The Book - 2021

THE BOOK

JAN - DEC 2021

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THE BOOK: JAN - DEC 2021

The Book encapsulates the events and stories that define a specific community. Each issue of The Book depicts a moment in time: a visual retrospect of how we learned and grew – both personally and professionally. Compiled together, these stories form the historical record of the evolution of our incredible communities.

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THE FOREWARDS Crises can be counted on to remind people of both the inevitability of change and the benefits of embracing its inevitable positive effects. And 2021 certainly was a transitional and transformative year. From adjusting to our “new normal” to navigating how to move forward in a post-pandemic world, we witnessed quite the comeback. The perseverance, vigor, and camaraderie of our communities shown bright, even in the darkest of days.

And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, we too came back – and better than ever. The Book 2021 captures this historic timeline, where isolation was replaced by innovation and uncertainty turned into tenacity. What could have been a banal reaction became a novel resilience and our communities remained as strong and inviolable as ever.

At Collaborative Real Estate, we applaud your aptitude to be astute in such unprecedented times and we are thankful we could overcome these trying obstacles – together.

David Tyndall Founder and Owner, Collaborative Real Estate

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Engagement of community members evident throughout The Book 2021 affirms innovators work better together.

2021 welcomed the return of many community members to in-person events experiencing the sensation of personal fellowship so hard to replicate virtually.

2022 brings the 40th Anniversary of The University Financing Foundation (TUFF) supporting knowledge and innovation and the essence of TUFF’s history is reflected in the events detailed in The Book 2021. Like you, we seek new ideas, challenge assumptions, and serve the needs of those around us. Meaningful connections and fun enhance the journey.

TUFF is an active member of this vibrant community and celebrates the many contributions of the cornucopia of members.

Kevin Byrne President and Chief Executive Officer, The University Financing Foundation

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WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE REAL ESTATE? Collaborative Real Estate is a full-service real estate firm specializing in innovation districts and university research parks. With our expertise in development, asset/property management, and community activation, we help innovative ecosystems truly thrive.

We believe that a research building's greatest amenities are the tenants themselves, and that what happens inside a building is what matters most. Every day, we are creating spaces, communities, and programs to grow thriving innovation communities designed to inspire, connect, and support ongoing user success.

And while buildings do set the stage for collaboration and collision, connecting people requires intentional programming. Our devotion to community building through collaborative programming focuses on the creative use of common spaces – both indoor and outdoor – that each property has available and utilizes multi-channel communications to connect entities, and more importantly, to connect people.

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In order to foster interactions, we deliver a spectrum of thoughtful and innovative collaboration services aimed at breaking down natural barriers to interaction. We operate on the belief that collaboration space is wasted without the principal ingredient: collaborators.

Collaboration does not come naturally, as humans often skew toward isolation, and participants need both constant reminders of why they located into a collaborative environment in the first place, as well as encouragement to be active members of the community.

From acquiring new properties to further engaging our more seasoned and successful collaborative innovation districts, over the course of several years – through ample amounts of research, assessments, refinements, and iterations – we meticulously crafted and curated environments that allow communities that typically wouldn’t interact to feel connected and be part of a thriving ecosystem.

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WHAT IS THE UNIVERSITY FINANCING FOUNDATION? The University Financing Foundation, known simply as “TUFF,” is a national non-profit developer whose core mission is providing facilities and equipment to institutions of education and research at below the cost of market.

TUFF was founded in Atlanta, GA, in 1982, and celebrates 40 years of developing, financing, owning, and operating knowledge communities across the United States. TUFF has deep experience in the cultivation of ecosystems that match university and research institutions with government and private industry collaborators.

After developing a portion of Atlanta’s Tech Square along with Georgia Tech and two private developers, Gateway Development and Kim King Associates, TUFF has operated the well-known innovation district for 20 years. Along with Collaborative Real Estate, TUFF owns and operates many of the properties reflected in The Book 2021, including Centergy, Tech Square Research Building, Bridgeside Point, and 250 East Ponce. TUFF faithfully sponsors Tech Square ATL Social Club and participates in all of the events as well.

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TUFF fulfills the core mission of supporting education and research by actively building communities, fostering inter-disciplinary collaboration and nurturing and accelerating the ideas, innovators, and supporters who strive to make the world a better place.

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WHAT IS TECH SQUARE ATL SOCIAL CLUB? For technologists, researchers, entrepreneurs, startups, students, and corporations who are seeking productive collaborations, Tech Square ATL Social Club (TSQATL) is a members-only community, led by Collaborative Real Estate, that provides a curated environment designed to foster growth and innovation.

TSQATL Social Club is centered around cultivating data-driven connections and offering continuous support by providing access to a shared workspace, community events, custom programming, mentorship opportunities, and so much more.

And as just one of the many entities that reside in Tech Square – the heart of Atlanta’s tech scene – it’s clear community and collaboration are key to supporting a thriving innovation district.

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WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK? Also part of our community is Technology Enterprise Park (TEP), a cluster of emerging and established technology concerns, entrepreneurs, and researchers focused on accelerating biomedical innovation, digital health, advanced manufacturing, and medical devices in a unique setting.

Bordered by Georgia Tech's North Avenue Research Area and Northyard's creative loft office park, this innovation ecosystem represents a unique research and innovative platform in a dynamic urban setting.

Located adjacent to Midtown Atlanta, we use existing community spaces to bring together the TEP community of biomedical engineers, laboratory researchers, and manufacturing engineers in order to connect them into the broader Tech Square scene.

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Located in Midtown Atlanta, Tech Square has the highest density of startups, corporate innovators, academic researchers, and students in the entire

THE TECH SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD

southeastern United States.

Over 100 startups, five startup accelerators, 25 corporate innovation centers, seven venture funds, 10 research labs, 10 Top 10 engineering programs, one Top 10 MBA program, and over 2,100 Georgia Tech students call Tech Square home.

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INNOVATION ANCHORS AND VENTURE CAPITAL FIRMS AT TECH SQUARE Accenture Anthem Innovation Center ATDC AT&T Foundry BLH Ventures Delta Innovation Center Engage Ventures Georgia Institute of Technology The Home Depot Innovation Center Kinetic Ventures Knoll Ventures Silicon Road Ventures Southern Company Innovation Center Tech Square Ventures TUFF VOCAP Investment Partners

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WHAT IS BRIDGESIDE POINT I? Acquired by TUFF in June 2021, Bridgeside Point I is a five-story, 160,000 square foot life sciences academic and research facility located on the banks of the scenic Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh Technology Center of Pittsburgh, PA. The facility features a mix of wet and dry labs, offices, and research and classroom space.

Its purpose expands deeper than the physical building, with the goal being to introduce intentional facility-based programming and continued collaboration between tenant departments and the greater Pittsburgh area. This active innovation ecosystem provides meaningful value to those working there and brings people together to spark new ideas.

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WHAT IS 250 E PONCE? Located five minutes from the main Emory University Campus and ten minutes from Midtown and Downtown Atlanta, 250 E Ponce de Leon Avenue is a nine-story, 145,000 square foot facility anchored by nationally topranked Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Occupying approximately half of the space is the School of Nursing’s new Emory Nursing Learning Center (ENLC), designed to enhance nursing education and teaching methods by embracing innovation and technology.

The building also houses a mix of other innovative tenants in such fields as information technology, medical research, architecture, and media.

Through this acquisition, TUFF intends to support the medical-educational-industry innovation community as it continues to expand throughout Decatur, as well as to promote industry collaboration and public and private investment in business growth and infrastructure development.

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THE TESTIMONIALS Day in and day out, we work hard to provide the best environment and experience for our community members. They are what makes this place so special, and what drives our mission to serve as the catalyst for productive collaborations and innovation.

Their feedback is a true testament to the hard work and dedication we pour into this space each and every day. They are why we do what we do, and we wouldn’t be who we are without them. Here’s just some of what they have to say.

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Donald Innocent-Ike

Shu Jiang

Equity Research Associate, Truist

Georgia Tech Graduate Research Assistant, DARPA Subterranean Challenge

“I liked that I’m not forced to socialize when I don't want to. And I like that I can, when I want to. It's always great that the people that are here to listen to ideas and, you know, I get to have all these very interesting conversations. Tech Square ATL Social Club is a place where people come in to share different ideas. And what's great about it is you get a lot of people from different backgrounds and different sides.”

“I think the main thing for me is meeting different new people.

I like going to the smaller events because I get to talk and know the other person more. The other members are very nice, open-minded, and friendly. My favorite part about being a member are the conversations and connecting with other people.”

Jennifer White

Harold Solomon

Associate Professor of the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Occupational Therapy

Principal, Georgia Tech Venture Lab

"I love being part of a tight-knit community that looks out for one another and who lifts each other up so we all succeed. We could change the world if more communities modeled themselves in our footsteps."

“I can't stay at any office all day, no matter how nice. I [personally] need at least two spaces to work in. And [The Clubhouse] for me is a very good alternate space. I go there for a change of scenery and to be around different people that I don’t get to see everyday.”

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THE ACTIVATIONS Activations are curated experiences thoughtfully designed to create unique conditions that strengthen the culture of our community. Our events foster more than a feeling of fellowship, they serve as a catalyst for pushing the envelope, expanding horizons, and nurturing growth. Through these carefully crafted events, we help our community members ignite thought-provoking questions, engage in stimulating conversations, and most importantly, form meaningful connections.

CURATED CONNECTIONS

And those connections are sparked by serving as a host for fostering

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By joining a diverse group of like-minded

conversations with a unique blend of

individuals who share similar (or perhaps,

quirky and thought-provoking questions

vastly unique) interests, passions, and

and themes. Ultimately, these allow

ambitions, you get so much more than

members of the social club to connect

premier access to today’s elite movers

and share their personal experiences and

and shakers. You get to experience an

insights. Our membership serves as a

enhanced sense of support. You get to

forum for people to come together in a

form tighter bonds. You get to develop

small group, learn from each other, and

deeper connections.

gain a diverse perspective.

DATA-DRIVEN EXPERIENCES Each activation is themed, based on

Activations are designed to gather data

community data, and the types range

and test hypotheses about the

from randomly “popping-up” to a

community. Interactions are

scheduled, invite-only gathering – and

intentionally observed and time is

everything in between – with each

committed to developing and sharing

offering a different experience and

insights gleaned from each activation.

outcome to participants.

Not only does the data we collect help No matter the size of the event or the

uncover expressed and latent needs of

amount of planning and promotional

our community members, but it also

materials, each activation is

helps depict what type of future

strategically organized and executed

engagements we implement. And most

in a way to collect further data and

importantly, from all of this, comes our

insight into our community members,

stories – which are the catalyst for

and to also encourage collaboration

collaboration – and precisely what we

and connections that otherwise

do.

wouldn’t be feasible.

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THE TALKS Coffee Talks, Cocktail Talks, Happy Hour, Beer:30, and Math + Mimosas are all what we’ve coined as “The Talks” – a great way to catch up with other community members. Attendees are invited to swing by for a minute (or an hour!) to discuss an interesting topic or question over some tasty refreshments.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: POPCORN PYRAZINES In honor of National Popcorn Day, we popped over to Technology Enterprise Park to really sink our teeth into the chemistry behind the tasty treat. With a variety of pre-popped, individually-bagged flavors of popcorn and coffee in tow, we hosted a Coffee Talk, complete with a pop quiz for our community members, who are primarily researchers, chemists, and scientists. Attendees had to successfully match the correct definition and molecular structure to two different chemical compounds, both of which are present in popcorn.

Given the nature of TEP tenants, it’s no surprise that 46 percent correctly matched both the definition and molecular structure. What’s even more interesting is that 36 percent correctly matched the molecular structure, but not the definition – only further proving their background is most definitely in the STEM field, not language arts!

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The best part? While the Tech Square ATL Social Club team members were the ones presenting the pop quiz, we actually ended up being schooled!

VERO Biotech employee, Lucia Lopez Martinez, explained how she got the answers right – and within seconds – with a little chemistry lesson. She shared that pyrazines are always hexagonal in shape and that hexagons are always aromatics – so it was a nobrainer for her to match the molecular structure (a hexagon) and the definition (which included “aroma” in it) to the correct term (pyrazines)!

Another learning from that day? We uncovered that the most pop-ular flavor out of butter, white cheddar, and kettle corn was...the OG of popcorn flavors – butter!

Regardless of people’s preference of flavor or knowledge of the chemistry of popcorn, one thing was certainly made clear – TSQATL Social Club members love a good challenge, especially when paired with some delicious drinks and snacks!

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CENTERGY

COFFEE TALK: THE VISUAL CONUNDRUMS THAT TRICKED PERCEPTIONS ATTECH SQUARE

Inspired by the groundhog’s search for its shadow on Groundhog Day, we popped up at Centergy One’s lobby and challenged our members at Tech Square with visual conundrums.

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Served with a side of coffee and doughnuts, this after-lunch Coffee Talk consisted of two optical illusions, as seen below.

Challenge #1: The Stripes and Spheres Illusion by Dr. David Novick, a computer science engineer professor

True or False?: These spheres come in three different colors.

Answer: False!

The spheres are all the same color. The spheres seem to be different colors because of the color of the stripes that lay over them.

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Challenge #2: The Checker Shadow Illusion (related to The Cornsweet Illusion, named after psychologist Tom Cornsweet)

True or False?: These spheres come in three different colors.

Answer: False!

The spheres are all the same color. The spheres seem to be different colors because of the color of the stripes that lay over them.

Of the 16 community members who took us up on these visual conundrums, 12 got neither of the questions correct. In fact, only 20 percent of the challengers answered both questions correctly!

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PERCENTAGE OF MEMBER RESPONSES TO VISUAL CONUNDRUMS

Regardless of how our community fared, one thing was certain: proximity and context in design can trick your perception. Remember — what you see isn’t always what’s really there!

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TECH SQUARE COURTYARD

COCKTAIL TALK: THOMAS EDISON AND HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS

Last Thursday, we celebrated the birthday of renowned inventor, Thomas Edison, with a Cocktail Talk to raise our glasses (or in this case, plastic lightbulbs) to his greatest inventions and discuss which ones were the most profound and why.

It’s no surprise that the answers from attendees were vast, as Edison was involved in quite a number of different inventions – in fact, he acquired a record number of 1,093 patents (singly or jointly) in his 84 years! A few of our favorite responses, in terms of the most profound inventions and why, were as follows:

Film/video camera – because Netflix Lightbulb – candles are overrated Telephone – created opportunity for people to avoid human contact

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However, the most popular answer of the evening was “electricity.” With reasons spanning from heating/cooling utilities to the fact that WiFi wouldn’t exist without it, it goes without saying that we’re all grateful for this basic necessity.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

Coffee Talk: What’s In Your Mars Mission Kit?

Ever since the Perseverance rover’s successful Mars landing, the excitement around the possibilities of ancient life on the red planet have been abuzz among our community. The touchdown sparked our curiosity to see what our members would take on a 90-day mission to Mars (aside from essentials), so we caught up with the biomedical engineers and chemists at Technology Enterprise Park about it during an early morning Coffee Talk.

The responses were delightfully creative, amusing, and endearing. “I would take Matt Damon, because he’s been there before. He’d know what to do,” joked Luba Groce, Quality Assurance Technician at VERO Biotech. “I’d also take an mp3 player and a book,” she added.

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If given the opportunity, Groce wasn’t the only one who thought to take someone with them to Mars. A handful of our members requested their significant others for the trip as well. Aside from that, popular responses included sentimental items (like pictures of family) and things that reminded them of the comfort of home (like their favorite pillow). Unsurprisingly, devices like cell phones and iPads were the most common things they would take for entertainment. In fact, several members had a hard time thinking of two more items after deciding on their smartphone, iPad, or Kindle as their number one Mars mission kit essential.

TEP COMMUNITY RESPONSES: ITEMS IN THEIR 90-DAY MARS MISSION KIT

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COFFEE TALK: MAR10 PARTY CELEBRATIONS — PAIRING NOSTALGIA WITH NEW TECH

CENTERGY

On Wednesday, March 10, community members stopped by the Centergy One lobby to celebrate Mar10 (Mario) Day – an annual holiday recognizing the entire fanfavorite franchise. Hosted by Tech Square ATL Social Club, the Mario Party Coffee Talk (which is a great way to catch up and caffeinate with other community members) included a variety of different video games to play – from the newest Mario Kart with augmented reality (AR) to throwing it back with some retro nostalgia – and of course, some piping hot coffee.

While attendees engaged in some old-school games (like Contra on a Raspberry Pi), and raced each other in the latest version of Nintendo's Mario Kart Live (which combines AR technology with conventional RC cars), discussions around participants’ first-ever video games began.

