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

November 7, 2025

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

The Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) has selected Kortney Martin as the latest R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Student Intern. The internship began with the Fall 2025 semester and will continue through the Spring 2026 semester.

Funded by an endowment from the R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Foundation, the internship is awarded to an 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 poultry innovation and technology.

“We are excited to have Kortney Martin as our latest R. Harold and Patsy Harrison Intern as part of the Abit Massey Student Internship Program here at Georgia Tech. This is a great opportunity for her to engage in real-world research in support of the state’s poultry industry, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our ATRP team,” said Doug Britton, ATRP program manager.

A Georgia native, Martin is a senior majoring in biology. She discovered ATRP while searching LinkedIn for research-based opportunities, and later accepted a position as an undergraduate student research assistant under the direction of Daniel Sabo, senior research scientist. The internship will broaden practical experience opportunities as she continues working alongside Sabo. Her primary focus will be on exploring solutions to extend the lifetime of peracetic acid (PAA), an antimicrobial agent used in poultry processing to ensure food safety and control microbial contamination in carcass chilling operations.

With research interests in genetics and microbiology, Martin said working with ATRP she has learned the interdisciplinary world that is poultry. “I never thought about how many different people and areas of expertise come to work together from the hatching and raising of birds, to processing, and everything in between,” said Martin. “The projects that are worked on here are directly applicable to industry, and the multitude of projects that are occurring at any given time ensures that there’s always something to do. I can’t get bored; each week is something new in the best way.”

She particularly enjoys being able to work in a chem-lab, which has allowed her to gain hands-on experience in quickly adjusting experimental procedures to account for unanticipated problems, developing and implementing new procedures, using new lab equipment, and learning how to do new biological growth assays. She has also sharpened her skill at communicating scientific information. A testament to that was the honor of receiving a Student Certificate of Excellence for Oral Presentation at the 2025 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, held July 14-17 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She won the award for her presentation titled “Identifying Chemical Methods to Optimize the Lifetime of Peracetic Acid.”

On a personal note, Martin shared that she underwent brain surgery as a teenager. The surgery drastically changed the way her brain worked, from learning to communicating. “It’s been a long process ‘learning my brain,’ and the opportunities I’ve encountered by working here have allowed me to keep challenging myself in new ways,” said Martin. “Being here has solidified my passion for research, and I want to continue exploring new topics.”

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 is in honor of the late Abit Massey, president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation, who was instrumental in ATRP’s founding.

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.