Victor Lim Selected as R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Student Intern in the Abit Massey Student Internship Program

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Victor Lim Selected as R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Student Intern in the Abit Massey Student Internship Program

ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) has selected Victor Lim as the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Student Intern for the Fall 2023 through Spring 2024 academic year.

Funded by an endowment from the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation, the internship is awarded to a Georgia Tech undergraduate student participating in ATRP’s Abit Massey Student Internship Program. During the academic year, interns work alongside ATRP researchers on real-world challenges facing poultry production and processing, and have the opportunity to gain practical industry knowledge by networking with staff at local poultry companies. The goal is to prepare the next generation of researchers and professionals to produce significant advances in innovation and technology.

Lim, a third-year biomedical engineering major, will work with Jie Xu, principal research scientist, on designing advanced adsorbent materials to improve nutrient recovery and recycling from poultry production environments. He will specifically focus on recovering phosphorus and nitrogen species from waste generated in poultry growout houses. These recovered nutrients can then be recycled to produce products like fertilizer.

An Atlanta native and gardening enthusiast, Lim was drawn to agricultural research while gardening one day and thought it would be fascinating to do research on plants, particularly studying how phosphorus affects plant growth. That interest led him to discovering ATRP and the program’s work on nutrient recovery and recycling in the poultry industry.

On accepting the internship, Lim expressed his excitement to gain exposure to the field and further his understanding of the poultry industry.

“I look forward to working with cross-functional teams to investigate ongoing issues and work toward solutions. Through this experience, I hope to also improve my skills as both a researcher and engineer to solve problems of the future,” said Lim.

Established in 1973, ATRP develops advanced technology in support of Georgia’s multibillion-dollar poultry industry, the state’s leading agricultural sector. The technologies help poultry processors optimize operations and improve efficiency, safety, product yields, and environmental sustainability.

The R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation was founded by the Harrisons’ daughter, Bobbie Ann Harrison Reynolds, and her husband, Raymond H. Reynolds, Jr. (a Georgia Tech industrial engineering alumnus), in honor of her late parents with a primary goal to strengthen and support education. Her father founded Harrison Poultry in 1958 in Bethlehem, Georgia.

The Abit Massey Student Internship Program honors Massey, president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation, who was instrumental in ATRP’s founding in 1973 and remains a dedicated supporter to this day.

ABOUT GTRI

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $800 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.