Four students from the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) have been selected for the 2021 Warren Batts and Austin Brown Innovation Awards. They are Benjamin Bogard, Gregory Lanier, Stephen Fazio, and Madeline Wilson.

Presented by the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program, these scholarship awards recognize students who experience academic and professional growth through VIP and who substantially contribute to their VIP project teams.

Bogard is a senior electrical engineering major and is on the Lightning at the Edge of Space team. This research team builds high-altitude balloons equipped with sensors to study lightning, solar eclipses, and other upper atmospheric phenomena. 

Lanier is a senior ECE major and is on the Stadium IoPT team. This research team is creating an Internet of People and Things (IoPT) within Bobby Dodd Stadium to enhance the game-day experiences and safety of 55,000 Georgia Tech football fans. 

Fazio is a junior electrical engineering major and is on the GTRI Agricultural Robotics team. This research team aims to leverage recent advances in robotics to improve agricultural processes such as crop inspection and harvesting on specialty farms.

Wilson is a senior computer engineering major and is on the Engineering for Social Innovation team. This research team uses engineering design and development skills for solving social problems and meeting social needs. Ongoing projects are selected from corporate and non-profit organizations.  

In the VIP Program, teams of undergraduate students – from various years, disciplines, and backgrounds – work with faculty and graduate students in their areas of research, scholarship, and exploration. Undergraduate students earn academic credit for their work and have direct experience with the innovation process, while faculty and graduate students benefit from the extended efforts of their teams. As of spring 2021, 84 teams were part of the VIP Program.

Students are invited to apply for the Warren Batts and Austin Brown Scholarships that will be awarded in Spring 2022. For more information, please visit the VIP website at https://www.vip.gatech.edu/. VIP is also on social media at Twitter at https://twitter.com/VIPatGaTech, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VIPGaTech, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgiatech-vip/.

Pictured clockwise from upper left in the photo grid: Benjamin Bogard, Gregory Lanier, Madeline Wilson, and Stephan Fazio.