April 14, 2026
By Cecilia Sorci

Georgia Tech hosted the third annual Crane Safety Research Center meeting April 9–10, uniting students, faculty, safety advocates, and crane industry representatives for two days focused on innovation, research, and safety.

Presentations and lab demonstrations from nearly 50 faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, as well as partners from the University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin, spotlighted new research and technologies to improve tower crane safety.

Georgia Tech, a leader in engineering innovation, partnered with crane safety advocates Andrea Wang and Henry Wong and their nonprofit, the Sarah Pantip Wong Foundation, to accelerate technologies that could improve tower crane safety and prevention efforts across the construction industry. As a founding funder of the Crane Safety Research Center, the Foundation worked with universities to boost research, policymaking, and science-driven data solutions to improve safety with and around tower cranes and help prevent catastrophic crane collapses like the one that claimed the life of their daughter, Sarah, in 2019 in Seattle.

The meeting allowed industry representatives to engage Georgia Tech researchers and students, exchange ideas, and explore how academic research drives practical field-safety improvements.

“Georgia Tech’s strength in engineering innovation, combined with the vision and support of Andrea, Henry, and the Sarah Pantip Wong Foundation, advances safety through technology and by shaping construction culture,” said William Singhose, director of the Crane Safety Research Center at Georgia Tech and professor in the Woodruff School. “The annual meeting showed how research, collaboration, and education drive meaningful change to protect workers and the public.”

The Crane Safety Research Center exemplifies how Georgia Tech leverages academic learning and research to benefit society. Georgia Tech leads in tower crane research and safety innovation, joining engineering expertise, applied research, and collaboration to address one of construction’s most consequential safety challenges.

The April 9–10 meeting underscored Georgia Tech’s commitment to developing real-world solutions that address crane safety gaps, support industry progress, and save lives.