Testimonial

Christine Valle

Academic Professional
Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Tech
Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology

It was really serendipitous to be in the Woodruff School. I originally started my M.S. in the School of Aerospace Engineering (because that was my undergraduate major and the School is very highly ranked), but after a while, I realized that as a foreign national I would have trouble getting a job in the U.S. aerospace industry. Meanwhile I had taken a number of classes with Dr. Larry Jacobs and really enjoyed wave propagation. When I approached him about possibly doing a Ph.D. with him in that area, he mentioned a new project he was on with Dr. Jianmin Qu (the 1996-2000 MURI initiative) that he thought I'd be well suited for. Because the project was under the Woodruff umbrella, Dr. Qu asked that I transfer to ME, which I did. So I can't say that I had planned to end up in the Woodruff School, but somehow I did, and I've never regretted that decision.

During the course of my Ph.D. I formed close friendships with many faculty and fellow students, who were more than willing to discuss their careers and what it was like to work in academe. Having two advisors (in two different schools) is difficult, of course, but it also enabled me to meet many more people than your average student does, and that was very useful when it came time to look for an assistant professor position somewhere. Also, teaching for two semesters really helped give me a sense of what it would be like to be responsible for a classroom.

After my Ph.D. I joined the University of Maine as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. I stayed there for 2.5 years. By any measure I was very successful there, but it's all due to the support and expert advice I had at Georgia Tech. I remember how the Woodruff School Chairman, Dr. Ward Winer, warned us during our exit interviews, that the transition from grad student to faculty could be difficult -rightly so, of course. In my case I was so well prepared that I got few surprises.

After UMaine I took a job as a business analyst for MetLife, the insurance company, in New York City. This was a radical departure from my engineering education, obviously. Yet I found that once I learned the lingo of the business world, I blew everyone away with my math skills and methodical approach to things. Even though I knew nothing of the insurance world, or even corporate America, I did exceedingly well there as well, which surprised me. I had expected everyone there to exhibit the same drive and aptitude I had found at Georgia Tech, which was quite naive!

The major strength of the Woodruff School is unquestionably, the faculty. Their drive and enthusiasm are second to none, and obviously show in the funding and quality of students they attract. What's more, most faculty members are genuinely concerned with the student body and its education. I think every Ph.D. candidate goes through one or more moments of self-doubt and quitting fantasies; I was no exception. Yet every time I felt ready to throw in the towel, somehow I always found a professor to say the right words and bring me back on track. I can't say for sure, but I doubt this collegial atmosphere is prevalent in other top-ranked engineering institutions.

On all counts, the Woodruff School is second to none. If I had to do this all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. The Woodruff School gave me an education that makes everyone go , say Wow! every time they look at my resume, and has opened a very wide variety of doors to me. That's priceless.