Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock visited Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)’s Cobb County Research Facility on Wednesday, June 30. His stop at GTRI was part of his statewide tour focused on Georgia’s resources around infrastructure, defense, and research. 

GTRI Director Jim Hudgens kicked off the visit with an overview of GTRI and laid out of some of its state- focused initiatives including agricultural advancements, product development with industry partners, cybersecurity advancements, and job creation. Warnock was also able to get a firsthand look at GTRI’s research during a tour of the labs, and Hudgens also highlighted Tech’s work with the military and the intelligence communities.

“I was so glad to help secure support in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to make sure we're investing in our nation's research institutions like Georgia Tech, so we can continue innovating the solutions that our military needs to keep our national defense strong and protect our service members,” said Warnock. 

Sen. Warnock was also able to see the direct impact of GTRI research in a video highlighting a chicken-deboning robot, which has been designed to vastly improve efficiency at Georgia poultry factories. The innovation has the potential to save the poultry industry millions of dollars by reducing costs and waste.

In addition to the focus on GTRI, Sen. Warnock heard from the deans of Georgia Tech’s Colleges of Computing and Engineering, Charles Isbell and Raheem Beyah. Both Isbell and Beyah gave insight into Tech’s rankings and pathway programs, as well as the Institute’s partnerships and academic offerings. Dean Beyah spotlighted the entrepreneurial efforts at Tech by touting CREATE-X. He also shared the ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand Georgia Tech’s dual degree program with the Atlanta University Center Consortium. Dean Isbell shared enrollment superlatives for the nation’s first accredited Master of Science in Computer Science earned exclusively online: Georgia Tech’s OMSCS program. Sen. Warnock was also intrigued by Dean Isbell’s overview of the mission of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing to expand computer science education in Atlanta.