Our Law, Science, and Technology Program is an under-referenced gem, because you may not think Georgia Tech is a path to law school—but we provide the education necessary to do that. Our students get exposed to real-world, practical experience from people who are working in the legal arena. There are many opportunities for donors to make a difference in developing this program.
– Cassidy R. Sugimoto, School Chair, Tom and Marie Patton Chair, and Professor, School of Public Policy
Donors to the Law, Science, and Technology (LST) Program support transformative learning opportunities that fuel our students’ ambitions; one gave a meaningful gift that helps students in need pay law school application fees. You can increase this vibrant interdisciplinary learning environment for students and faculty across campus— as well as attorneys, alumni, and other experts who share an interest in how the law affects, and is affected by, science and technology. The LST Program, which includes a minor, is a shining example of how Georgia Tech belongs to influential communities in the greater Atlanta area and beyond.
Georgia Tech students from all colleges and majors pursue law school and engage with the LST program, ultimately practicing in areas from patent law to corporate law and everything in between.
The Roberta Berry Endowment Fund for the LST Program
The Roberta Berry Endowment Fund for the LST Program (“The Roberta Berry Fund”) honors the contributions of Public Policy Professor Roberta Berry, who founded the LST program as an extension and expansion of Georgia Tech’s earlier pre-law efforts. Professor Berry has inspired generations of Georgia Tech students to pursue careers in law, and she was instrumental in bringing together the many alumni who are key faculty in the program to this day. In her later roles in Georgia Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Education, she has had an impact on the education of every undergraduate student at Georgia Tech. In honor of her legacy as a beloved professor and noteworthy administrator, The Roberta Berry Fund has been established by the generosity of an anonymous alumni donor to provide unrestricted support for the financial needs of the LST Program, so we can continue offering our students and campus community high-quality programming in the areas where Georgia Tech’s work intersects with law.
The Troy Van Aacken Law Endowment Fund
The Troy Van Aacken Law Endowment Fund (“The Van Aacken Fund”) was established in memory of Troy Van Aacken, EE 1997, by his wife, Susan Silver Van Aacken, PUBP 1999, and family to support Georgia Tech students pursuing law school admissions by providing funding for law school application fees, testing fees, and expenses for law school visits. These funds are distributed to students selected for the LST program’s annual Van Aacken Awards recognizing their achievements at Georgia Tech and their potential to make an impact in the legal field. In honor of Troy Van Aacken’s distinguished career as a lawyer and member of Atlanta’s legal community, the Van Aacken Awards help ensure that Georgia Tech students continue to have access to the resources they need to pursue a career in law.
Georgia Tech Intellectual Property Fund
With the generous support of AT&T, through Georgia Tech alum Scott Frank, EE 1989, the Georgia Tech Intellectual Property (GTIP) Fund provides funding for Georgia Tech’s various initiatives to become the leading university for intellectual property (IP) education in the world. With curricular initiatives including an embedded undergraduate certificate in intellectual property and the establishment of courses across the Institute that focus on the importance of IP, this fund supports the activity of Georgia Tech’s IP programs and IP Advisory Board.
