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Meet Our Students
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"The department's and my advisor's commitment to helping me pursue a well-rounded education was a critical factor in my decision of where to study, and I think it's strengthened my research work and made me into a better engineer." |
Elizabeth Bristow
Ph.D., 2006
Assistant Professor
U.S. Military Academy at West Point |
• I chose to pursue my graduate degree at Texas A&M University because the university has a very good program in civil engineering combined with a strong commitment to developing educational resources in homeland security, which was very important to my research. While I was earning a Ph.D. in civil engineering, I was also able to take courses in government/public service, urban planning, and several other fields that enhanced my understanding of the problems that engineers solve. The department's and my advisor's commitment to helping me pursue a well-rounded education was a critical factor in my decision of where to study, and I think it's strengthened my research work and made me into a better engineer.
• The best aspect of my graduate experience at Texas A&M was my close working relationship with my advisor and the other students in my research group. We're a team, and I've always known I could come to them if I had challenges in my work or if I needed to talk about some aspect of graduate student life.
• I enjoyed living in Bryan-College Station because it has all the advantages of living in a small town - short commute, low cost of living, friendly atmosphere - with all the conveniences of a big city only an hour and a half away in Houston . I've gotten involved with several different community programs during my time in College Station , and I've always learned a lot and enjoyed meeting the people who live here. People here have a strong community spirit, with a commitment to each other that I don't always see in larger cities.
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"There are many excellent professors here who have a wide range of experience in my interest area in structural engineering of seismic design for concrete structures." |
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Jong-Wha Bai
Ph.D. Candidate
Structural Engineering |
• I chose to pursue my graduate degree at Texas A&M University because Texas A&M University is one of the best universities in civil engineering. There are many excellent professors here who have a wide range of experience in my interest area in structural engineering of seismic design for concrete structures. They provide many interesting classes to learn engineering background information and a lot of research opportunities sponsored by the government, industry, and academic foundations. In addition, diverse funding resources including teaching and research assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships are available for graduate students.
• The best aspect of my graduate experience at Texas A&M has been the learning environment based on research opportunities. Throughout the research activities with my advisors and other colleagues, I've learned many research skills such as searching data, scheduling projects, presentation techniques, writing technical papers, and communication with other researchers. These have enabled me to be an independent researcher. I have also had opportunities to be involved as a student volunteer in outreach programs like the Discover Engineering High School Conference. These experiences have helped me to develop skills that will be valuable assets for me in my future career.
• Bryan-College Station is a nice place to live because we can enjoy lots of advantages coming from its small size as well as many conveniences from a big school , Texas A&M University at the same time. It is a safe and friendly place for students from all countries and we can have a fairly good quality of living with a low cost. It is also easy to access big cities including Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio to enjoy a city life. I'm having really good relationships with many people in Bryan-College Station and sharing my life with them. It's the best part of my graduate student life!
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"The administration is really interested in getting feedback from students to make the civil engineering program better. They work closely with student organizations and student leaders to try and make graduate student life, which can be tough, a good experience." |
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Erin Kueht
M.S. Student
Structural Engineering |
• I chose to pursue my graduate degree at Texas A&M University because the Texas A&M civil engineering graduate program is highly rated and well respected in the community I wanted to work in. I worked with my advisor as an undergraduate, and I knew if I focused and worked hard, my contributions would be valued and appreciated. I knew the professors from working with them in undergrad, and they are always interested in helping the students learn and discover the ins and outs of civil engineering. The department is also very dedicated to helping the students learn about engineering in the real world and supporting interaction with industry partners. Professors like to promote academic careers, but there are also so many opportunities for students to network with practicing engineers. The administration is really interested in getting feedback from students to make the civil engineering program better. They work closely with student organizations and student leaders to try and make graduate student life, which can be tough, a good experience.
• The best aspect of my graduate experience at Texas A&M has been the people, hands down. The professors are very knowledgeable and really want the students to learn. Socializing within the structural department and faculty is strongly encouraged, and there are several opportunities especially geared toward that goal. At the structural engineering picnic, I got to play volleyball with several of the professors, and it was an interesting experience seeing them relax outside the classroom.
I also have a great relationship with my fellow research assistants down in our basement office. There are 14 of us, and the wealth of knowledge down there is amazing. Talking about things when I'm stuck on a research question, or de-stressing after a tough exam; it's a really a positive atmosphere. We have six countries represented, but everyone still gets along really well, and there is an added bonus of being a good cultural experience, too.
Through a civil engineering women's mentoring program that the female faculty have set up, I attended a panel discussion with practicing female engineers about problems they have faced and how they balance family, life, and a career, as well as other helpful sessions that relate to future and current issues I might face. Through this program, I have also been able to build quality relationships with other female engineering graduate students.
• I enjoy living in Bryan-College Station because I can bike to campus, and it's really geared toward a college atmosphere. It's relatively close to the large Texas cities such as Austin, Houston and Dallas, so you get less congestion on a day to day basis, but the big city life is still close by for a weekend away.
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"Graduate school and starting a family was a fulfilling and rewarding time for me, and everytime I look at the "Ph.D." next to my name I am thankful for the experience!" |
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Erica Bruce
Ph.D. Candidate
Environmental Engineering |
• Starting a family and being in graduate school is a big challenge but one that is definitely "do-able." I started work on my Ph.D. as a single college student and in the five years it took me to finish my Ph.D. I got married and just had my first child. The things that were most important in achieving my goals were time management, organization, and balance. I had to be organized enough to plan my week and manage my time effectively so that I could have time to get everything accomplished. I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't cheat either side, my school or family. So I had to do school during the time I had set aside for school 100% but then I had to do family stuff during the time I had set aside for family stuff 100%. That seemed to help me keep a balance and not get burned out. Graduate school and starting a family was a fulfilling and rewarding time for me, and everytime I look at the "Ph.D." next to my name I am thankful for the experience!
• I chose to pursue my graduate degree at Texas A&M University because the civil engineering department has a reputation for a solid, well-rounded program. This was the main reason that I chose to pursue a graduate degree at Texas A&M. I was able to work with a group of researchers from several fields of study that all brought their individual expertise to a project. This helped me develop the skills I needed to understand all the aspects of a project and become a well-rounded engineer.
• The best aspect of my graduate experience at Texas A&M has been the close relationship with advisors and mentors. I was able to work with several motivated and concerned professors and mentors that helped me grow and learn. The relationship with my advisor always provided an open door to discuss and learn. The other professors in the department were always willing to help in anyway that they could. These relationships gave me access to very polished and professional individuals who in turn helped me to develop my skills as an engineer.
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