Testimonial

Dana R. Swalla

[M.S.M.E. 1999, Ph.D. ME 2003]
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Energy and Propulsion Technologies
General Electric

I was accepted by a number of other top tier schools besides Georgia Tech. The primary factor in my decision to attend the Woodruff School was the extent of collaborative research between faculty in the same department and different departments. The fact that I was able to receive full-funding for my graduate work was also an important factor because I was leaving a well paying job to attend school full-time. I found that Georgia Tech and the Woodruff School have important contacts in industry and government that make full funding possible for many students.

My advisor, Richard Neu, set aside adequate funding so that I could present my work at conferences and seminars, which prepared me very well for professional life. This also provided the opportunity to make important contacts early in my career. Cross-department coursework and an open curriculum provided a very well-rounded education.

Extensive collaboration; contacts with industry and government friendly, engaging faculty; state-of-the-art equipment and facilities are the major strengths of the graduate program at Georgia Tech.

I work with graduates of many top tier schools, and am very proud of the training I've received at Georgia Tech. The training and opportunities I've received there are the best available anywhere.

I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining an open environment in which collaboration is encouraged. There are many other schools that have more of a dog-eat-dog culture where technical excellence is likely insured, but do little to teach students how to team with others and, in my opinion, can lead to an environment where ethics are less important than short-term results. Georgia Tech has proved to me that you can have a culture of BOTH technical excellence and respect for the individual and their learning experience. In my opinion, success after graduation depends on having so-called "soft" skills as much or more than technical skills. Georgia Tech does an excellent job at balancing the need for training in both of these areas.