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The research was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Tech. News of the chemical nanoblasts was reported in the August issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The work is believed to be the first to use activation of reactive carbon nanoparticles by lasers for medical applications. Additional research and clinical trials will be needed before the technique could be used in humans.
Salbu Takes Time to Study Cyber Law
College of Management Dean Steve Salbu was awarded a research semester, effective Aug. 15 through Dec. 31, to focus on developments in cyber law and business ethics. Sri Narasimhan, senior associate dean, is overseeing day-to-day college operations this semester. He will meet regularly with Salbu on the strategic direction and progress of the college.
ATDC Names General Manager
Veteran biosciences entrepreneur Nina Sawczuk has been named general manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Sawczuk will lead activities of the ATDC, Georgia Tech’s internationally known accelerator for startup companies. ATDC also manages services designed to commercialize technology emerging from Georgia Tech laboratories and help Georgia companies win Small Business Innovation Research grants. Sawczuk has served the ATDC as assistant director for biosciences since October 2009. Prior to that, she was CEO of Zygogen LLC, an Atlanta-based biotechnology company that advanced the use of zebrafish for drug screening.
Bellamkonda Appointed to Research Post
Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the joint Georgia Tech-Emory University Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named an associate vice president within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research. The three-year appointment, which began Aug. 1, enables Bellamkonda to divide his time evenly between his own research and the administrative responsibilities of this new position. A Georgia Cancer Coalition distinguished scholar, Bellamkonda directs the Neurological Biomaterials and Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory and a National Institutes of Health training program in the rational design of biomaterials. He also served as deputy director for research at the Georgia Tech and Emory Center for Regenerative Medicine.
Report Eyes Renewable Energy Potential
The South could generate 20 percent to 30 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources within the next 20 years — up from less than 4 percent today — if strong federal policies are enacted, according to a report released in July by researchers at Georgia Tech and Duke University. The South lags behind all other regions in renewable electricity, obtaining 3.7 percent of its power from renewable sources, compared to 9.5 percent for the country as a whole. Opponents of renewable energy production claim that the South lacks the renewable energy resources to capitalize on the growing demand for clean energy. However, the report found that there are abundant renewable energy resources available that can be tapped if supportive policies are put in place.