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Interestingly enough, we learned that several attendees’ first games ever played were pretty similar, with Goldeneye, Duck Hunt, Mortal Kombat, Contra, and Atari all being tied as the top responses. Not surprisingly, we also confirmed that competitiveness amongst our community members is always present – this time, in the form of the fastest race times from Mario Kart Live: Player

Race Time

Ben

0:55:721

Dominick

0:57:025

Brian

0:57:527

Rich

1:01:845

Saad

1:21:100

For more information on our upcoming activations, which are curated experiences thoughtfully

Jamie

1:21:219

Cathleen

1:21:368

designed to create unique conditions that strengthen the culture of our community, check out our community calendar. Of course, we’re always interested in learning more about what our members are interested in – so feel free to contact

Kristi

1:56:291

us as well with your ideas!

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CENTERGY

MATH + MIMOSAS: MIXING MEMORIZATION AND MIMOSAS IN HONOR OF PI DAY

At Tech Square ATL Social Club, we love a good reason to celebrate. And since Sunday, March 14 was Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday, there was no better way to commemorate these holidays than to host our very first Math + Mimosas series – a great way to nerd out with other community members while catching up over complimentary adult beverages.

So, in honor of such an occasion, we went to the Centergy One lobby during lunch last Friday to put the memorization skills of our community members to the test – all with a Pi theme, of course.

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In order to receive the highly sought-after prize (an ice cold mimosa), attendees were tasked with seeing how many digits of Pi they could memorize in 30 seconds, with the notion that the average person can recall seven digits at one time. During the activation, we handed out personal cards that had the first 250 digits of Pi on one side, and on the reverse, a place to write their guess of how many digits they thought they could memorize, as well as what they actually could recall after the 30-second timeframe.

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With our refs standing by with their trusty stopwatches in hand, we ensured the mathletes recorded their initial guess, took only 30 seconds to memorize as many Pi digits as they could, and lastly, notated their actual score.

Interestingly enough, “underpromise and overdeliver” was the name of the game for many.

Even with the understanding that the average person could retain seven digits at a time, almost half of the attendees guessed they would only be able to recite three to six digits. That approach worked for the majority of the players though, with only 26 percent guessing they would be able to recall more than they actually could. Here’s how they fared:

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Regardless of their standings, we deemed everyone a winner that day, rewarding them with a refreshing glass of champagne and orange juice – the true breakfast of champions. While sipping their hard-earned beverages, community members hung around to check out the competition and share their memorization strategies and techniques. Some claimed they recalled the digits by pretending they were addresses, others broke down the numbers into more digestible chunks. Even how people recited the numbers out loud were different, with a few people recalling groups of digits at a time, while others just rattled them off one-byone.

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COFFEE TALK: TECH SQUARE ATL SOCIAL CLUB MEMBER WINS VERY OWN TESLA MODEL X

TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

With Earth Day right around the corner, it seemed only fitting to shed light on a huge technological contributor that is helping reduce our carbon footprint, curb oil use, and combat climate change – electric vehicles (EVs).

So, we invited Tech Square ATL Social Club members (and guests!) over to Centergy One early on April 1 for a Coffee Talk to discuss the latest EVs coming onto the scene – and for a chance to win their very own Tesla Model X.

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As expected when giving away anything free, let alone a Tesla Model X, the lobby was packed that Thursday morning. As with all of our community activations, while attendees anxiously awaited the announcement of the EV winner, we encouraged everyone to get to know each other while sipping complimentary coffee and discussing the latest in the EV market. From our conversations, we learned a few interesting things: 1. Seventy-one percent of those who attended had driven an electric vehicle at some point 2. The following EVs have been driven by our community members: BMW i3 Nissan Leaf Porsche Taycan Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model X Toyota Highlander Hybrid Volkswagen ID.4 3. These are the top five brands people are most excited about in terms of the future of EVs: Audi Canoo General Motors Lucid Motors Rivian And while everyone was extremely interested in discussing the future of EVs, we know the big draw was the opportunity to win a Tesla Model X. After much anticipation – and lots of coffee – the lucky individual was randomly selected and announced. Square on Fifth’s very own resident, Aditya “Adi” Singh, was the lucky individual that fateful, April Fool’s Day. Even after realizing they had been subject to an epic prank, everyone was good-natured about it and continued to stick around for a bit, connecting with community members over shared interests – and varying viewpoints. For instance, some TSQATL members currently own electric vehicles, while others cited they’d miss the sound and excitement of a traditional car’s engine. All in all, attendees experienced some good coffee, good conversation, and a good laugh.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: AI AND ICEBERGS

With spring in full bloom, we at Tech Square ATL Social Club have been appreciating the warmer weather, while simultaneously recognizing the unfortunate effects of climate change that come along with it. And we’re not the only ones.

Microsoft is on the same page, with their AI for Earth initiative centered around providing cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to those working to solve global environmental challenges. So, we put on both our environmentalist and technologist hats and headed over to Technology Enterprise Park to enjoy the sunshine and host a Coffee Talk around this exact topic.

Late last week, TEP community members stopped by for coffee, doughnuts, and our “AI and Icebergs” discussion around what global environmental challenge(s) they'd like to see cloud computing and AI tools applied to. Not surprisingly, they were very vocal on the matter:

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Since several of the attendees were chemists, they were very interested in carbon emissions and how one might harness the power of chemistry to create solutions to reduce our global footprint. Additionally, many TEP members are from the Gulf Coast region and concerned about the increased number of hurricanes, which they believe may be correlated to carbon emissions.

We all know major car companies are now, or will be, creating electric vehicles to help with global warming, but what about our four-legged friends? Carnivore Bytes is piloting an app with dog owners to train them on an algorithm to better understand how changes in the noises wild dogs make might signal changes in their physical environment. As their website states, “To automatically detect behavior in the wild, we are exploring the use of machine learning to “teach” the collar certain acoustic signatures, such as panting, eating, and drinking. This could help us to better understand how an increase in temperature caused by climate change may affect the wild dogs and enable us to monitor and quantify the amount of food and water packs have access to.”

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CENTERGY

COCKTAIL TALK: HOW SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS WOULD BUILD AN IRON MAN SUIT

The subject of cybernetics and superhuman capabilities empowered by technology are a favorite topic of conversation here at Tech Square ATL Social Club.

If you know TSQATL Social Club member Donald Innocent-Ike, you’ve probably overheard him (and seen him light up!) when talking about technology that exists on the boundaries of futurism and fiction. For comic book character fans like him, the Iron Man suit is the perfect embodiment of this topic. So, out of curiosity for how fellow engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs at Tech Square would build their own personal Iron Man suit, Donald hosted a Cocktail Talk at the Centergy One lobby on a late Wednesday afternoon with libations in tow.

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Of the members who stopped by for cold beverages and conversation, a majority referred to elements of the Iron Man story, as told by the movie franchise (like J.A.R.V.I.S. and S.H.I.E.L.D., for example), as something they would start with. Others joined the conversation with a more pragmatic approach, answering the question with raw materials, components, and features.

BUILDING AN IRON MAN SUIT: WHAT TECH SQUARE ATL SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS WOULD START WITH

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“The most surprising answer [to me] from that evening was ‘ethereum,’ because I didn't understand how the cryptocurrency technology could help the suit perform,” Donald shared when reflecting on the festivities. “The word ‘ethereum’ has a Latin root word ‘-eum’ that other elements share, so to me, it sounds like a great name for a futuristic element that could be more sustainable than palladium as an energy source. It makes me wonder – could ethereum evolve from cryptocurrency tech to a sustainable energy system in the future?” he proposed.

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Whether it was energy, raw materials, or defense mechanisms, one thing was clear – most of the components our members would start with already exist. And if they didn’t, we have a hunch that it’s in the works within our surrounding buildings. After all, with researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs making up our membership community, anything is possible with collaboration between the brightest (and most creative) minds right here at the heart of Atlanta’s tech scene.

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CENTERGY

HACKING INTO JOY: HOW OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

We’ve all been through a lot in the last year. With the month of May being Mental Health Awareness month, Tech Square ATL Social Club member, Asha Morton, wanted to know how community members hack into joy and boost their productivity.

So, with adult beverages, chocolates, and Shine in All Shades coloring books (sponsored by Afro-Latina graphic designer, Valeria Rodriguez) in tow, we set up at the Centergy One building lobby for our Hacking Into Joy Cocktail Talk to offer a post-work respite for the startup entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, and researchers in the building.

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“I wanted to get an understanding of how the community is managing everyday stress following the pandemic,” shared activation host, Asha Morton. “I believe that in this post-pandemic world, it is vital that we understand what de-stressing and ‘feeling good’ looks like to our colleagues. Knowing this will help us all be more mindful of everyone’s well-being, which I think is important.”

A majority (53 percent) of the members who joined us for cocktails and conversation mentioned that music or ambient sound was their top productivity and mood-boosting hack. “I like putting on a movie on Netflix in the background while I’m working,” said TSQATL Social Club member, Nupur Mathur, who is a Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering student. Starting the day with exercise before getting to work came in second. Some mentioned that taking walks and working outdoors with the skies above them helps mitigate screen fatigue and breaks through creative blocks. A handful mentioned that interacting with other people helped boost their mood when they’re in a funk, which brings up the feeling of isolation we’ve all experienced (and are recovering from) during a year full of uncertainty.

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And as the wine was poured and discussions continued on, we overheard members not recalling the last time they colored a page out of a coloring book just for fun. “For this community activation, I wanted to offer members a creative outlet for stress relief,” explained Asha. “Coloring gives people something ‘lighter’ to focus on after long periods of study or work, which can be intense on the mind.”

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Coloring books aside, it was an afternoon filled with delightful conversing and catching up. For some, it had been months since they had been back at the office. “Everyone just seemed genuinely happy to be there,” Asha observed. “Tech Square community members come from many different backgrounds, and it felt great to create an opportunity for everyone to connect during this time. It was cool to find out that a lot of us like to listen to music to get ready to work, boost our mood, and our productivity. We all found something in common.”

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK There is a lot of stigma when it comes to

COFFEE TALK: MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH

talking about mental health. While it is completely normal to feel sad, isolated, anxious, and even have moments of joy during dark times, it’s difficult for many people to talk about mental wellness, perhaps because they are afraid of being perceived as weak or soft.

To help shed light on this subject, and as Mental Health Awareness Month continues, we wanted to know what tools our community members at Technology Enterprise Park use to manage their mental health.

So, we set up at the TEP lobby with a Coffee Talk to open up this discussion among members over complimentary doughnuts and a cup of Joe.

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As competitive and eager as our TEP members are when it comes to outdoor community activities, it comes as no surprise that exercise was the most popular answer, followed by listening to music.

Prayer, reading religious scriptures, and meditation were also among the most common ways members help reduce their own feelings of stress and anxiety.

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WHAT TOOLS DO YOU USE TO MANAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?

Whether we are aware of it or not, post-COVID pandemic stress is a real thing: The psychological strain from this global health crisis has brought upon emotional and mental health issues for people all over the world. This has led to an uptick of demand in the meditation and mindfulness app sector. According to Quartz, meditation app, Calm, brought in an estimated $99.4 million in revenue in the first 11 months of 2020. Headspace, another popular meditation app, generated an estimated $64.5 million on nearly 11 million installs.

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Mindfulness and meditation apps aside, does it feel like you aren’t experiencing symptoms of serious mental illness, but you’re not truly experiencing mental well-being either? American psychologist Adam Grant has given this collectively-shared feeling of being in the gray a name.

Though seemingly reluctant at first to share something so personal to them – be it prayer, going to church, or having a few drinks on the weekends while playing friendly games at the pool table – our community members came around, albeit briefly, to share with each other on ways they decompress during stressful times. Whether it’s working out, getting outside, meditation, or reading, it’s clear our members appear to have a wide range of tools in their mental health management toolkit.

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CENTERGY

MATH + MIMOSAS: Celebrating National Mimosa Day with Kitchen Conversions

With National Mimosa Day happening Sunday, May 16, we knew our Math + Mimosas activation series was the perfect way to celebrate both our nerdy and fun sides!

So we invited our community members over to the Centergy One lobby on Friday afternoon for a chance to catch up over complimentary mimosas – and put their math skills to the test.

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Keeping in theme of the holiday, we tested attendees’ knowledge of fluid conversions, using champagne as the main subject. There were five total questions, with each having three multiple choice options to choose from. From uncovering what metric unit is used to measure the capacity of champagne, to converting a standard bottle into ounces, we wanted to see how many correct answers each of our members could get. With no timer or rules set in place, we handed each participant their question card so they could answer accordingly:

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Despite a Director of Accounting and Home Economics major in the crowd (those who interact with math on a daily basis), we were surprised to learn that only 14.29 percent answered all five questions correctly. The majority (33.33%) answered three correctly, and there was even one individual who didn’t get any right:

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The topic at hand, something we all seemingly learned in our elementary years, proved to be more challenging than predicted. Regardless, it was evident everyone was enjoying themselves – and appreciated the educational refresher course on conversions. Rosanna Beron of Joulea shared, “I learned something new today!” while Andrea Carreno of Collaborative Real Estate stated, “I’m going to walk out of here with so much knowledge!”

The best part? All were deemed winners that day and were rewarded with refreshing mimosas in exchange for their hard work!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK As school is nearing an end and summer vacation

COFFEE TALK: MODERNIZING MATH

is right around the corner, we thought there was no better time than to discuss the current math curriculum in schools – and if anything should be changed. So we hosted a Coffee Talk around modernizing math and headed over to Technology Enterprise Park to ask our scientists, chemists, and researchers their thoughts.

There is a movement gaining traction to modernize America's math curriculum, which hasn't seen much change since 1957. So we set out to ask our community members if they believed anything needed to be augmented to better equip new generations, especially in order to meet the demands of the digital age.

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Of those who joined in on the conversation, accompanied by coffee and doughnuts, 84 percent said that our math curriculum is outdated and needs to evolve. For 16 percent of the group, “financial literacy” was noted as being currently neglected in schools – and shouldn’t be. And others vocalized that linear algebra (and its applications to computer science) should be taught at a much earlier age, rather than starting in high school.

We can all agree that learning math is different from understanding data. And with feedback from a community that uses math and data constantly at work, it does seem evident that things should change for our future student population. Especially in today’s data-driven world, they believe we should better prepare future generations by modernizing our practices to keep up with the everchanging times.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: TO DO OR DOUGHNUT

Sprinkled, filled, powdered, or simply glazed: Can you really ever just have one doughnut? If you’re like any of our members at Technology Enterprise Park, it’s probably hard for you to resist treating yourself to freshly-made doughnuts when they’re around.

On Friday, June 4, better known to some as National Doughnut Day, we hosted a Coffee Talk to celebrate this sweet treat as a community. But like any other signature Tech Square ATL Social Club community activation, we honored the occasion with a nerdy twist: doughnut trivia. So, how much do the engineers, researchers, and chemists at TEP know about their favorite fried confection? Turns out, they know a fun fact (or four!).

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1. True or False?

Dunkin' Donuts has been around longer than Krispy Kreme.

True: False:

Krispy Kreme first opened in 1937, which was 13 years before the first Dunkin' Donuts was opened (1950).

2. True or False?

Doughnuts became popular in the United States after soldiers ate them during World War II.

True: False:

It was during World War I that the Salvation Army “Doughnut Lassies” cooked doughnuts and provided supplies for soldiers to lift their spirits.

3. True or False?

A German immigrant named Adolph Levitt created the first doughnut machine.

True: False:

Adolph Levitt was a Russian immigrant who lived in New York City. He invented a doughnut machine in the 1920s to keep up with neighborhood demand for his product.

4. A,B, or C?

Krispy Kreme uses the equivalent of ___ elephants in doughnut sprinkles every year.

A.

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B.

145: Each year, Krispy Kreme uses a million pounds of sprinkles, which is equivalent to the weight of about 145 elephants.

C.

5. True or False?

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Doughnuts were originally called "oily cakes."

True: With Dutch being the predominant language in New York (or New Amsterdam, as they knew it back then), they took to the confection being literally fried dough by calling them olykoeks, or “oily cakes.”

False:

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TO DO OR DOUGHNUT: TRIVIA PARTICIPANT SCORE

The fun factoid that everyone seems to know? The fact that Krispy Kreme opened its doors before Dunkin’ Donuts. In fact, Krispy Kreme seems to hold a special place in the hearts of Atlantans: If you’ve driven down Ponce De Leon Ave, it’s hard to miss seeing the iconic Krispy Kreme doughnut factory, which opened in 1965. Unfortunately, the 56-year old establishment went ablaze earlier this year. But like former NBA basketball star, Shaquille O’Neal (who owns the Ponce De Leon doughnut franchise), our community members are looking forward to those iconic doors re-opening again someday soon.

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TECH SQUARE COURTYARD

COCKTAIL TALK: THE ULTIMATE TECH SQUARE PLAYLIST

Music has the power to bring a diverse group of people together because it goes beyond the limitations of linguistics. With its own language of melody and rhythm, it enables people to find common ground with one other no matter where they are – or where they are from – in the world.

