Testimonial

Stacy Imler

[MSME 2001, Ph.D. ME 2005]
Senior Associate
Exponent Failure Analysis Associates
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I chose to complete my graduate work at the Woodruff School for many reasons: the faculty, the students, the funding, and the recognition. Prior to my decision, the members of the Woodruff School community went out of their way to help educate me on the research opportunities and the academic program. Through that correspondence, I learned about the outstanding resources within the School in funding graduate student research, whether through individual fellowships or research grants. This reflected well on the ability of the faculty and the students to identify meaningful research questions to address. With the chance to work on one of these projects, along with the opportunity to further my education and my professional skills in a highly ranked mechanical engineering program, my decision was an easy one.

The Woodruff School graduate program provided me with a solid educational experience that has helped me excel in my career as an engineering consultant. I have been able to apply the skills that I developed during my graduate training to tackle complex biomechanical issues from a variety of angles, often using a novel approach. In addition to addressing problems from a technical perspective, the graduate training has also provided me with the foundation, through the teaching component of the program, to effectively present technical issues to a non-technical audience. Through teaching undergraduates in the classroom, as well as mentoring them in the laboratory, I gained the ability to be flexible and creative in guiding others through scientific principles and analyses.

The program provided many opportunities for involvement in activities to advance my professional development. I was able to attend several scientific conferences per year, where I presented my graduate research as well as networked within the research community. On-campus, I had the opportunity to interact with industrial liaisons while attending and presenting at numerous symposiums. I was also able to gain invaluable industrial experience through an internship with a tissue engineering company.

The major strength of the graduate program at Georgia Tech was the emphasis on collaboration with faculty and students within your department, as well as with those in other departments at Georgia Tech. This collaboration allowed for the development of research projects that reached out across disciplines. Working with students from other departments allowed me to see problems from different perspectives and backgrounds and often led to more complex and interesting analyses.

In addition to my graduate work, I was participated in a number of on campus activities as well as activities in Atlanta. On campus, I was involved in intramural sports, the campus running club, educational outreach programs with high school students, and a theater production. In the city, I played in a city-wide Ultimate Frisbee League. Given the campus community and the location of the school in a big city, I was given a unique opportunity to gain a well-rounded experience as a graduate student in the Woodruff School.