Testimonial

Andy Perkins

[B.S.M.E. 2000, Ph.D. ME 2007]
R&D Process Engineer
Aptina Imaging
Nampa Idaho
and
Adjunct Professor
Northwester Nazarene University
Nampa, Idaho

e-mail: andy@andyandlynn.com

Attending graduate school at Georgia Tech's Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering was a natural extension of my undergraduate experience at Georgia Tech. As an undergraduate, I knew I wanted to obtain a Ph.D., but I had no vision for the particular area of science or how to make sure I was successful. I had the opportunity to work with several professors before finding a suitable match with Dr. Suresh Sitaraman. He was attentive to my desires and was very adept at making sure my graduate experience was fulfilling. He was not dismayed by personal goals such as having three children while still in graduate school. It is possible but tough!

The strength of the Woodruff School is the ability of the administrators and faculty to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the individual and tailor the graduate experience to maximize one's potential of a successful and life-long fulfilling career that can bridge both academia and industry. The Woodruff School recognizes the complexity of creating successful graduate students and succeeds by using guiding principles rather than strict program guidelines.

The reputation of the Georgia Tech Woodruff School as a first-tier research university is not just hype. The number of experiences I had as a graduate student is testament to that. I won several scholarships, traveled to multiple conferences to present my papers and rub shoulders with giants in my field, and was hired by a law firm to review semiconductor patents. I had no trouble obtaining internships at Fairchild Semiconductor, IBM, and ultimately working as a Research and Development Engineer with Aptina Imaging where I get to play in a big, expensive sandbox every day. Thanks to the urging of Dr. Sitaraman, my Ph.D. dissertation was updated recently and published as a book with Springer Publishing. I am also able to pursue both industry and academia simultaneously as I have served as an adjunct professor teaching Mechanics of Materials for Northwest Nazarene University. I get the best of industry and academia. I owe that unique privilege to the Woodruff School for making the most of my graduate experience.