Like music, we at Tech Square ATL Social Club like to think that we are the thread that brings corporate innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and students together with our thoughtfully-produced community activations, especially as our members continue to emerge with a different perspective of the world post-pandemic. So, curious about the Tech Square community’s music tastes as of late, we partnered with TSQATL Social Club member Charlie Duprey Langlois to host a Cocktail Talk on a sunny summer day to find out: What was the last song you favorited on your music streaming app?

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At the Centergy One courtyard, the community members who joined us enjoyed ice-cold hard lemonade and exchanged their last favorited songs with each other. In planning this activation for our community, we thought it would be interesting to see if there was one stand-out genre that our community listened to, or if there was no specific genre that was common among them at all. As illustrated below, we found that it was the latter: Tech Square is a genre-defying community when it comes to music preferences!

And as more of our community

“I was surprised at how open and

members emerge from working at

inclined people were when it came to

home and are going back into their

sharing their music. Then again, I think

Tech Square offices, this connection

that people are naturally social, and

over music was a great way to catch

enjoying music is something we all

up with people we haven’t seen in-

share,” Charlie revealed. “A lot of apps

person for a while. “I’ve always known

are now created with the ability to share

that the Tech Square community is

across platforms. As communal beings,

made up of diverse people and

we have a natural inclination to share

experiences,” Charlie observed. “And

our knowledge and you can see that this

it’s cool to see it reflected in the

is mirrored in technology, as it is in our

musical tastes we uncovered.”

physical domain.”

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As a musical memento, Charlie created a playlist based on what our community members shared that afternoon, so take a listen to this sample of our community’s musical preferences.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

MATH + MIMOSAS: Champagne Secrets

Knowing our Technology Enterprise Park folks love a good challenge – and a refreshing adult beverage from time to time – we headed over to give our hardworking community a much-deserved afternoon break, but not before testing them with some trivia first.

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From guessing the longest distance recorded for cork popping to estimating how many bubbles are inside a single glass of champagne, we really put TEP to the test:

Surprisingly, not one of the 28 attendees answered all six questions correctly. In fact, only two people got five questions right, with the majority (32.1%) only scoring a 50 percent on their test:

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Jenna Settle (Abbott), who was part of our International Women’s Day Fireside Chat earlier last year, was one of the individuals who got five answers correct. She was also really excited about the activity in general, stating that she too tries to plan and organize special events for her company.

Because let’s face it, even as we’re slowly resuming to our new normal, some of us are still working hard to manage our mental health and need that comradery that was so missed over the past year.

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And coming together as a community – whether it’s for a quick reprieve during the workday or for a more structured sit-down session – is what we’re all about. From cultivating data-driven connections to providing exclusive access to custom programming, we work hard to provide a curated environment designed to foster growth and innovation – and fun.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: SHARE YOUR SIDE HUSTLE

A community can be defined, traditionally, as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.”

While we do believe this to be true, we at Tech Square ATL Social Club also believe it’s those unique and differing passions from a diverse and robust group of people that make a community so interesting. And with the pandemic causing many people to hone in on their newfound, or even resurfaced, hobbies and pastimes, we thought hosting a Coffee Talk where members could share their side hustles with each other would showcase the depth and breadth of such a diversified community.

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With coffee and doughnuts in hand, we headed over to Technology Enterprise Park on a late Thursday morning to ask attendees to give us a glimpse into their personal lives and let us, and fellow members, know what their interests, passions, or side gigs were. Interestingly enough, none of the answers were the same, with the exception of “dog breeding,” which came from two different people at two different companies:

From making a little extra cash printing t-shirts to baking delicious croissants to reading new books, the varying responses highlighted the novelty of our community members, even sparking piqued curiosities amongst others. Some people even offered to share their side hustle in a more public fashion, like Kwame “Q” Oseitutu from VERO Biotech, who offered to host a stand-up comedy show or trivia night for TSQATL Social Club members!

Despite the differences, belonging is innate – it’s literally hardwired in our DNA. And while being part of a community is a fundamental necessity for all of humanity, we do understand and recognize that people’s specific desires and needs vary.

That’s why at TSQATL, we cater to providing an environment that matches your distinctive goals. As part of your exclusive membership, we provide different package options and unique offerings that encourage you to get serious about your ideas. We all have an inherent desire to be part of something great – get started today!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” These were the words that American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, uttered upon stepping foot on the moon 52 years ago on July 20, 1969.

To celebrate this historic day in a playful way, we hosted a Coffee Talk and served little moons (in the form of powdered doughnut holes and Moon Pies) with a side of lunar-themed tunes and trivia for our community members at Technology Enterprise Park.

During our Dark Side of the Moon activation, we were delighted to find out that a majority of the TEP members who stopped by that morning knew a couple of things about the first moon landing. Of the seven questions asked, 69.3 percent of those who participated got at least five answers correct! Additionally, 34.6 percent got the bonus question correct.

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Moon-landing trivia aside, a handful of our members had something to say about the moonthemed songs playing in the background – particularly the song “The Great Gig in the Sky”

by Pink Floyd. “This is such a beautiful song,” expressed Joshua Ramirez-Morales, Manufacturing Technician at Abbott. “This song makes me emotional every time I hear it,” he shared with other members present as the song played in the TEP lobby.

With Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” song lyrics containing the words “I'll see you on the dark side of the moon,” Pink Floyd is also whom Vicky Fowler, our musically-inclined team member at Tech Square ATL Social Club, drew inspiration from in connection with this Coffee Talk’s celebration of this historic moon-landing event. Meanwhile, on one of the screens in the lobby, live footage of another historic event was playing: We saw Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin launching its New Shepard rocket on its first crewed spaceflight!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: UNCOMMON OLYMPICS

Prior to the Olympic Flame being extinguished on Sunday, August 8, signaling the official end of the historic games, we wanted to host one more themed activation in honor of such a momentous occasion.

This summer had been quite the spectacle, with Simone Biles and dressage captivating the headlines, amongst other record-breakers. But what about the unsung heroes? What about the events that require elite athlete-level training, but aren't recognized as official Olympic sports?

Enter: Uncommon Olympics – a Coffee Talk we hosted at Technology Enterprise Park that shed light on the types of activities that should be in the Olympics, but aren't currently.

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Folding a fitted sheet. Carrying all the grocery bags in one trip. Making your bed. None of these tasks are an easy feat, and some seriously deserve a medal for accomplishing. So, armed with coffee and doughnuts for all participants, we asked our Tech Square ATL Social Club members what atypical events they’d like to see in future games.

From more physical endurance nominations, like lacrosse and salsa dancing, to more mental agility suggestions, like chess and video games, the ideas came pouring in and didn’t stop! We also uncovered that even though our TEP community members have enjoyed our Olympic-themed activations as of late, like our Five Rings Field Day, they aren’t really actively following or watching the Summer Olympics. In fact, several attendees didn’t even realize the following events are part of the current lineup: soccer, basketball, hockey, and surfing.

But whether there’s a request for activities that have to do with food or robots, it's clear there’s a desire for more events all around and the Olympic Committee should seriously consider these recommendations and give the people what they want!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: TEP TUNES – THE FORMATIVE YEARS

Music and nostalgia go hand-in-hand.

There’s always that one song that brings you back to a particular time, place, mood, or memory.

In fact, the musical influences of our formative years speak volumes to our upbringing and audio preferences later on in life. And with what a smash hit our Ultimate Tech Square Playlist activation was this past June, we wanted to create another banger – this time, with a retro flair to it.

So, on Wednesday, August 18, we served up traditional and hard lemonades at Technology Enterprise Park during our TEP Tunes: The Formative Years Cocktail Talk, where we asked our community members what their favorite songs of their childhood were.

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Whether it was recollections from people’s first albums to their first concerts to songs their parents instilled in them at a young age, the responses came pouring in – and were wide-ranging!

Not to mention, the excitement in the air was palpable when attendees learned what activity they were participating in. And according to science, this type of reaction when it comes to recalling songs of their adolescence isn’t uncommon.

Recently, psychologists and neuroscientists have confirmed that songs from our formative years hold disproportionate power over our emotions: Researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests our brains bind us to the music we heard as teenagers more tightly than anything we’ll hear as adults – a connection that doesn’t weaken as we age. Musical nostalgia, in other words, isn’t just a cultural phenomenon: It’s a neuronic command. And no matter how sophisticated our tastes might otherwise grow to be, our brains may stay jammed on those songs we obsessed over during the high drama of adolescence.

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Our host, Charlie Duprey Langlois, couldn’t agree more: “These songs of our formative years truly are tapped into our most profound recollections and memories. And it’s clear, based on the data, the individual relative nature of what is significant to our members, based on age differences and cultural upbringing. Activations like these serve as a space where people can share and voice the sounds that shaped, inspired, and carried them through the years, be it the sounds from The Who during the 1960s or Usher post-millennium.”

Upon the conclusion of the event, Charlie created a playlist from the contributions of our community members to capture the musical memories. Check it out this playlist and see if anything in particular triggers an emotional response!

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BRIDGESIDE

COFFEE TALK: INTRODUCTIONS AND INTERESTS ARE THE FOCUS AT FIRST-EVER ACTIVATION

With the recent acquisition of Bridgeside Point I, a 160,000 square foot life sciences academic and research facility located on the banks of the scenic Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh Technology Center, owners and property managers The University Financing Foundation and Collaborative Real Estate thought it pertinent to start to get to know their newest tenants.

Equipped with coffee and doughnuts, we set up shop in the lobby of the beautiful building to introduce ourselves, learn more about our community members, and begin to educate them on what activations are.

And what better way to get to know someone than to uncover their passions, hobbies, and interests? So, on a sunny morning on Friday eve, we hosted Bridgeside’s first of many (to come) Coffee Talk: Share Your Side Hustle activation.

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Over 30 attendees stopped by for a morning pick-me-up and to share their “side hustles,” which ranged from indoor activities such as video games and reading to outdoor adventures like rock climbing and kayaking – and everything in between!

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movies drums climbing sports biking firewood games kayaking boxing hiking batraveling food running sk walking et plants music ba ll nature etsy wineparenting r&b outdoors networking writing guitar rock dancing reading architecture video While the majority of people are academic and commercial tenants spanning multiple medical and life science disciplines, “parenting” and “sports” were the top most popular responses. From the data we collected and the discussions we had, it was clear that our Pittsburgh community has a broad range of interests – both in and outside of work!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: THE BEST BOOKS

Despite being the ultimate tech-junkies here at Tech Square ATL Social Club, we still enjoy an escape from (virtual) reality with a good book (even if it’s an audiobook or podcast) every now and then.

And since we’re always curious as to what our community enjoys and is into as of late, we decided to host a Coffee Talk at Technology Enterprise Park following the Labor Day holiday weekend to uncover what reads our members recommend.

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Armed with coffee and doughnuts – the perfect accoutrements to any book – we asked attendees to share a recent or all-time favorite book. From traditional paperback reads to the latest digital consumption, below are a few suggestions from our community members:

Additionally, several attendees mentioned they haven’t read anything lately. Fortunately for them, from the info we collected, we’re able to share some recommendations they might enjoy now!

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BRIDGESIDE

COCKTAIL TALK: COCKTAILS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING AT BRIDGESIDE

On a perfect fall afternoon, community members from Bridgeside Point I congregated together on the facility’s scenic rooftop courtyard while hearing from Collaborative Real Estate Founder and CEO, David Tyndall, about our devotion to and intentions for community building through activations.

Aptly titled Cocktail Talk: Building the Bridge, the goal was to introduce intentional facility-based programming and brainstorm – as a community – new ideas for continued collaboration between tenant departments and the greater Pittsburgh area. Since acquiring the five-story academic and research facility in June 2021, The University Financing Foundation and Collaborative Real Estate have worked tirelessly to support an active innovation ecosystem that provides meaningful value to those working there and brings people together to spark collaboration.

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As attendees enjoyed complimentary cocktails and conversed with colleagues, they participated in a lively discussion about the importance of a network effect that supports innovation. With that in mind, we asked our members to also submit their own ideas for future activations:

Feedback was fantastic, with responses including seminars and lectures from current tenants, multimedia content for the newly installed media screens throughout the facility, making use of collaboration spaces, continued community social events, and more!

Activations are curated experiences thoughtfully designed to create unique conditions that strengthen the culture of those inside. And as we work more closely together, we’re confident we can build a collaborative and ever-expanding innovation community here at Bridgeside.

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CENTERGY

COFFEE TALK: FOOTBALL FANATICS SHARE FUTURE PREDICTIONS AT CENTERGY ONE

The morning of the first Monday night professional football game for the 2021 season seemed like the perfect time to gear up and head over to Centergy One to ask our community members the hard-hitting questions centered around the popular sport.

Backed by 50 doughnut holes and 96 ounces of pure caffeine, our Tech Square ATL Social Club team captains took to the gridiron (the lobby) to host a Coffee Talk asking people’s predictions about who would win the ultimate title in both collegiate and professional football.

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As the data above reflects, there was an overwhelming response that the University of Georgia Bulldogs would take home the big trophy, which is not really a surprise, given the proximity.

Speaking of proximity, there were some hopeful Georgia Tech fans that believed their team would reign supreme. On the professional side of things, Tampa Bay was the clear favorite, with Atlanta’s very own Falcons only being the third most popular choice. One outlier did express Atlanta United, since the famous soccer team “is the original football.”

Predictions of any kind are never easy, which is why some individuals wanted to trying out machine learning (ML) algorithms for football (soccer) predictions. According to the article, the objective was to “create a supervised machine learning algorithm that predicts the football matches results based on the statistics of the matches. Thus, it will be possible to evaluate the difficulty level of prediction.”

Despite who everyone is rooting for this year, the overall excitement for sports resuming to in-person events was palpable.

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BRIDGESIDE

COFFEE TALK: BOOKWORMS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE READS

Everyone deserves (needs) a mid-week mental health break, which is exactly why we hosted a Coffee Talk: The Best Books in the lobby so community members could catch-up over complimentary coffee and share a recent or all-time favorite book they'd recommend!

Complete with coffee and doughnuts for a morning boost, this hump-day activation invited attendees to swap recommendations for their classic or current reads. From fiction to nonfiction, participants shared the following:

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BOOKS

SERIES

Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

You on Netflix

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor

Ted Lasso on Apple TV

Jenkins Reid

Lupin on Netflix

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Better Call Saul on Netflix

A Slow Fire Burning: A Novel by Paula Hawkins Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and

PODCASTS

Steven Levitt

The Jordan Peterson Podcast

In Five Years: A Novel by Rebecca Serle

Morbid: A True Crime Podcast

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Food Psych Podcast with

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Christy Harrison

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Crime Junkies Podcast with

India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern

Ashley Flowers

Military Heroes by Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroor

Modern War Institute Podcast

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

5-4 Podcast

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Not Another D & D Podcast: The

The Captain Class by S.A.M. Walker

Galaderon Saga

Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual

Dr. Death Podcast

by Jocko Willink Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search

MOVIES

for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane

Escape Room on Netflix

Murdoch

Harry Potter on HBO Max

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Sun is Also a Star on

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Youtube TV

The Shining by Stephen King

Wonder on Hulu

Practical Physical Geology by Jill A. Ciciarelli

American Psycho on Amazon

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Prime Video

Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in

Better Call Saul on Netflix

an Ungoverned World by Peter Zeihan Still Alice by Lisa Genova The Guest List by Lucy Foley Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks Fermented by Jill A. Ciciarelli

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A popular theme seemed to be murder mysteries, which can be pretty haunting, especially considering there are cadavers on the third floor of the building, which are used for a variety of programs within the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

What was also interesting to uncover is how this particular audience consumes their content. Some favored traditional paperbacks, while others preferred an auditory route.

More so, several of the recommendations were visual, in the forms of movies and TV series.

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Nevertheless, with over 40 responses submitted, it’s clear we have some bookworms and binge-watchers in our building!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

MATH + MIMOSAS: Cooking Conversions

Our Technology Enterprise Park community, who are primarily researchers, chemists, and scientists, are known to love a good challenge.

Whether it’s a pop quiz around popcorn pyrazines or true or false questions on the science behind baking, they’re always game to put their skills to the test – especially when it’s centered around their professional backgrounds. That’s why our Math + Mimosas activation about cooking conversions was the perfect forum to bring out both our nerdy and fun sides – and catch up over complimentary mimosas, of course.

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Celebrating the weekend a little early, we posted up in the lobby of TEP Thursday afternoon to start the festivities. Participants were given a card where they had to correctly answer five multiple choice questions around cooking conversions in order to receive a prize (a refreshing mimosa!):

Initially, everyone seemed a little worried about the “conversions,” being really difficult, but relaxed a bit when they learned it was kitchen measurements. However, despite their backgrounds, only two individuals (15.38%) correctly answered all five questions! In fact, the majority of people only got two or three questions right:

Another interesting fact was that the majority of participants missed the first question.

