Georgia Tech Opens Landmark Atrium in City of Peachtree Corners' Curiosity Lab

Partnership with Curiosity Lab amplifies hands-on research opportunities and continues bridging academic learning and industry collaboration

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --  Peachtree Corners – one of the nation's first smart cities powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G – proudly opened the doors of the first Georgia Tech Atrium today, signaling an exciting leap forward for research, collaboration and engagement. Developed as a premier hub for advanced learning and experiential opportunities, the Georgia Tech Atrium offers learners unprecedented access to cutting-edge resources through Curiosity Lab's real-world testing environment, ensuring they gain direct exposure to practical innovation.

The Georgia Tech Atrium offers access to hands-on workshops, specialized research facilities, industry partnerships, networking opportunities and more, setting the stage for Georgia Tech learners to immerse themselves in real-world innovation and pave the way for future breakthroughs in technology and design. It has been developed by the Center for 21st Century Universities, a higher-ed think tank within Georgia Tech's new College of Lifetime Learning. The Peachtree Corners Atrium will be the first of many to help advance Georgia Tech's strategic goals of global connectivity and expand access to the College's award-winning education.

"Here in Peachtree Corners, we are committed to laying the foundation for unparalleled educational opportunities, fueling growth and ensuring the next generation of technology leaders has the resources to thrive," said Mayor of Peachtree Corners Mike Mason. "With the launch of the Georgia Tech Atrium, we are proud to open our Innovation Center to Georgia Tech's learners and alumni and offer an up-close look into the next wave of groundbreaking advancements. By partnering with these bright minds, we're confident we can drive transformative change that will continue to disrupt the technology sector and positively impact communities well beyond our city limits."

At the heart of the Atrium is its focus on fostering learner-centric projects. With access to state-of-the-art equipment, tailored mentorship and ongoing demonstration opportunities, learners will gain practical skills that extend beyond classroom theory – empowering them to tackle forward-thinking initiatives ranging from edge computing to robotics.

 "The Georgia Tech Atrium at Curiosity Lab represents the future of higher education — where learning extends beyond the classroom and where broad community collaboration creates novel opportunities and advances," said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. "This initiative proceeds from a concerted strategy to extend Georgia Tech's reach, expand access to our resources and expertise and build connections that benefit students and advance research. We're proud to partner with the City of Peachtree Corners to bring this vision to life."

With doors officially open to the community, the Georgia Tech Atrium will host ongoing demonstrations, networking sessions and collaborative events throughout the year. This will include K-12 programs and professional education opportunities provided by Georgia Tech's College of Lifetime Learning. To learn more about how the Atrium is shaping academic-industry synergy and to stay informed about upcoming programs, visit atrium.gatech.edu.

"With leadership by our Center for 21st Century Universities, the Atrium provides an experimental platform for a growing range of activities that will break down barriers to higher education," said Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning Interim Dean Nelson Baker. "As the new College works to elevate the academic study of learning at all levels and across all ages, the GT Atrium allows us to foster government, industry and education collaboration in service of great communities like Peachtree Corners."

For more information or to schedule an interview with Georgia Tech, Curiosity Lab or City of Peachtree Corners executives, please contact [email protected].

About Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees, as well as professional development and K-12 programs for fostering success at every stage of life. Its more than 53,000 undergraduate and graduate students represent 54 U.S. states and territories and more than 143 countries. They study at the main campus in Atlanta, at instructional sites around the world, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.

About the City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia
As the heart of what is being called #SiliconOrchard in the metro-Atlanta region, Peachtree Corners is a vibrant municipality that's home to more than 45,000 residents, 45,000 jobs and an innovation hub that houses some of the world's most disruptive technology companies. As the United States' premier smart city powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G, Peachtree Corners serves as the model for how government and private industry can better collaborate to create a better future for society and business. From the world's first deployment of teleoperated e-scooters to fully autonomous shuttles being utilized by actual residents, and from a solar roadway to the largest electric vehicle fast-charging hub in the region, Peachtree Corners is where the most future-forward Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainable technologies come to life for the benefit of its citizens, and the world. For more information, visit http://www.peachtreecornersga.gov.

About Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners
Curiosity Lab is a 5G-enabled intelligent mobility and smart city living laboratory located in the southeastern United States near Atlanta, Georgia. Designed as a proving ground for IoT, mobility and smart city emerging technologies, the centerpiece of the lab is a three-mile autonomous vehicle lane leveraging cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies. Additional infrastructure includes intelligent traffic cameras and traffic signals, smart streetlights, the country's first "IoT Central Control Room" implemented in a city and a 25,000 square foot technology incubator. Owned and operated by the City of Peachtree Corners, Curiosity Lab is one of North America's only real-world testing environments and is available for use free of charge. Additional information can be found at www.curiositylabptc.com.

SOURCE Peachtree Corners