Reid Bailey

[M.S.M.E. 1997, Ph.D. ME 2000]
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

I decided to go to Georgia Tech for two reasons: I found a group of people in the Systems Realization Lab that were doing work that I connected with, and they were doing that work with a passion I hadn't seen elsewhere. Second, Dr. Bill Wepfer, then the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, made me feel like I was wanted at Georgia Tech. The other less personalized reasons were good facilities, and the reputation of Georgia Tech.

I learned about myself through the experiences I had at Georgia Tech - I learned that I loved to teach. I hadn't had a career direction before learning that I loved to teach. I was prepared to be a teacher through the teaching practicum program for doctoral students. This one program made a huge impact on my life. Additionally, I learned how to communicate technical information more effectively through all the writing I had to do. This is a strength that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

The mentoring that I received from the faculty in the SRL was phenomenal. One career-related area they really helped me with was my job search.

The diversity of research opportunities and faculty to work with is great. My experiences in the SRL were excellent for me. The way that you can come to Tech and be matched with a faculty member after you arrive is a unique strength. That, paired with the diversity of opportunities, means that most anyone in mechanical engineering graduate school could find a good match at Tech.

As far as the faculty and student body are concerned, I think their diversity is their main strength. I knew students that worked all the time, but most students had lots of outside activities. I was a whitewater canoe racer. Friends of mine raced triathlons, rowed for Tech, were avid runners, played in a band. The facilities were excellent for a graduate student.