Perhaps it’s due to the fact that many of the researchers are originally from different countries and use the metric system?

Regardless, everyone was still deemed a winner that day and were rewarded ice-cold mimosas for all their hard work!

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CENTERGY

COCKTAIL TALK: FALL FAILURES –⁠ THE RISE AND DEMISE OF COMPANIES

A new season typically denotes a fresh start and perhaps a new opportunity. But does anyone ever talk about the old, the outdated, and the failures instead?

At Tech Square ATL Social Club, we embrace (f)all the uncomfortable conversations.

That’s why we decided to host a Cocktail Talk, aptly titled “Fall Failures,” on October 4 asking a very big, hard-hitting question.

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“What is a failed startup, company, or business that you miss the most? That is the question.” No really, that was the question we asked our community members at Centergy One on a late Monday afternoon. Encouraged by the promise of a variety of different libations upon answering, we asked our attendees to embrace nostalgia and dig deep into their memory bank to share their thoughts.

From local restaurants to clothing stores to failed apps, our members provided a wide spectrum of failures. But one company reigned supreme, with multiple mentions: Blockbuster.

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So, how did once such a profitable company fall from grace? Well, according to Business Insider, the following is a quick timeline of the rise and fall of the famous video rental store:

The first Blockbuster opened in 1985 in Dallas, Texas.

Over the next two decades, Blockbuster became the top movie-rental business in the U.S. However, Netflix and Redbox started challenging Blockbuster since they had no rental fees.

In 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its stores except for one – which has been turned into an Airbnb for $4 per night.

With failures being shared left and right, one might think it could put a damper on the day. Adversely, new members and seasoned veterans – and even out-of-town guests, from Florida to Colombia – mingled in the Centergy One lobby, discussing the topic even further and even “pouring one out” in honor of the fallen companies.

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BRIDGESIDE

COFFEE TALK: BRIDGING THE FUTURE OF SPORTS AND RELATED FIELDS OF STUDY Hands-on experience. Expert training. Cuttingedge research. Innovation approaches.

All of these focuses are at the forefront of the sports world – and the Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) departments at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS), both of which call Bridgeside Point I home. So it only made sense to bridge these topics and communities in an early-morning activation.

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Our “arena” was the first floor lobby, where we hosted a Coffee Talk: The Future of Sports Technology to discover what new inventions would make sports more fun to play or watch. Gathering over coffee and doughnuts, it was no surprise that attendees had several ideas to share, especially given the professions and areas of study of our community members.

From the responses received, augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) were popular themes, ranging from VR-infused viewing experiences to AR-induced interactions. Smart technologies and monitoring metrics, such as speed, strength, and endurance (to name a few) were also repeatedly mentioned. Additionally, discussions included COVID-19, and how it has pushed technology to make vast changes, like stadium entry protocols. Being “hands-on” or able to interact with a game or a sporting event while it’s happening (for instance, tablets in the backs of stadium chairs) was also highly desirable.

With breakthrough research, clinical experience, and best practices top-of-mind for the competitive fields of sports, PT, and OT, it’s exciting to see where the future will take us.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE Talk: The Future of Sports Technology

Being the big tech nerds and sports enthusiasts that we are at Tech Square ATL Social Club, we embraced both sides to host a Coffee Talk aptly titled “The Future of Sports Technology.”

Positioned in the lobby of Technology Enterprise Park, and armed with fresh coffee and munchkin doughnuts, we asked our community members – even a couple from the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) who drove over just for the activation – to share what new inventions would make sports more fun to watch or play!

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The answers varied across different sports and the technology they’d like to see associated with it: Baseball: A speed gun to measure speed pitch Baseball: Computer vision Football: Digital indicators Football: A hologram at the super bowl halftime show Football and Soccer: Replace referees with computers Tennis: 3D imaging Racing: Tracking devices to track time, speed, and distance There was also discussion around if instant replay is going to be used, it should be an all or nothing thing – not just some of the time for specific things. Even Doug Alvine, Assistant Athletic Director of Georgia Tech (GT), stopped by to learn more about what others were saying, and share some of his insight around GT athletics.

All in all, attendees were “team tech” and really enthused about using more technology in sports!

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BRIDGESIDE

COCKTAIL TALK: FEAR-INDUCING FLICKS SURE TO SCARE

As temperatures are dropping, and with Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to cozy up on the couch with a seasonal cinematic – and get spooked.

So we asked our Bridgeside community members to share their favorite fall films at a Cocktail Talk late October.

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As people stopped by the fifth floor patio to participate, they mingled with members and enjoyed some sweet treats – like Halloween candy, cake pops, and cookies – and some seasonal sips, such as apple cider bourbon and moscow mules. Their scary movie suggestions (albeit, with a handful of outliers) didn’t disappoint, either: Autumn in New York Beetlejuice Halloweentown Harry Potter Hocus Pocus Practical Magic Silence of the Lambs Sinister Spooky Buddies The Addams Family The Goonies The Nightmare Before Christmas The Shining The Sixth Sense Twitches Wait Until Dark

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

Cocktail Talk: Favorite Fall Films Cinematography is a beautiful thing. It’s one of the most captivating art forms and allows the perfect escape from reality.

To uncover our Technology Enterprise Park community’s favorite fall films, we hosted a Cocktail Talk on a crisp October afternoon.

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It’s no surprise, Hocus Pocus, the 1993 cult hit, reigned Sanderson-sisters supreme. Regardless whether the submitted feature was action-packed, sentimental, or just plain scary, it was evident that fall is the perfect time to curl up and tune in.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE Talk: Business Software

Early November we headed over to Technology Enterprise Park to dive in deep and get down to business – business software, that is.

Forever feeding into our curiosity, we wanted to know what platforms our community members were using at work that directly impacted their daily lives.

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BlueFin, Yardi, Sage Mas Accounting, Building Engines. These are just a few of the many available platforms companies house their important data in. So, equipped with hot cups of Joe and delicious doughnuts, our Coffee Talk: Business Software was aimed at better understanding our members – specifically the software programs they use at work and would recommend to others.

As members stopped by to share their experiences and catch-up with others, we questioned them about their software platform usage, whether it had an adverse impact or enhanced their daily functions, and which were most favored.

Interestingly enough, we uncovered that attendees were less interested in sharing software used during their work time and were more interested in sharing the programs they enjoyed during their free time!

A popular software used among Abbott employees was Simio, which “provides the software for simulation, production planning, and scheduling innovations that gives you fast risk analysis and cost reduction.” Additionally we learned the majority of participants preferred communicating with colleagues via Microsoft Teams as opposed to other platforms. However, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook ranked highest in terms of the most used. Nevertheless, it’s evident technology in general continuously impacts our daily lives in positive and productive ways!

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PONCE

COFFEE TALK: E PONCE PROPERTY PROVIDES A PLETHORA OF PASSIONS

Upon acquiring our new 250 E Ponce property in Decatur, we wanted to introduce ourselves as the new management team and get to know our tenants – on both a professional and personal level.

Our Coffee Talk: Share Your Side Hustle was the perfect forum to uncover a hustle or hobby of our members. Complete with hot coffee and Dunkin' Munchkins, attendees enjoyed a morning pick-me-up as they conversed with their community over their passions outside of the building.

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From artists to sports bloggers to ballroom and Latin dancers, we learned our members have a myriad of interests, which is great insight to have for future activations! Afterall, understanding our tenants better only further allows us to spark collaboration and ignite innovation.

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PONCE

COCKTAIL TALK: GRATITUDE COMES IN MANY COLORS AT E PONCE

Showing gratitude is recognizing appreciation for what one has, which can actually strengthen relationships – something we’re all about at Collaborative Real Estate.

To dive deeper into this timely topic, we hosted a Cocktail Talk in the courtyard on a beautiful (albeit, windy) November afternoon, inviting tenants to contribute to the community’s “tree of gratitude.”

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Upon entry of the activation, attendees picked between a few different autumn leaves and depending the color, they had to share what they were grateful for when it came to the Decatur community as a whole (yellow leaf), within their organization (orange leaf), or a specific colleague (red leaf).

While sipping warm mulled wine and locally-brewed beer, participants reflected on their thankfulness, citing things like their colleagues, laughter, and the delicious Decatur restaurants, to name a few. Other responses were captured below:

service manager my team

being valued career opportunities m c an ov family ag id em va joy en cci t t ne ea m

ss

ca tu r

bo

de

y

m

love

la

er ht y ug er da ad y r m om er c ht ug

iresearch atlanta my collegues my lab buddies restaurants strong leadership the decatur community spunky fun loving iresearch team

No matter the prompt, the community clearly had much to be grateful for!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

MATH + MIMOSAS: EASY AS PI(E)

With bellies full from all of the Thanksgiving festivities (and feasting), we’ve all sworn we couldn’t possibly eat another bite. But there’s always room for pie!

And since we love an alliteration here at Tech Square ATL Social Club, we knew hosting a Monday Math + Mimosas activation would be a sweet treat!

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Perched in the lobby of Technology Enterprise Park, we embraced our pie themed activation with some Pi memorization. In order to earn a slice of pecan, pumpkin, or apple pie – and a refreshing mimosa to wash it all down with – participants had 30 seconds to memorize as many digits of Pi as they could and then had to recite them out loud for accuracy.

To no surprise, our community of researchers, scientists, chemists, and engineers performed really well! Majority of members (71%) were able to memorize the average (7 digits) or more! But one attendee really took the cake – or pi(e), in this case. Stuti Sagar, an Engineer II at Abbott, correctly recited an astonishing 31 digits! And her amazing memorization skills earned her more than a slice of pie and an adult beverage – she also received an Amazon gift card for all of her hard work!

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BRIDGESIDE

COCKTAIL TALK: STUDENTS SHARE STUDY TIPS OVER HOT CHOCOLATE SIPS

In early December, as finals were approaching, we wanted to help our vast student population at Bridgeside best prepare for their upcoming exams.

And what better way to give our community a much needed break – that would also aid them in their study prep – than to host a Coffee Talk: Study Sips activation?

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Posted up in the Bridgeside lobby, we offered complimentary hot chocolate and holiday treats to attendees, enticing them to stop by and share their best study “sips” (tips). As the students munched and mingled, they revealed their best secrets and tricks that help them prepare for upcoming exams:

sleep

eat what you want

find something to look forward to take a walk and get sleep

't ate don rastin c pro

diet, sleep, and exercise practice make your own questions trea on Quizlet t make a schedule rewrite notes Take lots of breaks give

cry

you rsel fa

study w

study to music

nds

r frie eat ith a bu teach you wel ddy l and t rea t yo use Quizlet ’se

eat well

lf

From this expansive list, we learned the majority value sleep and nourishment! We also uncovered a popular new technology that helps students study more efficiently – Quizlet, which makes simple learning tools designed to help you study anything.

Offerings include explanations, flashcards, and even an AI Learning Assistant!

It’s nice to see a new generation of students are taking a more self-care approach when it comes to studying, versus last-minute cramming and pulling all-nighters. In fact, studies show that doing so is harmful to effective thinking, mood, and physical health.

Sip, sip, hooray for our students that are prioritizing their mental health and overall wellbeing when it comes to crunch time for final projects and exams!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

COFFEE TALK: COCOA AND CAREER GOALS

The beginning of a new year is often seen as a fresh start, and a perfect time for resolutions and goal-setting to take place.

So in mid-December we set the perfect foundation to spread some holiday cheer, reflect on the past year, and look forward to future accomplishments by hosting a Coffee Talk: Cocoa and Career Goals with our Technology Enterprise Park community members.

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Complete with a delicious hot chocolate bar with all the accouterments, sweetly provided by Ben & Jerry’s, attendees were invited to create their own perfect mug of cocoa while sharing their career goals for 2022. The responses varied from very high-level to extremely specific, and everything in between. Interestingly enough, despite our vast range of members (in regards to both their professions and interests), we actually extrapolated some common themes from the data we collected, which included the following:

ENROLL IN CONTINUING EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION/TRAINING COURSES ADVANCE IN/GET A NEW ROLE STAY EMPLOYED MAKE/SAVE MONEY GET INVOLVED IN REAL ESTATE EXPAND THEIR SIDE BUSINESS

Some aspirations went even deeper. Wei Huang of VERO Biotech proclaimed he wanted to “become a leader that can influence others and make a change.”

Regardless of people’s focuses for the future, everyone was optimistic about what’s to come, hoping that this year will be their best yet!

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PONCE

COFFEE TALK: PONCE KEEPS THEIR EYE ON THE PRIZE AS THEY PREP FOR THE NEW YEAR

As the holidays were approaching and a new year was upon us, we hosted a Coffee Talk to celebrate such an occasion.

Complete with a hot chocolate bar provided by Ben & Jerry’s, attendees stopped by to enjoy the sweet treats, festive carolers, and share their career goals for 2022!

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Nearly 20 community members stopped by Friday afternoon to participate, yet there seemed to be only four common themes when it came to their responses around future achievements:

success with a startup/small business

enroll in continuing education/certification/ training courses

y e n o m t r n im e e t p t m mo lem e e b g re e a nt se n a lf-c ar m e

It just goes to show that despite having a variety of different professions in one building, there is commonality amongst the actual community members. This further cements our goal of thoughtfully engaging our tenants to produce strong connections and collaboration.

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POWER MEALS

Power Meals are an hour to gather over food and have thoughtful conversation with other community members.

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TSQATL

BIOTECH MINDS MEET FOR THE FUTURE OF THE HEALTH INDUSTRY

With so much emphasis on, and advancements within, the biomedical industry, largely in part due to COVID-19, we wanted to get a better understanding of the current state – as well as the growth potential and future – of this specialized field.

So, we invited four Tech Square ATL Social Club members from Technology Enterprise Park, Centergy One, Tech Square Research Building, and Square on Fifth (SQ5) to safely meet on a midtown rooftop over dinner Thursday evening to exchange ideas and discuss the seemingly endless possibilities and opportunities.

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Attendees of the Future Tech in Biotech Power Meal, which is an hour to gather over food and have thoughtful conversation with other community members, included David Massie (VERO Biotech), Mohammad “Nik” Nikbakht (Inan Research Lab, Georgia Tech), Sahil Arora (Graduate Student, Georgia Tech), and Jared Serfozo (TSQATL Social Club). Together they sat down to enjoy the city views offered by Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House and dove right into the discussion.

Collaboration is at the core of what we do, so it’s no wonder the evening started off around what other industries have worked with the biomedical field to ultimately lead to growth. The technology industry is an obvious answer, with “developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) playing an increasingly influential role in the biotech space, driving the formation of new partnerships between the tech and healthcare industries. While big pharma is increasingly seeking collaborations with AI startups, major tech players such as Google, IBM and Microsoft are taking steps into the biotech space.”

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Of course, our attendees elaborated with specific examples. For one, mentioned Nik, are Google’s (and other cloud services) data processing abilities, which allows for biotech companies to not have to build and store their own servers. Additionally, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which are essentially miniature sensors, have been used for all kinds of medical readings in human bodies, added the researcher. Sahil’s thinking was along the same lines, citing that artificial intelligence systems, such as Deep Mind, allow the medical field to process biomedical models very quickly. In fact, using AI for processing and modeling medical data has sped up both diagnoses and cures. David chimed in as well, mentioning how the robotics industry is being used more and more for surgeries as of late, and that, combined with 5G connectivity, is even enabling surgeons to conduct or monitor surgeries remotely. However, his response around super glue, was most interesting – it’s been used as an alternative to wound closures for quite some time now, and is even being researched for contraceptive use.

This new insight seamlessly transitioned into how other breakthroughs in the biomedical field could have the potential to spawn new companies. From telehealth systems (which have grown out of necessity due to pandemic) and complete medical kits that would allow for physicals and other routine checkups to occur remotely, to personal air quality sensors and audio monitoring devices, it seems the opportunities are endless. In fact, Nik mentioned a startup that was the epitome of this topic. Sensorscall offers unique solutions for the senior citizen community by turning smart devices into virtual caregiving – just another example of how these breakthroughs have resulted in new companies.

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The notion of the ample amount of opportunities to create new companies ultimately led the group to discuss what else out there could be researched more in order to continue to help and grow the biomedical industry. Data visualization, and having a better understanding of the massive amount of data in the industry, along with more research into logistics, such as how to have a better deployment of vaccines and other medical devices with lower waste, were some suggestions. Preventative measures was another popular option: Having more public health education and tactics in place to help stop medical problems before they happen, as well as faster health monitoring, to avoid repeating the same situation we faced with COVID-19 would be beyond impactful.

As the Power Meal wrapped up, one thing became more and more evident – regardless of your background, education, or profession, individuals with varying involvement in a particular industry, such as biotech, can still join together to come up with creative solutions and meaningful convos. That’s what being a member of TSQATL Social Club is really all about.

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TSQATL

BODY HACKING AND THE FUTURE OF CYBERNETICS

By definition, a cyborg is “a person whose body contains mechanical or electrical devices, and whose abilities are greater than the abilities of normal humans,” according to Merriam-Webster.

