
Tincher's research areas include manufacturing technology for carpets and apparel, particularly in dyeing, finishing and color measurement. He currently is conducting research on new systems for textile coloration that are consistent with demand-activated manufacturing.
A Georgia Tech faculty member since 1971, Tincher has served as research director for the Apparel Manufacturing Technology Center, is the Institute's research director for the National Textile Center program and teaches classes regularly.
-- "Notes" compiled by Amanda Crowell, Amy Fraser, Margaret Horst, Lisa Mullikin, Lisa Sills
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Dr. Jude Sommerfeld, a professor in the School of Chemical
Engineering, was named a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers.