Nathan D. Gallant

[BSME 1999, MSME 2003, Ph.D. ME 2004]
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida

e-mail: ngallant@eng.usf.edu

The diversity in research areas of the Woodruff faculty made Georgia Tech my top choice for graduate school. My undergraduate experience at Tech centered on my fantastic Cooperative Education in precision machined parts and process design, and by graduation time I was prepared for a successful career in manufacturing. However, the flexibility in my course curriculum had exposed me to bioengineering and I was eager to transition into a career the biomedical research. I considered other top tier schools, but none was better for a mechanical engineer wanting to enter the rapidly growing area of bioengineering.

A Ph.D. requires tremendous depth in a narrow area of study, but a Ph.D. from the Woodruff School also requires breadth over multiple areas of mechanical engineering. This breadth is a huge advantage as interdisciplinary research has increasingly become where the important advances are occurring.

Training from world-class faculty prepared me for a career in research. Interaction (social and professional) with world-class students has led to an extensive network of friends at universities, companies and government agencies all over the country. The Teaching Practicum gave me experience in the classroom and helped me develop the instruction skills and confidence necessary to pursue an academic career.

A major strength of the Woodruff School is the recruitment, financial support, and advisor selection process during the first semester of graduate study. The extended selection process ensures each student can find an advisor in their area of interest, and the administration is highly effective at matching students with advisors and making sure every student is supported.

I can count on one hand the schools that rival Georgia Tech's Woodruff School. The faculty, students and facilities are unsurpassed.