We’ve come a long way since the birth of Mary Shelley’s cyborg brainchild in 1818 (also known as the fictional story of Frankenstein), and our lives have been extended because of advances in biomedical technology. That said, with bionic limbs and cochlear implants available to the public, cyborgs are literally walking among us, and that’s a pretty cool thing to think about.

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Inspired by recent developments in cybernetics, we sent personal Power Meal (an hour to gather over food and have thoughtful conversations with other community members) invitations to a curated list of biomedical professionals and researchers in the Tech Square ATL Social Club community. Over a shared meal, this thought-provoking community conversation centered around “hacking” the human body with modifications that interact with technology.

With the sun setting in the backdrop, and delicious food arriving at our open-air courtyard table, here’s a glimpse of the conversation during our Cyberpunk Body Hacking Power Meal at Bold Monk Brewery.

“BODY HACKING” DEFINED To get the conversation started, along with a round of drinks, we asked each member about what “body hacking” meant to them. “I consider drinking Red Bull and taking Ibuprofen to be a form of ‘hacking’ the body,” Jared Serfozo, TSQATL’s very own Chief Technology Officer shared. “However, it’s more fun to think about Apple Watches and other wearables as body hacking.”

Some of us consider body hacking tech as external devices we program that can influence the state of our well-being. “I think anything that can predict my thoughts or emotional response can be considered as body hacking,” Aubrie Goodson, a Senior Chemist at VERO Biotech explained. “My cell phone apps have the capability of predicting when I’m feeling sad, and could then suggest something to me to alter my mood – like playing a specific type of music, for example.” But, like many, Goodson expressed concerns about the other side of this coin. “That power could be used for good and bad.”

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OUR RELIANCE ON CYBERNETIC CONTROL SYSTEMS

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed a relatively fast-paced evolution of touchless technology in the last year with contactless transactions and sensor-enabled environments. On their predictions about how reliant society will be on cybernetic technology in the next 10 years: “We are reliant [on cybernetic control systems] already,” Chidinma Chukwueke, Systems Engineer II at Abbott, declared. “All of our apps that we use today are designed to make us need them. Once we figure out how to teleport our bodies, traffic and Uber are done for.”

Goodson attested to this: “I’m not really a social media person, but my entire home is automated. I’m worried I’ll eventually forget where my light switches are.”

CYBERNETIC MODIFICATIONS When the table was asked about what body modification(s) they would consider getting this year, Nate Damen, Robotics Engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute, revealed that he already has one. “I kind of have a body hacking implant already – I have a metal bone in my hand,” he shared. “However, I would like to install some sort of energy regulator on my body.”

As the conversation drew to a close that evening, the consensus seemed to be that the benefits of cybernetics – like pacemakers and technologies that enable mobility, for example – could outweigh the risks. In fact, the community members in this discussion seem to see cybernetics as something that could benefit our species as a whole, if balanced by ethics and certain precautions.

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TSQATL

COULD LAZINESS BE THE MOTHER OF TODAY’S INVENTIONS?

Did you know that May is National Inventors month?

Inspired by the builders, creators, and innovative thinkers of Tech Square ATL Social Club, we sent personal Power Meal (an hour to gather over food and have thoughtful conversations with other community members) invitations to a curated list of researchers and entrepreneurs in our community.

Over a complimentary shared meal and libations, this timely and thought-provoking community conversation was appropriately centered around invention.

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After exploring Chattahoochee Food Works (the newly opened food hall that is about 15 minutes from The Clubhouse), we sat down with our ice-cold drinks and plates full of food at an open-air communal table to discuss the necessary elements of invention.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation during the Invention’s Parent Power Meal.

IS NECESSITY REALLY THE MOTHER OF INVENTION? In the Socratic text, Republic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato once wrote: "[Our] real creator, as it appears, will be our needs." But how big of a necessity does an invention need to be in order to be considered “good,” or useful?

“If someone invented a cure for a rare disease that helps out just 50 people, [I think] that could be considered a ‘good’ invention,” opined Victor Pons, who is the Instructor of Percussion and Computer Applications in Music at Georgia State University.

But some would say that, lately, we’ve just been reinventing the wheel. “Most of the inventions we see now are not created out of necessity, but are created for luxury,” contended Michael Nguyen, CEO and Co-Founder of DataTorch. “ Lately, [it seems like] the less necessary the invention is, the better it does.” For instance, he purported that landing on the moon wasn’t necessarily deemed a “necessity,” though others may argue differently when it comes to space exploration.“ The base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been mostly taken care of, so we now focus on the inventions that enrich our lives,” he remarked.

“Sure, but take the internet, for example,” commented TSQATL Social Club member, Cathleen Madrona, in reply to Michael’s remark. “It was originally made for scientists to communicate with each other, but it went on to help multiple industries.”

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And so conversely, it seems that “Invention could now be the mother of necessity, which is the other way around [from the old adage],” added Shu Jiang, a Georgia Tech Graduate Research Assistant for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. “The internet was invented for one thing, and then we found more necessities for it. [I think that nowadays] laziness is the mother of invention.”

OBVIOUS NECESSITIES Out of curiosity for seemingly missed opportunities for invention, Jared Serfozo, TSQATL’s very own Chief Technology Officer, asked: “When was the last time you saw something that made you think, ‘Why didn't I think of that?’”

After a long pause from the group, Michael discerned that it’s hard to point to anything as being “invented” now. Nate Damen, Robotics Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, agreed.

“Things get remixed now, and not so much ‘invented,’” he concurred. After some thought and a few bites of food, the group agreed that Uber, credit card processing, and putting roller wheels on luggage were some obvious necessities that the table wished they had invented themselves.

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SOCIAL DISCOURSE AS A PRIME CANDIDATE FOR INVENTION When the group was asked about the need(s) they see today that solutions can be invented for, there was a consensus on society’s need for something to solve social anxiety and unproductive discourse. With social media shaping the political landscape today, Michael Pettinati, AI Researcher and Data Scientist at Biofourmis, mentioned that it would be helpful if we had “Something to help with online dialogue, to have more productive conversations.”

Political passions aside, everyone has more in common than we think. When it comes to social and economic mobility, “All these new inventions have allowed us all to switch careers so often, compared to previous generations,” Victor proposed. “We usually have a cross-over of skills to bond over, [no matter our differences.]”

As the evening came to a close, Nate mentioned that in regards to social media and privacy, “Technology can be a detriment to society and at the same time can advance civilization.” And with that juxtaposition, all agreed that this was an inevitable price our society has to pay as we move towards building a “better” world.

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TSQATL

On the evening of Thursday, August 12, Aubrie

TECHNOLOGY DRIVING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Goodson, Senior Chemist at VERO Biotech, led five Tech Square ATL Social Club community members from Technology Enterprise Park, Centergy One, Tech Square Research Building, and Georgia Tech to have a thoughtful conversation during a Power Meal around the topic of technology driving emotional intelligence.

During the Power Meal, an hour to gather over food and drinks and have thoughtful conversations with other community members, in-person attendees Pritesh Patel (Manufacturing Tech, VERO Biotech), Wei Huang (Test Engineer, VERO Biotech), Eric Black (Graduate Research Assistant, Georgia Tech), Satria “Tio” Priambada (CS System PhD Student, Georgia Tech), Michael Nguyen (CEO, DataTorch) all met at Food Terminal to grab some delicious food and drinks and dive right into conversation, guided by three questions.

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QUESTION 1: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

Before truly addressing the topic at hand, everyone first needed to share how they define emotional intelligence. And based on the responses, it’s clear everyone seemed to have their own opinion on what it meant: Pritesh: “It’s about how you interpret people; how people move.”

Wei: “It’s all about body language.”

Eric: “Your feelings and emotions map your personality.”

Tio: “It’s your ability to control your emotional response and use it effectively.”

Michael: “Different cultures could have a different emotional analysis, because of the way they communicate with body language.”

Aubrie: “It’s the ability to interpret the energy in a room.”

QUESTION 2: HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCED THE WAY WE INTERACT? Next up was understanding how recent tech has impacted our everyday interactions. In general, Michael believes “There's an advantage that technology provides, allowing those with low emotional intelligence to communicate effectively.” Adding to that was Pritesh, citing that “Technology has actually connected me with more people.”

In this current climate, that couldn’t be more true. With the pandemic redefining socialization, there are maybe platforms out there connecting the masses. From Zoom calls to Facebook Watch Party to “Cloud Raves” to online workout challenges, technology is putting in overtime, helping to bridge the in-person gap with virtual solutions.

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On the contrary, there is still an ever-present struggle with remote schooling. “Teachers are seeing negative side effects on students because of being fully remote with technology. The students have a lower amount of interactions with each other, and it could be hindering the youth’s ability to read body language.”

Adding to that notion, Aubrie joined in, stating “I agree, my nephew and niece are not making friends due to not being physically in school.” And his family isn’t alone. Several students have shared their struggles to sustain close ties with friends from afar.

And even though we’re all in this together, some have experienced more compassion and understanding than others. For Tio, he believes “Compassion is missed and decreases with technology.”

Wei echoes this notion. For instance, when it comes to Zoom calls, he worries that simple manners, such as saying “thank you” could come off as disingenuous. Additionally, “People feel like they’re interrupting conversations, so they don’t get the chance to add their opinions.

Giving a presentation on video chat could lead to higher anxiety than if you were presenting in person, due to factors of technology and not being able to read body language.”

Michael, however, challenged this thinking, suggesting that “Social status is eliminated on Zoom calls. It provides a more level communication hierarchy when compared to some traditional meetings. With online interactions, people's patience has increased. Everyone understands that some people will have computer troubles joining the meeting.”

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Technology hiccups are indeed a factor and despite Eric claiming he’s had some cool virtual pitch speed experiences allowing for new communication, “There’s still much more to be had.” And Tio couldn’t agree more, sharing that “Yes, something is still missing, even though virtually we have sights and sounds.”

QUESTION 3: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE BRING? So, what does this all mean, particularly in the years to come? For Tio he thinks “Emotional intelligence will allow individuals to live multiple lives. You can have multiple personalities online, and you can have another in real life.” This idea isn’t new, as we’ve seen in James Cameron’s “Avatar,” and also via the virtual world of Second Life.

The group consensus is overall positive, though. Attendees believe virtual reality will get better and the Facebook Metaverse may create a new accepted form of communication. There’s hopefulness as well, with everyone believing Neuralink will eventually allow people to transmit emotional feedback digitally, such as during Zoom calls.

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FIRESIDE CHATS

Fireside Chats are panel-like discussions around a specific topic with three to five experts and a moderator in a public forum.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Entrepreneur Round Table: When Ideas Become Official

In our recent Entrepreneur Round Table, we invited five local entrepreneurs for a live discussion about when they took their ideas and committed to them becoming a real business venture.

Of course, founders should go through customer discovery phases and beyond, but this discussion focused more on the mental and emotional side of making that transition.

The recorded discussion took place at The Clubhouse in front of a live audience made up of other startup founders, student entrepreneurs, and Georgia Tech researchers with pizza, wine, and beer to fuel some networking conversations.

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The discussion was moderated by Jared Serfozo of Tech Square ATL Social Club, and our panel of entrepreneurs included: Blanca Catalina García - BCG Innovation & MBDA@ATDC Startup Catalyst Greg Coonley - Wahsega Tim Felbinger - StartProto Monroe Ramsey - Virtual Air Veronica Woodruff - Travelsist While at The Clubhouse, we also asked attendees if they currently prefer Windows or Mac operating systems when they checked-in, and found that 70 percent of the attendees polled currently prefer Windows.

You can listen to the full recording of the conversation on SoundCloud, with topics including:

What was the defining moment in each of your startups to where you thought “This is a real thing now?”

What kind of investment should be required for someone to claim that they are working on a startup idea? Amount of time spent, dollar amount, LLC paperworks, registering a domain name?

Do you remember the first time you were introduced as a founder of a company?

What was that like?

“BRINGING PEOPLE ON-BOARD WITH YOUR VISION, THAT'S WHEN YOUR IDEAS COME TO LIFE.” - Blanca Catalina García

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“SOMETIMES THE IDEA CHOOSES YOU, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR AFTER THAT.” - Monroe Ramsey

“ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO SAID THEY'D BUY THE THING, LET'S GO TRY TO SELL IT TO THEM. EVEN WHEN THE BUSINESS MODEL DIDN'T WORK OUT THERE, IN THAT PROCESS WE FOUND WHAT TO PIVOT TO.” - Tim Felbinger

“TIME IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING. IT CAN'T BE REPLACED, YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK. SO YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO PUT SWEAT EQUITY INTO YOUR IDEA TO MAKE IT WORK.” - Veronica Woodruff

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“SO AFTER YEARS OF BEATING OUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL, WE SAID FORGET THIS, LET'S COMPETE WITH THESE COMPANIES.” - Greg Coonley

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THE CLUBHOUSE

DATA FUELING YOUR BUSINESS

At the core of any business is data.

Collecting it, reviewing it, interpreting it – no matter your industry, data is a critical component. That’s why we invited three expert panelists to our Fireside Chat focused on how collecting, using, and managing data is crucial to your business.

The live podcast recording was hosted at The Clubhouse in front of a live audience that included local entrepreneurs, the Advanced Technology Development Center companies, Technology Enterprise Park employees, and more. Together, the discussion ranged from topics such as the best way to collect data, to whether or not businesses should be concentrating on data in the first place. Spoiler alert – the answer is yes, but it’s not that simple.

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The discussion was moderated by Tech Square ATL Social Club’s very own Jared Serfozo, who is hosting a Mind of Maker activation around podcasting later this month, and included an amazing panel of three local entrepreneurs with unique knowledge and experience collecting and using data to drive their business decisions: Andrew Bate – CEO at Safely.com, where they are redefining how vacation rental properties are getting insured.

Michael Nguyen – CEO at DataTorch.io, which is providing the best tools to simplify every step of the machine learning (ML) lifecycle while streamlining data collection and organization.

Lawson Sumner – Chief Engineer at Ampere EV, which is aiming to bring innovation to the electric vehicle (EV) industry by providing conversions of existing gas-powered cars, as well as better safety and accessibility to charging.

You can listen to the full recording of the conversation on SoundCloud, with discussion questions including: Do you think a majority of the businesses here in America should be collecting and storing more data?

Do you think there are businesses out there that probably don't need to spend the time taking a deeper dive into data?

What are some of the headaches you've experienced with collecting and storing data?

What are some of your favorite tools to store and organize your data?

What are your favorite hosting services?

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“YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS MENTALITY OF BEING A DATADRIVEN DECISION MAKER AND MAKING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS WITHIN YOUR COMPANY. IF THAT'S NOT THERE, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH MORE DATA YOU GET.” - Andrew Bate

“I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DATA THAT COMPANIES ARE ALREADY COLLECTING OUT OF NECESSITY. THE QUESTION IS, ‘ARE THEY USING THAT DATA EFFECTIVELY?’ - Lawson Sumner

“IN TERMS OF COLLECTING AND STORING MORE DATA, YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF ‘IS IT THE RIGHT BUSINESS DECISION TO MAKE?’” - Michael Nguyen

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Immediately following the Fireside Chat, all attendees stayed to network and discuss data further over complimentary pizza and drinks. We also polled everyone that evening around what their favorite online data storage was, with one being the clear contender:

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POP-UPS

Pop-Ups are more casual, unannounced experiences around a specific topic that raises interesting questions or promotes a unique activity.

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TECHNOLOGY SQUARE RESEARCH BUILDING

The Mobile Apps That Tech Square Researchers Use Daily

For some of us at Tech Square ATL Social Club, the beginning of the new year can be an invitation to be “out with the old habits and in with the new.”

For those who are familiar with the Marie Kondo method, the removal of things that no longer bring us joy can also apply to our mobile phones – deleting old messages, photos, and emails can be very therapeutic. Conversely, we were curious about mobile apps our community members can’t go a day without using. With this notion in mind, we popped up at the Technology Square Research Building to catch up with PhD students and researchers about the top five mobile apps they use on a daily basis.

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MOBILE APPS THAT TSQATL SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS USE DAILY

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Based on the participants that afternoon who briefly stopped by for an afternoon pickme-up of doughnuts and coffee, we learned that the top six most common mobile apps used daily are as follows:

1. Chrome 2. Outlook 3. LinkedIn 4. Facebook 5. Instagram 6. Gmail

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We also noticed that there is a shared interest in keeping up with personal finances, with apps like You Need A Budget (YNAB) and Credit Karma among the responses.

Whether the most used apps were in the social networking or personal finance categories, one thing was clear – just like the rest of us, these Tech Square researchers also rely on their phones to keep in touch and stay in the know.

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CENTERGY

World Series Fans Share Favorites

Friday, October 29 marked an important occasion – it was game three of the 2021 MLB World Series playoffs between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.

