Tech Topics - Fall 2007 - (Page 17)

TheHill friction and give the paddle more speed and second to reduce the area over which the force was applied, increasing the intensity of the pressure my rear end felt.” At an afternoon press conference, Clough and South Georgia College President Torri Lilly signed a partnership that enables the college’s students who earn a two-year associate of science degree in pre-engineering and maintain a 2.7 grade point average to automatically be admitted to Georgia Tech’s Savannah campus to pursue an engineering degree. Clough called it an “exciting program that will offer great opportunities to young people” and explained that Georgia Tech Savannah begins at the junior level to “capitalize on the resources of two-year schools and four-year colleges that do not offer an engineering degree.” He also promoted the partnership as a guest on Lilly’s weekly television program, “South Georgia College in Action.” Clough said during the filmed interview that Georgia Tech Savannah has a prescribed curriculum that offers five majors in engineering. Clough also toured Optima Chemical and Castparts Corp., two high-tech industries that each have about 10 Georgia Tech alumni on their payrolls. In his address to the chamber, Clough again reflected on his childhood. “Growing up in Douglas when I did was a great time for a boy who loved the outdoors and the freedom to roam. With its ready access to forests and swamps, Douglas was a place that allowed me to explore and my imagination to soar,” he said. “In those days now long gone, life in south Georgia seemed to move slowly,” Clough recalled. “Commerce was driven by the tobacco crop which was sold in August in vast warehouses Clough kicks back at a desk at Georgia Tech as a student. One day he would be sitting behind the president’s desk and sitting down to be interviewed by Torri Lilly, president of South Georgia College, below, on her weekly television program that airs in his hometown of Douglas. ROB FELT by auctioneers who used a language I could not understand until they concluded with ‘sold to American’ when the American Tobacco Company won the bid. The tobacco farmers and their families, many of whom were my relatives, looked forward to these times ROB FELT President Clough shares a hearty laugh with Mary Oliver Brice, a friend from his childhood. because they were paid hard cash for their crop which they immediately used for purchases of school clothes and shoes for their children.” Clough told the chamber audience, “Douglas and Coffee County have made a remarkable transition from that old economy to a new one through the concerted and strategic efforts of leaders of the community. “While other small towns and cities in south Georgia and elsewhere saw their better days many years ago, Douglas has thrived. You have managed to preserve the parts of the old economy that still work and add the new.” Clough said Georgia Tech has also adapted to change. “The Georgia Tech I was privileged to attend in the early 1960s exists today only in limited elements of engineering and science fundamentals and historic architecture. The Georgia Tech of this century is known as one of the world’s great universities,” he said. Clough said Georgia Tech’s accolades include: • Named as one of the nation’s top 10 public universities. • Home to one of the nation’s top five colleges of engineering and top 10 public business schools and programs in applied mathematics and chemistry. • Cited as No. 1 in the nation among public universities for percentage of students who are National Merit Scholars. • Home to three National Institutes of Health centers of excellence in nanomedicine. • Home to national centers of excellence in photonics, electronic design and solar technology. • Home to new programs in energy, robotics, systems biology and high-performance computing. • Ranked first in graduation rate among all public state universities. • Cited among the top 10 in generating patents among the nation’s universities. • Generated more than 50 new companies in the past five years. Clough commended Douglas for its forward thinking. “I know that you here in Douglas are also thinking about the important issues that face this region if it is to be competitive in the future,” he said. “I have confidence that you will succeed based on your willingness in the past to face and meet challenges. “I can promise that Georgia Tech will continue to be a resource to you in providing an outstanding education for your children, sending talent to you when you need it, helping upgrade the math and science programs of your schools and providing advice to your existing industry base.” TECHTOPICS | FALL 2007 17

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech Topics - Fall 2007

Contents Mail Call Alumni House Historic Renovation 007 Buzz Bash Dazzling Daylilies Living History Cover Story: Key to the City The Hill Tapping Technology Robotics Rivalry No Easy Ride Giving Back Balancing Act Student Life Burdell & Friends Epic Story of Heroism Yellow Jackets Very Good Team Passport to Retirement Real World

Tech Topics - Fall 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.