Testimonial

Yong Chen

[Ph.D. ME 2001]
Assistant Professor
Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

I remember I had two offers for graduate school, Georgia Tech and Purdue University. A major reason that I went to Georgia Tech for graduate school is because my advisor, Professor David Rosen, gave me the opportunity to work on an exciting National Science Foundation (NSF) project titled Rapid Tooling Testbed. In retrospect, I feel my choice was blessed in so many ways.

Because of Professor Rosen, I was able to work in three distinguished laboratories during my graduate studies. They were the Systems Realization Laboratory (SRL), the Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute (RPMI), and the Graphics, Visualization and Usability (GVU) center. I learned an enormous amount from the colleagues I worked with in these labs. The graduate work at Georgia Tech prepared me well for both a career in industry and at an academic institution. Also, I believe my years at Georgia Tech gave me some of the greatest personal growth in my life.

The graduate program at Georgia Tech is unique in both course study and research support. In course study, a wide variety of graduate coursework was offered each semester. The courses gave me ample opportunity to dig deeper into almost any area in which I was interested. I took many courses in mechanical engineering, computer science, architecture, and industrial and systems engineering. The courses were taught by top-notch professors who challenged the students with interesting projects. In research support, the professors I met provided continuous encouragement, guidance, and patience throughout my graduate studies. My fellow graduate students were smart, hard-working, and supportive. They made my research experience at Georgia Tech really enjoyable.

I would rate the graduate program, the faculty, the student body, and the facilities of the Woodruff School as some of the best in the nation. The Woodruff School provided excellent financial support and facilities to give its Ph.D. students a top-notch education and research experience.