With the series tied, both teams (and their fans!) were feeling the pressure. Wanting to capture the excitement of our city’s baseball team earning such a unique opportunity to participate in the World Series, we hosted a pop-up (see what we did there?) in the lobby of Centergy One early that morning.

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With Braves baseball on the brain, we wanted to ask our community some hard-hitting questions: 1. Who is your favorite Braves player?

2. Which Braves player will hit the most home runs?

With Halloween candy on-deck, participants stopped by to snack and share their responses:

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No surprise here, the star of the show (survey) and the series was none other than Freddie Freeman! From favorite player to most favored to hit the most home runs, fans put all their faith in Atlanta’s number five first baseman.

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GRILL AND CHILLS

Grill and Chills are larger, typically seasonal, productions that are centered around bringing people together via complimentary food, drinks, games, and more.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Unveiling of Community Mural Brings Art to [Virtual] Reality

Two words: innovation and community. Seemingly par for the course, as they are discussed here quite often, it’s those two words that inspired the creation of a 19foot mural project between long-time partners, Tech Square ATL Social Club and Startup Exchange (SX), and one incredible artist, Shruti Vedula.

The idea was to visually illustrate the mission of both organizations, and boy, did it deliver. So, to honor such a momentous occasion, TSQATL hosted an afternoon of celebrating the arts with virtual reality painting, delicious food and beverages, and a champagne toast to commemorate the unveiling of the community mural, appropriately titled, “The Symphony of Innovation.”

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While attendees admired the impressive painting, which took roughly 100 hours and 27 days, guests mingled amongst each other while also conversing over their favorite forms of art. From calligraphy to photography to wood work – and everything in between – the different types of art forms discussed were as expansive and unique as our community members:

As we learned from our Peer Check-In that took place roughly this time last year, the TSQATL community is filled with musical technologists and enthusiasts. So it was no surprise that 30 percent of respondents listed “music” as their favorite art form, with the following as a few reasons why:

“Music is the most diverse art form “Music transports you from

because it's drawn out of thin air, it can

one place to another.”

literally be anything.”

“It's a universal language.”

“It is a way to express yourself

“It feels soothing and there is some

and be competitive.”

music for all kinds of moods.”

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In general, several people cited various forms of “expression” as the reason behind their favorite art form. And they aren’t alone – many people use art as a means of expressing themselves, their emotions, their thoughts, and there are even therapeutic benefits of doing so.

And just like art is subjective, it isn’t always tangible, either. During the activation, guests were able to partake in painting their own community mural – but with a tech twist. Through TiltBrush, a digital platform that lets you unleash your creativity in 3D via a wireless VR headset, attendees were able to each contribute their own paintings as part of an entire collection – in a completely virtual world. And due to the elaborate green screen setup, bystanders on the outside were able to watch the painting’s progress in real-time on a large projector, and ultimately “experience” the same VR atmosphere the artist was immersed in.

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As the festivities continued and the connections amongst members were created, the time finally came for the ceremonial speeches and ribbon cutting. Shruti Vedula, a second-year student at Georgia Tech and the Director of Marketing at SX, took center stage to reflect on her time and experience painting such a prolific masterpiece.

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As she explained each section of the mural and the meaning behind it, she stated “I hope you feel the depth of the color, the power of each symbol, and the symphony of each puzzle piece coming together."

She continued to inspire everyone in attendance that evening, encouraging others to “design for love.” And that’s precisely what she did, exclaiming “I designed for love.

I designed for passion. I designed for Startup Exchange, for TSQATL, and for you, the individual. I designed this mural so that you could feel something and relate to it in your own way."

She concluded her speech by thanking both organizations for their time, effort, and help in orchestrating such an intense project, sharing that “the confidence I gained as an artist and as a student of life is invaluable and I have this experience to thank for it.”

For a glimpse into all the action, watch the video on YouTube. And to learn more about the entire project, check out our Instagram story highlights and read the full story and artist’s bio here.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

April in Atlanta means people are finally getting out

Exploring the Physics of Flight

and about, moving and shaking, and quite honestly, starting to hit the workouts hard for those soon-tobe summer bodies. Movement around the city has been quite abuzz as of late, especially with the recent release of the vaccine to the general public.

In honor of all the activity, we wanted to host a Spring Fling of sorts, centered around a few of our favorite things: physics, frisbees, and of course, food. Set out to provide Tech Square ATL Social Club members a much-deserved mid-week break, we headed over to Technology Enterprise Park the last week of April to get our community outside in the fresh air, enjoy the beautiful spring weather, and engage in discussion and competition centered around frisbees, paper airplanes, and the physics of flight.

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To get things in motion, we turned the courtyard of TEP into a physics-themed field day, complete with free franks, provided by fan-favorite, Fox Dogs, frisbee golf, and of course, an airplane launcher. Also, being the nerds we so proudly are, all of our festivities had to do with Newton’s Laws of Motion: Newton’s First Law: Inertia An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.

Newton’s Second Law: Force The acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied.

Newton’s Third Law: Action and Reaction Whenever one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite on the first.

For the airplane launcher competition, attendees were able to select the launch angle degree of their choosing in order to win a prize for the longest distance. From 61.5 degrees to 86.3 degrees, contestants maneuvered the launcher setup accordingly and watched their plane take flight. Abbott’s very own Janet Easley was the triumphant winner of a $25 gift card that day, launching her plane an astonishing 18 feet (six feet more than the second-longest distance!) at an angle of 78.9 degrees.

In comparison, we did a quick analysis of all participants’ recordings and uncovered there is a linear correlation present, with a Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (R) equaling 0.26:

Angle (Degrees)

Distance (Feet)

Average Launch Angle:

73.9

Average Distance:

8.3

Max Angle:

86.3

Max Distance:

18

Min Angle:

61.5

Min Distance:

5

Winning Angle:

78.9

Winning Distance:

18

Correlation Coefficient: 0.26 172

This shows that there is indeed a positive correlation between angle and distance, while simultaneously confirming that other unbalanced forces, such as wind, for example, were at work. This directly ties back to Newton's First Law, as outlined previously. In layman’s terms, the launch angle definitely impacts the distance, but there are other factors at play that impact distance as well.

At the "build your own paper airplane challenge" station, community members were instructed to do the following in order to win a separate prize of a gift card of their choosing 1. Make/fold paper airplane 2. Write name/email on paper airplane 3. Throw paper airplane 4. Record distance on paper airplane and turn into the TSQATL team

Lo and behold, we had yet another Abbott winner that fateful day, Debra Brown. Her homemade airplane flew six feet! While it was a third of the distance of Janet’s, keep in mind that Debra had no mechanism propelling her paper plane – just her crafty ingenuity and engineering skills hard at work.

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And for those not as much in the spirit of competition, disc golf and Kan Jam were made available on the lawn for all to play, while others simply enjoyed chatting up colleagues while chowing down on some tasty treats.

For a quick highlight reel of all the festivities, made possible by another flight mechanism – a mini drone – check out this video!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

FIVE RINGS FIELD DAY

With the Summer Olympics in full swing, we at Tech Square ATL Social Club thought there was no better time than to host an Olympic-themed event of our own at Technology Enterprise Park.

Enter our Five Rings Field Day activation, where we invited community members to form teams and compete for gold in five events, ranging from physical endurance to mental agility – and everything in between!

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On Thursday, July 29, the hottest day of the year in Atlanta thus far, we transformed the courtyard of TEP into our very own Olympic Park, with five stations for each of the events attendees could compete in:

cORNHOLE

LADDER GOLF

SUDOKU

DISC GOLF

DARTS

No athlete should compete on an empty stomach either, so The Pickle food truck was supplying all of the fuel and hydration they needed in order to perform at their best! Throughout the day, we also asked community members their favorite Summer Olympic event to watch:

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Upon completion of all the events, we had our judges (TSQATL staff members) tally up the scores for all participants. While it was a tough competition for sure, only one can win gold! And the athlete crowned victor was none other than Kamal Cade of VERO Biotech, who earned bragging rights and was the well-deserved winner of the coveted TEP Five Rings Field Day trophy!

Of course, a big round of applause was given for all of our competitors! And at the end of the day, while many had their eye on the prize, this event was also about bringing people together, enjoying the sunshine, and getting a little break from work to engage and compete with others.

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MIND OF A MAKER

Mind of a Maker is a demonstration, workshop, or creative activity with community members.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

Equal Parts Art and Science at Fe-Brew-Ary Event

On a beautiful and unseasonably warm Thursday, we were fortunate enough to spend the entire day outside at Technology Enterprise Park with Master Brewer, Nicholas Fowler, for our part-one of our Mind of a Maker event.

The Feb-Brew-Ary festivities included an end-to-end brewing demo, insight into the art and science behind brewing great beer, and even the opportunity to suggest a name for the first-ever TEP beer.

As Fowler worked on brewing a Dry Irish Stout specifically for TEP, community members stopped by during different phases of the brewing process to discuss the chemistry and art that goes into crafting a great beer. From the dry, torched hops to the perfectly blended barley, it's clear brewing is both an art and a science. Also evident was the amount of fun people were having watching the Master Brewer at work while enjoying delicious pre-brewed beverages in the sunshine.

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Throughout the day, attendees were also campaigning for their TEP beer name suggestions to get the most votes – and the competition was fierce! With over 20 unique name submissions, we tallied the first round of votes to narrow it down to the top five finalists: 1. Celtic Fowler 2. Legendary Leprechaun 3. Leprechaun Buzz 4. Keg on the Front Porch 5. Sweet Irish Leprechaun But let’s not forget the other top contenders! Though we're all naturally competitive, we recognize everyone can’t be winners. So, let's pour one out for all of the name contenders that were really creative, but didn't quite make the cut – at least, not this time!

e d i l S r e n t u a a W h c e r TEP P e l y d r nE ifer's Bane t t u o sT s Stou Jenn w a s e TEPp Tabl Steinberg enwo lf Sto Green Sting Stout ut

Inner Nerd Stout Laughing Leprechaun TEP Golden Clover Irish Brew StinProud tout S P g TE Clov er Lo er St out ver t u o on St k t c u u t S o t S f o nd e g e L

On Z

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Check out our full highlight reel on YouTube!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

The Rev-Ale-Lation of Master Brewer’s First-Ever Community Beer

After several dreary, cold, and rainy days early last week, the sunshine finally came out Thursday – just in time for part-two of our Mind of a Maker activation hosted at Technology Enterprise Park.

During the Rev-Ale-Lation event, Master Brewer, Nicholas Fowler, tapped the Dry Irish Stout he brewed a few weeks earlier, revealed the winning beer name the community voted for, and was quizzed on random beer trivia questions.

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In the three weeks leading up to the event, as the beer was fermenting, community members had the opportunity to vote for one of the five name finalists that were determined following the Fe-Brew-Ary festivities that took place at the end of last month. Regardless of the nearly 40 submissions, one reigned supreme:

In addition to the name reveal, attendees were also finally able to try out the finished product – but not before quizzing the Master Brewer himself with some beer-related trivia questions, such as: 1. What unusual ingredients can be found in Voodoo Doughnut of the American brewery Rogue?

A: Bacon and maple syrup 2. How did the Sumerians, an ancient Mesopotamian people, drink beer?

A: Using a straw 3. In what country was beer long served in school canteens?

A: Belgium

Despite Fowler’s expertise and exceptional brewing skills, he barely netted out on top, answering only 13 of the 25 questions correctly. But hey – at least the beer was delicious!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

The Chemistry of Cocktails

The smell of summer is in the air – and so is the humidity. Even though the official start of the summer solstice isn’t until Sunday, June 20, we’re definitely already feeling the heat. So what better way to prepare for the long days ahead than by cooling down with a refreshing drink – AND learning something new?

Enter our Mind of a Maker activation, which focuses on a demonstration, workshop, or creative activity with community members. For this particular event that we and the dynamic duo of Bar Racho hosted at Technology Enterprise Park, it was all about The Chemistry of Cocktails.

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Attendees from Abbott, VERO Biotech, Georgia Tech, and even Tech Square Research Building stopped by the TEP courtyard late Thursday afternoon to put their taste buds to the test as Raymond Scott and Cooper Creel created a curated experience around adult beverages and science. First, a blind taste test!

Members over the age of 21 were given sample sizes of three different pre-made mezcal drinks: one mixed with fresh citruses squeezed that morning, one with a high-quality grocery citrus mixer (squeezed a few days earlier from a local Farmer’s Market), and one with a shelf-stable citrus mixer, like the plastic lemons and limes you’d find in the produce section. Unknown to participants which was which, we had 29 people taste each of the different options in the same order and share their feedback on which choice they liked the most, second best, and the least. The idea being that the sample with the freshest ingredients (compared to the mixers that have been packaged longer) would taste the best. And why is that? Well, chemistry, of course!

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As our lovely hosts explained to the group, it’s all about the VOCs – volatile organic compounds. These are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility, that are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. In our experiment, the VOCs come from the citrus fruits used as mixers in our adult beverages.

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As time goes by, the VOCs in fresh fruits lose their volatility as they start to evaporate.

And the longer citrus juice is in contact with the air, the more bitter it becomes. This is due to something called enzymatic bittering. So, as more oxygen and higher temperatures are exposed to the citruses, the less aromatic they become, and typically, don’t taste as good. And speaking of taste, there is a difference between taste and flavor! Taste is physiological, while flavor is so much more – including color, presentation, ambiance, etc.

Armed with all this knowledge, we were curious to uncover if people’s palettes and preferences actually aligned with science. Interestingly enough, we learned that wasn’t the case:

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According to our study, the majority of people (48%) enjoyed the “high-quality grocery” option, which was sample #2 in our experiment. And while the “fresh-squeezed” option we thought would have been the unanimous winner did come in second place, it was even more eye-opening to discover that there were five people who actually preferred the “shelf-stable” option the most!

Clearly, while chemistry was at play here, tastebuds took over. Feedback from participants were all over the place as well, with some citing that option #1 (shelf-stable) was “sour,” while others stated option #2 (high-quality grocery) was “definitely the freshest.” Some members even announced that some samples were “spicy” and others were “really strong.”

Despite the preferences being as diverse as the community members themselves, it didn’t stop people from hanging around meeting new folks and catching up with colleagues while Bar Racho exclusively served up TEP’s latest signature drink – The TEP-tation.

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While members sipped the enticing chamomile-infused mezcal drink and mingled with others in the sunshine, it was refreshing (just like the drink!) to see new connections being made, like TSRB researchers conversing with Georgia Tech employees.

And that’s exactly what we’re all about – connecting individuals and companies seeking productive collaborations to a curated environment that fosters growth and innovation.

Whether it’s through the forum of a Mind of a Maker activation, or Power Meal centered around innovation, our sole focus is to cultivate data-driven connections and offer continuous support for our entire community.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

Podcasting With a Pro

With September 30, 2021 being International Podcast Day, what better way to celebrate an occasion connecting podcasters, listeners, and supporters than to host a Mind of a Maker activation, which is a demonstration, workshop, or creative activity with community members, at Technology Enterprise Park?

Complete with a full setup of professional podcasting equipment, our Podcasting With a Pro event invited our community members to test out all the gear while learning all about the tools, software, content, and techniques necessary to start their own podcast.

Afterward, attendees were asked to record their future predictions for what 2022 would look like.

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Even though our TEP population seemed to be well-versed in listening to podcasts, as they had recommended their favorites at our recent Coffee Talk: The Best of Books, it was interesting to uncover that the majority of participants had never put on headphones to listen to themselves through a microphone – and some found it a bit challenging!

To listen to their full predictions for 2022, check out the “official podcast” on our YouTube channel.

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BRAINS IN A BAR

Brains in a Bar is an invite-only gathering where individuals come together over cocktails to discuss a brainy topic. Plot twist: Attendees must first correctly solve a few puzzles before the secret speakeasy location is disclosed.

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TSQATL

Brexit Will Positively Impact U.K. and Global innovation

Just in time for a mid-week break, a few exclusive Tech Square ATL Social Club members visited a secret location in Tech Square to enjoy some drinks and discuss Brexit's impact on innovation in the European Union (EU), fintech, and beyond.

This intimate, invite-only gathering was TSQATL’s latest edition of Brains in a Bar, where individuals come together over cocktails to discuss a brainy topic. As always, only those who correctly solve a series of puzzles are invited to participate.

Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (U.K.) from the EU, could be considered as quite disruptive – but isn’t disruption precisely where innovation thrives? To dive deeper into this, we headed over to our local watering hole, Cypress Street Pint & Plate, which also served as our speakeasy for this particular event.

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The discussion, led by Donald Innocent-Ike – a British citizen, graduate student at Georgia Tech, and investment banker at Truist Bank – covered topics such as talent flow, capital flow, data privacy laws, and (mis-)perceptions of the EU single market. As the beverages were consumed, the conversation continued around a few key questions: “Q: How will freedom of movement restrictions and data privacy laws impact the global flow of tech talent and the U.K.’s ability to innovate?

