Testimonial

Carl Kirkconnell

[BME 1990, MSME 1992, Ph.D. ME 1995]
Chief Technology Officer
Iris Technology
Irvine, California

By virtue of the fact that my doctoral thesis topic was developed with consultation from scientists at Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) and the Mechanical Engineering faculty at Georgia Tech, I was able to work on a project of fundamental academic interest with practical implications. Therefore, by the time I completed my graduate work, I was prepared to work full time with Hughes as an expert in one of their core technology areas, cryogenic refrigerator design.

The major strength of the Georgia Tech graduate program is the faculty. I was impressed with the amount of help I received from the faculty, whether or not they were on my thesis committee. The reputation of the program is also a significant strength, especially in obtaining employment.

As a Raytheon employee, I have lobbied for and received research grants specifically for Georgia Tech for the past two years. I would not risk my professional reputation if I were not supremely confident that the investment would be worthwhile for my company.

The overall quality of the program is excellent, the faculty is knowledgeable and dedicated, and the student body is competitive and diverse. Due to the huge amount of outside research funds the School receives each year, the facilities are constantly improving. Those that aren't excellent today likely will be tomorrow.