Testimonial

Rebeccah Brown

[MSME 2000, Ph.D. ME 2003]
Executive Vice President &
Chief Operating Officer
SpineMedica, LLC
Marietta, Georgia

Initially I was interested in Georgia Tech because of a specific research program that was unique to Georgia Tech's Woodruff School, and very applicable to the career I was planning to return to after I finished graduate school. When I attended a preview weekend at Tech I heard about the very interesting projects going on in other areas of the Mechanical Engineering school. I ended up changing my mind and pursuing a course of research that I had always been interested in, but had never had the opportunity to study.

The preview weekend was critical to my decision to attend Georgia Tech. I could see that there were many interesting, well funded projects for graduate students. Not only was it good to meet other potential students and current students, but it was important to get to know some of the professors and staff as well.

I also liked the urban location of campus, plus Atlanta's location - within half a day's drive of mountains, ocean, even a swamp.

As expected, my years at the Woodruff School prepared me for a technical career. What I wasn't expecting and hadn't considered was all of the relationships I developed while at the school, and how beneficial these would be to me in the future. My research required that I interface with a wide range of people. This has been very beneficial to me; if a question comes up on tissue engineering, rapid prototyping, cryo-preservatio... you name it, I can usually think of someone I can call who will point me in the right direction to get my question answered. With many of my graduate student friends now working with companies around the world, I enjoy catching up with them when I travel for business or pleasure.

Interdisciplinary - contacts with multiple departments. Great industry relationships. Many options for degree. Support of internships. Support of conference attendance and travel. State of the art labs and support facilities (rapid prototyping, machine shops, histology, animal facility, etc).

I was fortunate enough to have a choice between several top graduate schools. After visiting and comparing the programs, research projects, faculty, and facilities, my impression of Georgia Tech's Woodruff School was that the facilities were amazing, the faculty was doing cutting edge research, and the students were very well supported. Georgia Tech's Woodruff School was the obvious choice.

After arriving on campus, it was clear I had made the right decision. Not only were the facilities top-notch, but they were continuously being updated and improved. The professors were accessible and involved. Occasionally they would show up at student parties, but more often you would find yourself invited to their homes. There was a great camaraderie among the students. There was always someone close by that could help you through a problem.