A: The U.K.'s departure from the EU frees the U.K. from EU labor laws governing hiring practices and therefore restricts the free flow of labor between EU member states and the U.K.. While perception may be that new visa requirements will limit the U.K.'s access to top EU talent, the inverse may actually be true: it may free U.K. firms to hire the best candidates from within its own labor market (rather than hiring EU mandated candidates from other member states), spurring greater focus and innovation, particularly in fintech.

Q: With uncertainty on whether London-based financial companies will retain access to the EU single market, will this shift capital flow away from the EU to other markets?

A: While the EU is nominally a single market designed to compete with the US, underlying differences in culture, preferences, and consumer behavior between member states (i.e., northern France is vastly different than southern Greece) cannot be ignored. In fact, those differences most likely hampered the EU's ability to innovate and launch startups into the Eurozone.

Q: Separating from EU law governing privacy and information flow within the U.K., will Brexit bring innovation and growth in the U.K. startup community? Could we see the development of a U.K.-based social media platform?

A: Brexit frees the U.K. (internally) from much of EU data privacy laws. Though this will still impact the U.K.'s ability to transact with Eurozone member-states (as it sells into the EU single market), it will likely give rise to new, U.K.-based startups (perhaps even a U.K.-founded social media company) that benefit from fewer restrictions.

All in all, the consensus was that the changes Brexit brings to the U.K. will unlock new innovation opportunities and have positive ripple effects to innovation communities globally.

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RECESSES

Recesses are interactive community gatherings centered around wellness, health, and fitness.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Stress Relief Retreat Stress affects everyone, but excessive and long-term stress can eventually become harmful – both physically and mentally.

In order to help combat the pressures of everyday life, we invited members and guests to take a break from the hustle and bustle and join our Recess host, Liz Cates, in a guided meditation and yoga practice centered around how to relieve stress and be more present in the moment.

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Aptly titled Stress Relief Retreat, an intimate gathering of people from Midtown, Centergy One, the Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech, and Technology Enterprise Park joined our Recess activation, an interactive community gathering centered around wellness, health, and fitness, last Thursday evening at The Clubhouse to help let out some tension and gain some new perspective. There was a general consensus that it’s difficult to cultivate a consistent practice: Prior to the start of the interactive session, which included a focused breathing exercise, guided meditation, and Yin yoga practice, participants were asked to rank their current level of stress on a scale of one to 10, with one being “not stressed” to 10 being “very stressed.”

BEFORE

AFTER

INCREASE/ DECREASE IN STRESS LEVEL

Following the activation, attendees were once again asked to report their current stress level (and one new thing they learned!), with the idea being that these activities helped decrease their stress. And the data did not disappoint. Six out of

8

3

the seven participants reported decreased levels of stress, with the one outlier experiencing no

7

1

8

2

change – but their stress level was only a “one” to begin with (must be nice, right?)!

Our gracious host, Liz Cates, wasn’t surprised by this either. “Guided meditation and breathwork

1

1

help you to focus on the present moment, ultimately calming the nervous system and helping to let go of anxiety and stress brought on

7

3

9

6

by worries about the past and future.”

After the much-deserved mental and physical health break, everyone hung around the 9,000 square foot facility to enjoy cucumber water and

8

3

fresh watermelon and to connect with new people.

Not only did attendees reveal that they learned new breathing techniques and poses, but new bonds were formed over shared interests such as painting, photography, and exercise as well.

The group also requested for more activations like this in the future – so be sure to check out our upcoming events and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest happenings at Tech Square ATL Social Club.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Community Members Come Together to Help Save Lives with Blood Donations

With it being the season of giving, what better way to give back than to donate blood and help save lives?

Tech Square ATL did just that on Monday, November 8, by teaming up with American Red Cross to host a community Recess and blood drive!

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Community members stopped by The Clubhouse to participate in our Recess: Red Cross Blood Drive, which included an informational session around blood donation and types.

Prior to the participants giving blood, they were asked the following questions: Do you know your blood type?

Which blood type is the most common?

Which blood type is the most sought after by the American Red cross?

Which blood type is the most sought after for platelets?

So, how did they fare? While most people knew their blood type, that’s pretty much where the correct answers stopped. Only 15 percent of people knew the most common blood type and most sought after, and a shocking 8 percent knew the blood type most sought after for platelets.

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When donors completed their session, they stayed to mingle and enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks, which helped stabilize their blood sugar and fluid levels. That’s when we dropped some serious knowledge on them:

Q: Which blood type is the most common?

A: Blood type O is the most common blood type, whether it is O Positive or O Negative.

Q: Which blood type is the most sought after by American Red Cross?

A: Type O Negative is the most universal and sought after, especially for emergency/trauma patients.

Q: Which blood type is the most sought after for platelets?

A: Type A Positive is the most ideal for platelets. However, there are several other blood types that are also heavily sought after.

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And to thank the amazing attendees for giving blood, each received a $10 Amazon gift card and were also entered into a national drawing to win a nine-night trip for two to Hawaii! However, it was unanimous that the best gift of all was knowing that their selfless contributions would help amp up blood supply levels, which have been dangerously low.

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SHOWCASES

Showcases are interactive community gatherings highlighting a member's interesting work.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

EF Block Georgia Showcases How Styrofoam Construction Will Provide More Than Recycling For the Community

On Tuesday, September 21, Tech Square ATL Social Club hosted an exciting Showcase in partnership with EF Block Georgia to launch a city-wide styrofoam recycling initiative with support from the Georgia Center of Innovation, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the City of Atlanta, to keep these materials out of landfills and repurpose them into usable materials.

The Future of Sustainability event invited community members and guests to take a look at the future of building materials for residential and commercial spaces via a new product, EF Block™, that was turning everyday recycled styrofoam into earth-friendly, stronger, and sustainable walls that would ultimately replace traditional building materials.

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Attendees enjoyed a short presentation on the science behind this new sustainable resource, along with a live demonstration immediately following, which included testing a flamethrower against the block material.

For a deeper look into the day’s exciting activities, check out our YouTube video:

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THE CLUBHOUSE

THE Power of PR With money at the forefront of most minds of any company, many oftentimes forget about the other “m” word – messaging.

From inception through funding and acquisition, public relations (PR) should play a vital role in the strategy of every startup or business. With several of our community members being part of the Advanced Technology Development Center programs, we invited CEO and Strategist of Rein Communications, Nicole Peternel, to host a Showcase: The Power of PR and share how it is an integral component of success, especially for new companies.

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Both seasoned professionals and new startups gathered at The Clubhouse Wednesday for an interactive session to learn more about creating a communications plan that will drive profit, reaching diverse audiences with simple content tweaks, becoming an industry thought leader, and so much more.

However, prior to the Showcase

How to be a better speaker/communicator

starting, we asked attendees to

How PR activity is deemed successful

share one thing they hoped to learn

How PR is tied to increased sales

from the speaking engagement.

How to create a multi-channel communications plan

Several responses included

How to better position my brand publicly

specific how-tos:

How to reach more diverse audiences with PR

While others were more interested

I want to understand more about PR

in gaining general knowledge

I want to learn about PR

around PR:

I'm hoping to have a PR strategy

And boy did Nicole deliver, with

What PR is

insightful and enticing topics, such

The benefits of PR

as:

The difference between PR and advertising Five elements of strategy Crafting the message

Throughout the activation, Nicole engaged with attendees, accepting questions from the audience while continuously challenging them to rethink their approach when it comes to messaging. “Start with the end in mind,” she shared, touting that in doing so, it will ultimately help build communications that support their goals, increase brand awareness, and create an effective strategy framework.

One community member, LaVonda Brown of EyeGage (an ATDC company!), asked if PR was applicable to all businesses, or just companies in specific verticals. “Absolutely,” confirmed Nicole, “PR is beneficial for any and every company, regardless of their industry!” Additionally, Nicole cites that “public relations is not only a cost-effective way to funnel leads into your pipeline, but also elevates your credibility, making you stand out from competitors and helping you target investors. PR increases your ROI tenfold.”

Concluding the other Q&As, attendees mingled with one another, with one Tech Square ATL Social Club member, Paul McKee, stating that the experience had been “eye-opening for him.”

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CENTERGY

Tech Square Spreads Awareness with #PurpleLightUp

December 3 marks a momentous occasion. Yes, it’s national “Let’s Hug Day,” which may or may not be something we as human beings are craving – especially during the isolating times of COVID-19 – but it’s also another day of recognition.

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, which started in 1922, “aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic, and cultural life.” To help aid in this cause, Tech Square ATL Social Club invited key advocates to speak about their experiences and involvement at our Showcase: #PurpleLightUp.

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The global movement, #PurpleLightUp, “celebrates and draws attention to the economic contribution of the 386 million disabled employees around the world” by, most iconically, lighting up buildings purple. Centergy One was no exception, lighting up the 487,011 square foot building purple that evening to spread awareness. Prior to the lights, community members and guests gathered in the lobby to listen to three individuals speak about disabled employees and the challenges they face in the workplace:

Jimmy Etheredge – Accenture North America, CEO Passionate about doing well and doing good, Etheredge encourages businesses to improve value while simultaneously using their power and platforms to create opportunity for all. This was evident when he spoke about the variety of disabilities that can be found in the workplace today, the economic impact those individuals have, and what can be done to spread the word.

Caroline Dunn – Wahsega, VP of Marketing Dunn showcased her creation of a functional visual messaging system that can be used in warehouses, hospitals, and special needs schools. From a classroom of deaf children being able to know they need to exit the building to letting workers in a loud warehouse know that it’s time for a break, light-up messaging boards are the way of the future.

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Joseph (Jody) T. Dyer As the first person in a wheelchair to complete degree programs at Georgia Tech, Dyer shared his experience around becoming disabled when he was just a teen and the hardships he faced, many of which were surprising, and honestly, hard to hear. For instance, wheelchair ramps haven’t been around that long – even 40 years ago GT wasn’t equipped with them. Dyer also recalled times he was left on an airplane for several hours, being stranded in a burning building, or how he couldn’t get into traditionalheight hotel beds. Through it all, Dyer maintained a positive attitude and his stories and accomplishments didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.

The global celebration for change was informative and eyeopening for all. And for those that aren’t disabled, it’s hard to even begin to fathom all the things that cause such hardships for others. That’s why this movement is so important – to help encourage involvement, drive conversations, and engage leaders.

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EXPERIMENTS

Experiments are activations that do not fall into any of the existing categories and are intended to test hypotheses about emerging needs and community personas.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

New Year, New You, New Headshots With the start of a brand new year, it only seems right that a brand new headshot accompany it.

After all, how are you supposed to pave the way for a “new year, new you” if you don’t start by putting your best face forward, first? That’s why we set up our backdrop and props over at Technology Enterprise Park to take fresh photos of our community members.

For many, having a new look, and a new headshot, is part of their New Year’s resolutions. And while we know those can be tough to keep, getting an updated photo shouldn’t be difficult! In fact, with the latest photography technology, like ring lights, taking a new headshot yourself is easier than ever before.

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So, while the camera was clicking, our in-house photographer shared some helpful tips and tricks to take the best possible headshot, either from a professional or when doing it yourself: Don’t look straight at the camera, or else you’ll look like you’re taking a drivers license photo (which we all know how those turn out).

Swivel your head to either side of the camera lens and use your ears as reference for the perfect angle.

You always want to have your ear that is farthest from the camera almost disappear from the shot.

Remember, there is also some serious science and importance behind taking new headshots, so don’t delay – check off that resolution sooner than later!

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

The Swiftest Shapeshifters Race Against the Stopwatch

If you’re like any of our members at Tech Square ATL Social Club, you probably can’t resist the urge to solve an ambiguous visual challenge when it crosses your path.

In honor of National Puzzle Day last week, we sought out to see who among our puzzle-proficient members at Technology Enterprise Park was the swiftest puzzle solver.

On Thursday afternoon, we challenged our members at TEP to create a shape shown on a card using only L-shaped blocks. The timer started as soon as the player shifted a block towards another to get to the target shape.

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Out of twelve challengers, the swiftest shapeshifter clocked in with an accurately constructed shape at 17.25 seconds. A majority of the shapeshifters were able to accurately create the shape between 31 to 60 seconds.

Of the challengers, two tapped out from completing the shape under the urgency of the ticking stopwatch — which, to their merit, adds an extra element of pressure to one’s reflexes and mental agility! But whether it’s a chemistry quiz, word problem, or a business challenge, our members do not shy away from ambiguity. In fact, they have the tendency to lean in and explore these ambiguities with genuine curiosity. This innate need to figure things out and leave no stone unturned (or shifted) until breakthroughs happen is a shared characteristic that many of our community members possess. And that’s what makes everyday exciting when you work alongside the top technologists, engineers, designers, and problem solvers at the heart of Atlanta’s tech scene.

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TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE PARK

Mario Kart Re-Inspires Our Augmented Reality Dreams

With the feeling of competitiveness still coursing through our veins the day after Super Bowl LV, we decided to challenge our Technology Enterprise Park community members to a friendly race of Mario Kart – with a twist.

Instead of the traditional race played out on a screen via a video game console, on Monday afternoon we converted the TEP lobby into a go kart track in order to physically (and virtually) race remote controlled cars equipped with built-in augmented reality cameras. In layman’s terms, we used the latest version of Nintendo's Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which combines AR technology with conventional RC cars, to turn the hallways of TEP into an actual race track.

The technology uses image recognition to keep track of the course layout and add in additional race opponents. As for the drivers, players were able to view the action from a “third-person” perspective in real-time when steering the remote-controlled vehicles through the custom track.

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And much like the original Mario Kart, the newest version drew lots of attention – and did not disappoint! Attendees enjoyed some friendly competition and lots of laughs each lap while vying for the coveted first and second place trophies – Mario and Luigi in their respective go karts.

Though the competition was fierce, there were still two clear winners. First place went to Dwayne Cesar, a manufacturing technician at VERO Biotech, with a time of 50.256 seconds.

The title for runner up was held by Brian FitzHarris, a metrologist (AKA, a “fixer of all things broken”) at the same company, with a time of 58.494 seconds.

While racing through the lobby of TEP was a much needed afternoon break, seeing the way augmented reality could be used in a new, unprecedented way sparked conversation on how that same technology could help employees at work. Cesar, for instance, mentioned that AR training simulators could be used for onboarding employees at their new jobs. And he’s not alone in his thinking.

John-Patrick Floyd of Accenture said something similar during our Harnessing the Power of AR/VR Showcase last summer, where attendees discussed the future of AR/VR: “I have heard about AR/VR a lot in the training space. For instance, how Delta uses it to train flight attendants on plane layouts. It’s also used for customer experience, which is something we do at our hub.”

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In general, the use of AR has grown exponentially over the years. We’ve seen it more recently in our shopping behaviors and discussed it at length during a previous Show and Tell event we hosted. But are we actually closer to having mass adoption of AR in the workplace and in our personal lives?

Well, we certainly hope so! Back in September, we shared updates on Facebook’s focus and investments in AR, which include research into how the technology can work in the real world (via glasses) .

Additionally, Vuzix has been making augmented reality goggles for commercial application for a while now. However, during CES 2021, they promoted their new Next Gen Smart Glasses that will be less “noticeable” for the everyday wearer – and released soon!

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Breaking the Patterns of Social Anxiety with Elevator Pitch Practice

Are you noticing yourself feeling awkward in social situations lately? You’re not alone. If you’re like most people across the globe, you have been deprived of spontaneous social interactions for about a year now because of the pandemic.

To help bring people’s public speaking skills out of atrophy, we invited Tech Square ATL Social Club members to a socially-distanced evening at The Clubhouse for Elevator Pitch Practice.

Drawing best practices from ultimate presenter Steve Jobs (whose birthday also happened to be that day,) we challenged three members to pitch about something they didn’t know much about – or interact with – until that evening.

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After initial introductions, bolstered by a glass of wine, the willing pitch practitioners were asked to pick from a selection of miscellaneous items to do a one-minute pitch about. The unlikely selection of objects included a NASA space helmet, a Tin Can Robot, an Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich, and an Etch-A-Sketch.

As you would expect from a TSQATL Social Club member, the pitches were equal parts imaginative and informative. After each round, everyone shared feedback on what each practitioner did well, and what they could work on to improve. Here are some soundbytes from the pitch practitioners about their experience:

"IT WAS FUN AND A BIT NERVE-WRACKING! [I GOT TO PRACTICE] HOW TO IMPROVISE STORYTELLING AND CONNECT WITH NEW PEOPLE." — Shu Jiang, Georgia Tech Graduate Research Assistant, DARPA Subterranean Challenge

"THIS EVENT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SEE MY STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES WHILE I PITCH. I WAS ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADING WITH THE PROBLEM I'M SOLVING TO KEEP THE AUDIENCE ENGAGED. I GOT TO MEET OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND [I WAS CHALLENGED] TO USE MY IMAGINATION AND GET CREATIVE [FOR MY PITCH]!"

