{"129401":{"#nid":"129401","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Receives Grand Challenges Explorations Grant to Design Energy-Efficient Vaccine Warehousing System","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $100,000 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.grandchallenges.org\/Explorations\/Pages\/Introduction.aspx\u0022\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations\u003C\/a\u003E grant from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatesfoundation.org\/Pages\/home.aspx\u0022\u003EBill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E. The program funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how persistent global health and development challenges are solved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/colton.shtml\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJonathan Colton\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.id.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Industrial Design\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project focused on designing a net-zero energy warehousing and distribution system for vaccines and drugs in developing countries. Net-zero energy describes a building with no net energy consumption and no carbon emissions measured on an annual basis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003EIn addition to Colton, immunization logistics consultant John Lloyd, architect Andrew Garnett and Solar Electric Light Fund project manager Steve McCarney will also contribute to the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003EThe project was one of more than 100 Grand Challenges Explorations grants announced May 9, 2012.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003E\u201cGrand Challenges Explorations encourages individuals worldwide to expand the pipeline of ideas where creative, unorthodox thinking is most urgently needed,\u201d said Chris Wilson, director of Global Health Discovery and Translational Sciences at the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.\u0026nbsp; \u201cWe\u2019re excited to provide additional funding for select grantees so that they can continue to advance their idea towards global impact.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003EThe goal of the Georgia Tech project is to develop the design and engineering specifications for a new, energy-optimized warehousing and distribution system for vaccines and drugs. In low- and middle-income countries, vaccines and drugs are often stored in older buildings that are inefficiently laid out and wasteful of energy. In these countries, warehousing and distribution costs can amount to 20 percent of drug and vaccine supply costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003E\u201cWe plan to demonstrate that energy-efficient, state-of-the-art warehousing systems can eliminate or greatly reduce the operational energy costs for storage and distribution of vaccines and drugs in developing countries with challenging climates,\u201d said Colton.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003EAccording to Colton, to be successful the new warehousing system will need to:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMinimize environmental impact, energy consumption, and storage and transport costs;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOffset any grid electricity consumption;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEmploy low-energy cooling techniques;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAccommodate a variety of building sizes and configurations; and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBe able to store vaccines, drugs and dry supplies at various controlled temperatures.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003E\u201cOnce we create the design and engineering specifications for this new warehousing and storage system, we plan to select an industry partner to build and test the system in a developing country such as Tunisia,\u201d added Colton.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022NoSpacing1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Grand Challenges Explorations: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.grandchallenges.org\/Explorations\/Pages\/Introduction.aspx\u0022\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations\u003C\/a\u003E is a $100 million initiative funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatesfoundation.org\/Pages\/home.aspx\u0022\u003EBill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E. Launched in 2008, more than 600 people in 45 countries have received Grand Challenges Explorations grants. The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline and from any organization. The initiative uses an agile, accelerated grant-making process with short two-page online applications and no preliminary data required. Initial grants of $100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E Georgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E 75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314\u003Cbr \/\u003E Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E Abby Robinson (abby@innovate.gatech.edu; 404-385-3364) or John Toon (jtoon@gatech.edu; 404-894-6986)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003EAbby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. Professor Jonathan Colton will design a net-zero energy warehousing and distribution system for vaccines and drugs in developing countries.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech received a Gates Foundation grant to design a net-zero energy warehousing and distribution system for vaccines and drugs in developing countries."}],"uid":"27206","created_gmt":"2012-05-09 14:15:58","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:13","author":"Abby Vogel Robinson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"129371":{"id":"129371","type":"image","title":"Vaccine Africa","body":null,"created":"1449178634","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:14","changed":"1475894754","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:54","alt":"Vaccine Africa","file":{"fid":"194611","name":"vaccine_usaid-path-gabe_bienczycki.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/vaccine_usaid-path-gabe_bienczycki_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/vaccine_usaid-path-gabe_bienczycki_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1180698,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/vaccine_usaid-path-gabe_bienczycki_0.jpg?itok=QzWcvQFe"}}},"media_ids":["129371"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"137","name":"Architecture"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"861","name":"Africa"},{"id":"175","name":"Architecture"},{"id":"33051","name":"Bill \u0026 Melinda Gates Foundation"},{"id":"926","name":"College of Architecture"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAbby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E Research News and Publications\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:abby@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eabby@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 404-385-3364\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}