Akio Kita

[BME1998, Ph.D. ME 2005]
Project Engineer
Reservoir, Sampling & Pressure (RS&P)
Schlumberger
Sugarland, Texas

E-mail: akio_kita@hotmail.com

I chose to do my graduate work at the Woodruff School based on my positive experiences during my undergraduate work at the school. While I was an undergraduate, I realized that everyone associated with the school, including faculty and support staff, are willing to teach and support a motivated student. Professors often introduced their personal research objectives into their courses and were willing to adopt a student with similar interests. Faculty and staff were always available to answer any questions. The machine shop and electronics lab staff were also willing to help any student who wanted to learn. As a motivated student, I wanted the same access to the knowledge and experience available from the Woodruff School during my graduate work as I had during my undergraduate work.

Engineering firms are demanding engineers who are technically proficient, work well in a project team, and can explain their work in a quick and concise manner. The Woodruff School offers enough course work and research opportunities so that students can become accomplished in their chosen field. Students leave the School well prepared for the technical challenges awaiting them in their careers. Team work and project-oriented thinking is emphasised in courses as well as research projects. A single engineer cannot accomplish a project in industry due to time and budget constraints, so being able to work as part of a team is an essential skill. Team dynamics experienced during project course work is exactly the same as team dynamics encountered while working on industry projects. The experience of working in teams at Georgia Tech has been very helpful in launching my career. Presenting work you do in the team is also emphasized at the Woodruff School. There are many opportunities to give presentations and acquire feedback during the graduate program. Presenting project work during class, presenting research results at conferences, and giving lectures to fellow students are all opportunities to sharpen your skills as a presenter. The ability to organize information, present properly, and answer questions are all invaluable skills. Presentation skills I have acquired during my time in the graduate program have helped my voice be heard within my current project team and company.

The Georgia Tech graduate program has two major strengths: people and opportunities. Professors have a wealth of knowledge that they are willing to share both in class and out of class. Faculty will honestly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. They help you develop your strengths and eliminate weaknesses. The courses they teach are broad in scope and in depth so an interesting course can always be found. Faculty constantly create opportunities that motivated students can take advantage of. The Woodruff School has relationships with top companies in industry. These relationships are often used to benefit the School and companies but students as well. The machine shop and electronics lab are always willing to help students with their projects. The administrative staff keeps paperwork to a minimum so a student can focus on learning. In summary, people in the Woodruff School create an environment where a motivated student can immerse themselves in their chosen field of study.

The Woodruff School is an outstanding school. The graduate program is well thought out and flexible. Students have the opportunity to focus on required course work and those in their areas of interest. The program also requires courses outside of the mechanical engineering discipline which is essential for the interdisciplinary nature of today's engineering work. The faculty are all experts in their chosen areas of study and are working on the leading edge of research. The best part of the faculty is that they enthusiastically share their knowledge and research with students. This willingness makes the faculty outstanding. Fellow students are also great. I took my fellow students for granted while attending the Woodruff School; however, after several years in industry, I realize my fellow students were much better engineers than the majority of engineers available on the market. The Woodruff School has one of the newer facilities on campus and it is packed with all manner of modern engineering tools, and is designed to make it comfortable for both research and learning. There are open lab spaces where you can wander and look at various research projects. There are open study areas where you can study with fellow students and professors. There are also places where you can tinker and have fun with personal engineering projects. Finally, there are also places where you can hide and concentrate. Overall, I had a fantastic experience while getting my degrees.