— Asha Morton, Founder, Launch Advocacy Brand

"I LEARNED HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE AND REMEMBERED HOW TO GIVE DIFFERENT VOCAL RANGES WHEN SPEAKING. [I ALSO] GOT THE CHANCE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHER MEMBERS." — Andrew Choi, Software Application Developer, Alexander Babbage

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Because of the long period of “unsocial” times we’ve had, it can be difficult to meet new people and make the effort to catch up with those who we already know. Zoom happy hour fatigue is real, and while masked interactions are far from normal circumstances, making the effort to show up may be difficult – but worth it for our collective wellness. As communal beings, we have a biological need to be social — it’s literally hardwired in our DNA.

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Our community events are a great way to start easing your way back into social interactions safely and with more confidence. Whether it’s powering up with coffee for a quick Mario Brothers game or putting your memorization skills to the test, there’s something for every comfort level or topic of interest for members and Tech Squarecurious people like yourself.

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TSQATL

Competition Meets Community at First-Ever Tech Square Beer Mile

With the start of the Summer Olympic Games just around the corner, we at Tech Square ATL Social Club felt inspired to have a little competition ourselves – and put our community’s athletes to the ultimate test.

No, it wasn’t a traditional Olympic event, nor was it part of the Five Ring Field Day we’re hosting at the end of month. This was something epic. Something that we’ve never done before.

Something that could bring a smile to one’s face, a tear to their eye, and perhaps even cause them to...throw up.

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That’s right – we, along with our local partner, Cypress Street Pint + Plate, hosted the first-ever Tech Square Beer Mile last Wednesday, outside of the local haunt. Our fellow Olympians (Tech Square community members – including those from TEP and ATDC) showed up at the start line (tape on the sidewalk) to compete against each other in a one-mile foot race – but with a twist. Participants had to drink a full-sized beer, run a quarter mile, then repeat the process three more times on the predetermined route that equated to one mile. Then and only then, would a winner be crowned victorious.

Their entry fee included four race beers, one coupon for a craft beer at Cypress Street Pint & Plate, a super soft t-shirt, and the chance to win multiple prizes. At check-in, our attendees signed a waiver, received a race bib number, and stood in the denoted drinking area to receive further instruction. Some fearless runners even “warmed up” prior to the race, by consuming pre-event beverages (a decision they would come to regret later).

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Upon the commencement of the spectacle, each competitor had an unopened beer in their hands. And not just any beer, but good ol’ Bud-heavy (Budweiser). That’s because the "Standard Beer Mile Ruleset" requires the consumed beverage to be over five percent alcohol. And for some special snowflakes, hard seltzers (White Claw) and a gluten-free option (Omission Pale Ale) were provided instead, all completely within regulation.

Once the flare was fired (we counted down from three), participants cracked open their beers and started chugging. That’s correct, this was a timed event, so speed in both running and drinking were critical. In order for the competitors to be able to start running, the beverage had to be completely empty – we even required that they held their cans upside down over the trash can in front of our judges to prove it was, indeed, completely consumed. Upon discarding the container, attendees were permitted to run the course, which measured 660 feet (⅛ mile) from the starting line and included a turn-around spot for competitors to come back to Cypress Street Pint & Plate to complete their first quarter-mile lap and grab another beer. This was repeated a total of four times to officially finish the Tech Square Beer Mile.

However, to everyone’s quick realization, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Almost immediately excitement turned to angst, with several competitors “losing it.” In the physical and literal sense. And who can blame them? With over 1,000 mL of carbonated liquid in their stomachs, it can be quite the daunting task to keep it down, therefore, it’s common for it to want to exit.

Fortunately, we had some lovely bushes and buckets on hand. Unfortunately for our runners, the expulsion of fluids caused them one penalty lap at the end of the race, regardless of how many times they vomited.

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Nevertheless, the competition was fierce, but the camaraderie was stronger. Participants and onlookers cheered on each other every step of the way, until every single person crossed the finish line.

Once the race finally concluded, we handed out our official Tech Square Beer Mile participant t-shirts and held a prestigious awards ceremony.

First place, with a time of 10:31.500 went to Andrew Miller, who won a $25 gift card to Cypress Street, and the coveted Tech Square Beer Mile trophy.

In fact, at registration, he was excited that his bib donned the number one, since he would “be number one at the end of the race.”

Second place, with a time of 10:32.000 went to Lawson Sumner, who was awarded a $20 digital gift card to LiveWire Coffee, another one of our amazing sponsors.

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And no competition is complete without some additional superlatives. The first person to throw up, Jeff Willis, received the award of a pack of Pepto Bismol chewables. And the last place competitor, Nathan Rich, was bestowed the “never give up” award, which was a six-pack of Bud Light.

We have a feeling he won’t be drinking that anytime soon.

All in all, the first-ever Tech Square Beer Mile taught us many things. Never pre-game before an event that involves both running and alcohol. The inability to keep your liquids inside your body could cause you to blow the lead. And always remember, if you’re unsure if it’s a burp or something else, find a bush. We also uncovered some really interesting data as well:

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Lastly, we want to give a very special thanks to our sponsors as well – we couldn’t have done it without you!

www.cypressatl.com

www.livewire.coffee

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Plug + Play: FIFA Night – How Artificial Intelligence Powers Our Community’s Favorite Video Games

Teamwork, camaraderie, and spirit: These are the elements that capture people’s passions across the globe when it comes to both soccer and video games.

In the spirit of this year’s UEFA European Championship, Tech Square ATL Social Club member Donald Innocent-Ike hosted Plug + Play: FIFA Night at The Clubhouse Friday afternoon. With his PlayStation 5 in tow, we helped set up Donald’s coveted video game console to create a shared experience among our community members (fueled by pizza and cold beverages, of course). In the midst of all the FIFA 21 Kick Off matches, we asked community members in attendance to share their most memorable video game moment.

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To our surprise, the most common answers did not involve moments while playing a specific video game. Rather, they were the moments that community members got their hands on the following highly-anticipated games when they were released:

1. Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 5 2. FIFA 15 Though the premise of these two games are completely different, there is a common thread: The interactions between players in the game are informed by artificial intelligence.

“Imagine this: While playing FIFA, you’re only controlling one person. When you pass the ball, there are ten other players on the pitch,” Donald explained. “So, while you switch to another player to get it closer to the goal, AI controls how all the other players react – including the team member you switched off from.”

The same goes for GTA 5: The reactions of people and elements you encounter in this roleplaying game (RPG) are controlled by AI, whether you choose to commit the crimes that come with the heist missions or just cruise around in your newly stolen ride.

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And to no one’s surprise, the advancements in and intersections between AI and video games are only becoming more fascinating. Ever heard of GAN Theft Auto? It’s a version of the GTA video game, but – wait for it – it’s created entirely by AI. According to EA Sports, FIFA 22’s “machine learning algorithm learns from over 8.7 million frames of advanced match capture, then writes new animations in real time to create organic football realism across a variety of interactions on the pitch.”

"Paying attention to the moves of the other players can make the game challenging enough," Donald expressed. With AI making the games smarter and more powerful with each version release, it’s no wonder that our community’s enthusiasm for video games hardly ever dies down.

And the curiosity for things like these is exactly why you should join in on our community activations or host your own. Whether it’s a conversation during video game play about the intersection of AI and gaming, or discussing whether robots should be taxed at a bar over drinks, we work with community members to create opportunities for connection in many different forms.

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TECH SQUARE COURTYARD

Snow Much Fun Had at Tech Square Holiday Celebration

Since it’s the season of giving, we wanted to show our appreciation for our amazing community members and tenants.

To us, there was no better way to celebrate our community and the holidays than to transform the lobby of Centergy One, The Cantina, and the courtyard into our very own winter wonderland – Tech Square Holiday Party: Snow Much Fun! With all necessary social distancing and health protocols in place, attendees were invited to partake in all the festivities, which included a live quartet, courtyard carolers, seasonal sweets, toasty fire pits, mulled wine, heavy appetizers, and even a tater tot and cheeseburger slider bar!

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There was also themed trivia taking place, where contestants were able to win some amazing gifts. And though we usually like to keep tradition – especially around the holidays – we mixed this one up by awarding anyone who participated in the game a raffle ticket for a chance to win – so you didn’t even have to get the answers correct to get a prize! Of course, we don’t consider it a true activation unless we capture some notable data. Here, we collected all of the trivia questions and calculated the correct responses:

True to form, at Tech Square ATL Social Club we tackle the tough questions! Only 34 percent of the participants got three or more questions correct and not a single person got all seven right! Additionally, only two questions had more than 50 percent correct answers submitted.

Though it is a time to be generous, we clearly didn’t go easy on our community – and for good reason! We’re comprised of extremely smart and talented technologists, researchers, entrepreneurs, startups, students, and corporations who like to be challenged and collaborate together. We wouldn’t expect anything less, and neither would they.

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There was also themed trivia taking place, where contestants were able to win some amazing gifts. And though we usually like to keep tradition – especially around the holidays – we mixed this one up by awarding anyone who participated in the game a raffle ticket for a chance to win – so you didn’t even have to get the answers correct to get a prize! Of course, we don’t consider it a true activation unless we capture some notable data. Here, we collected all of the trivia questions and calculated the correct responses:

Q: When was the term "X-mas" invented?

A: The mid-1500s, by the Greeks

Q: Do more Americans get real or artificial trees?

A: Artificial

Q: What is the highest grossing Christmas movie?

A: Home Alone

Q: Which is more popular for gift purchasing: Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

A: Turkey

Q: When was Tech Square built?

A: 2001-2003

Q: How many reindeer were in the story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas?

A: Eight (Rudolph isn’t in this story)

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And as the quartet played and the carolers sang, members mingled with one another, cheering to the end of the year, roasting tasty s’mores, and striking up conversations with new people. The celebration was successful – “and to all, a good night.”

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BRIDGESIDE

BRIDGESIDE POINT I CELEBRATES NEW OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT WITH A MEET-AND-GREET HAPPY HOUR

In early November, when the air was crisp, but the sun was still shining, Collaborative Real Estate and The University Financing Foundation hosted a special meet-andgreet happy hour for the Bridgeside Point I tenants on the fifth floor.

As the new building owners and management team, we wanted to introduce ourselves and celebrate the exciting changes happening and to come.

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We commemorated the occasion with a tasteful catered event, complete with live music, light hors d'oeuvres, and a champagne toast for our amazing tenants, where Kevin KevinByrne, Byrne President President and and Chief Chief Executive ExecutiveOfficer OfficerofofTUF TUFF , gave a quick speech directed toward our community members: “We hosted this event to have an opportunity to get to know about you and your needs, so we (TUFF and Collaborative Real Estate) can personalize the attention that you all need to have a successful career both in this building and outside – that’s what our goal is.”

He went on to speak about the history of TUFF, mentioning that 40 years ago the board visualized a very personalized and detailed approach to facility development and ownership and would have never envisioned two things: 1. The Braves would win two championships 2. The impact we would have at the personal level “Tonight we’re here to celebrate the past and future,” continued Byrne. He then introduced the two TUFF board members that were present, Tom Hall and David McKenney, as well as the two that weren’t able to attend the festivities, Thomas Ventulett and A.J. Robinson.

Byrne then stated, “We want to ensure this facility becomes a successful economic venture, but also a beacon of economic development and improving lives in the city of Pittsburgh. So let’s celebrate this important investment that we made in the facility – and in you.”

He ended the toast by everyone raising a glass to the next 40 years and the impact everyone was making.

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Over 100 people dropped by and mingled with one another, chatting with familiar faces and making new connections with others. A particularly strong attendance came from Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy students from University of Pittsburgh (UPitt), who were in between classes and enjoyed a much-need break.

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True to form, we were also curious about uncovering our community more – their interests, career goals, aspirations, current projects, recent discoveries – you name it and we want to know about it! At this particular event, we asked attendees what was one technology that would help them in their field of study or career.

Au en c

Co nf er

t n ctivity

al A Physic

App

Comprehensive University Database

r

ato

nsl

Tra

Vi de

Adaptive Technology

o

i r PVR D Laptop 3 iPa

atic

d

in g

tom

Dynamic Arm Supports

r e

Calculator

Colored Printer

Digital Marketing Expert

From more traditional tech items like iPads and laptops, to newer innovations like virtual reality and 3D printers, many of their answers were repetitive. For instance, 32 percent of our community members said VR would be their choice of technology. Not far behind were iPads (23%) and 3D printers (21%). More than just numbers, what this data represents to us is that our community shares similar interests and needs. While their work or study may be vastly different from others, there is still a common thread among them – especially in the realm of tech.

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PARTNERS Whether it’s aspiring young industry leaders, seasoned entrepreneurs, or dedicated civic boosters, with Tech Square ATL Social Club as the conduit, our student and professional partners organize speaker events, workshops, and hackathons that challenge the community’s thinking and develop impactful, real-world solutions.

Partnering with these entrepreneurial groups to co-create programs allows us to create new connections between high-value talent, startups, and corporations within the neighborhood.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

TEDxGeorgiaTech Presents First-Ever Women’s Speaker Salon

At the end of January, TEDxGeorgiaTech (TEDxGT) presented their first-ever women’s speaker salon. As TEDxGT’s venue and technology partner, Tech Square ATL Social Club helped bring this event online so it could be livestreamed and allow for people across the country to tune in from the comfort of their homes.

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Under TEDxGT’s overarching theme, “Embark,” this edition of the speaker salon featured compelling stories shared by four inspiring women, highlighting profound learnings from their experiences in overcoming boundaries they faced in each of their lives.

TEDXGT: EMBARK WOMEN’S STUDENT SALON SPEAKERS AND TOPICS “The Collective Effort: Diversity and Inclusion Extends Beyond Individual Responsibility” by Hailey Park

“Sensitivity is for Everyone” by Liz Krakovski

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“Case Method: Socrates Created, Harvard Perfected, Parent Tested” by Anne Jones

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“Look Within Yourself: Embarking On My Accessibility Journey” by Nandita Gupta

If you missed this livestreamed event, subscribe to TEDxGT’s YouTube channel to get notified when these talks go live on their platform.

ABOUT TEDXGEORGIATECH TEDxGeorgiaTech is an independently organized TEDx event in Atlanta, Georgia. Run entirely by student volunteers, their goal is to showcase ideas from their own community that inspire change on Georgia Tech’s campus and beyond. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, selforganized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Winners of the 2021 Startup Exchange Pitch Practice Competition

On Friday, April 9, five startups pitched their ideas to three local judges for Startup Exchange’s Pitch Perfect Competition. Startup Exchange, Georgia Tech's biggest entrepreneurship organization on campus, opened up this competition to GT student entrepreneurs as an opportunity to present their most innovative ideas to a panel of judges for feedback, community connections, and cash prizes.

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As Startup Exchange’s technology and venue sponsor, Pitch Perfect was webcasted live from The Clubhouse. The competition was streamed to Startup Exchange’s YouTube page, allowing Alu Algae to pitch remotely, and for viewers from across the nation to chat in with their questions. Virtual attendees also got to name the People’s Choice award winner by casting votes for their favorite Pitch Perfect candidate during the livestream.

OFFICIAL STARTUP EXCHANGE PITCH PERFECT COMPETITION WINNERS 1st Place Award of $750

That’s So Local

2nd Place Award of $500

Neurogram

3rd Place Award of $250

Alu Algae

People's Choice Award of $100

That’s So Local

JUDGES

Tech Square ATL Social Club

The James Dyson Foundation

Contrary

GT Innovation Labs

ABOUT STARTUP EXCHANGE The Startup Exchange community is comprised of students of all years, all majors, all different backgrounds. This student-run organization promotes entrepreneurship education at Georgia Tech by organizing speaker events, workshops, and panels for students. Startup Exchange connects students with startups through their network of fellow students, founders, and mentors. Their mission is to foster a group of people who support and help each other reach new heights.

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THE CLUBHOUSE

Speakers Join From Across the Country for TEDxGeorgiaTech Sustainability Salon

On Friday, April 16, TEDxGeorgiaTech invited five speakers from across the country to share their insight and ideas for their Sustainability Salon. TEDxGT is a student-run organization led by a group of innovative, enthusiastic, technologically-minded individuals striving to help the Georgia Tech community embrace “ideas worth spreading.” As TEDxGT’s venue and technology partner, Tech Square ATL Social Club helped bring this event online so it could be livestreamed and allow for people across the country to tune in from the comfort of their homes.

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Based on their theme, Embark, which encompasses taking everything the past year has taught them and using that to move forward on a new journey, TEDxGT hosted five admirable speakers to discuss everything from environmental to healthcare to social sustainability:

Dr. Curtis D. Jasper

Rachel Raisin

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Harris Jamal

Rachel Raisin

Harshita Yepuri

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THANK YOU! THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT!

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