The EI2 Advantage

 Career Planning, PP Alumni Profiles  No Responses »
Dec 202011
 

Students of the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech have wide-ranging policy interests. For those interested in Science and Technology Policy and Economic Development Policy, the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) offers unique opportunities for research.

The EI2 offers one of the strongest technology transfer programs of any university in the United States. In addition to the Advanced Technology Development Center, EI2 also provides Community Innovation Services, the MBDA Business Center, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Program in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Contracting Education Academy, and much more.

Several Public Policy faculty also work in the EI2, offering our students exceptional undergraduate and graduate research assistantships at the forefront of science, technology and innovation policy research. Our students gain an inside perspective on one of the finest technology transfer and policy research centers in the U.S. Several of our recent doctoral students, such as Luciano Kay and Stephen Carley, Jr., have worked more than four years at EI2 as graduate research assistants.  They are able to share with other universities what it takes to commercialize research to stimulate regional economic development. The EI2 is just another Georgia Tech entity that ensures our graduates are ready to bring the latest research into practice to affect positive changes in society.

The GTRI Advantage

 Career Planning  No Responses »
Dec 162011
 

The GTRI Advantage

Students in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech have numerous advantages: excellent instruction, faculty engaged in cutting-edge research, numerous research and teaching assistantships, an award-winning library, and more.

But outside of the School of Public Policy, our students also possess excellent opportunities and resources. For example, the campus houses the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). 

GTRI offers our students internships in its Office of Policy Analysis and Research (OPAR) under the leadership of a Public Policy alumna, Director Marlit Hayslett. (See her profile under “PP Alumni Profiles.”) In OPAR, our students have the challenge of working on real-time science and technology policy issues in the State of Georgia. In Spring 2012, Director Hayslett will deliver a presentation about OPAR to Public Policy students, informing them of the excellent internship and learning opportunities available there.

On December 15, 2011, OPAR hosted the Georgia Legislative Forum to address dozens of science and technology issues within the State of Georgia. In attendance were state legislators, state and local government officials, researchers, students, industry leaders, and many other economic stakeholders.

To learn more about this event and key state science and technology policy issues, refer to the 2011 Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Review: A State-Level Legislative Analysis.

Events like this legislative forum enable our students to stay current on the latest state policy discussions, understand the diverse views and interests of various stakeholders, and network with key policymakers and potential employers.

GTRI also provides Public Policy students with rewarding graduate research assistantships, allowing them to apply their theoretical knowledge and analytical skills to real-world policy problems, making a difference in society even before they graduate.  As the GTRI motto goes: “Problem. Solved.”

Why Employers Choose Tech Graduates

 PP Alumni Profiles  No Responses »
Dec 152011
 

For decades, employers have turned to Georgia Tech for new hires, knowing that Tech graduates outstanding professionals. Here are just a few reasons why employers keep coming back for Tech graduates:

  • rigorous curricula based on the latest scientific discoveries,
  • strong training to develop analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills among students,
  • state-of-the-art laboratories,
  • world renowned faculty and researchers engaged in cutting-edge research,
  • early and intensive laboratory research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students,
  • a commitment to address the broadest range of society’s social, economic, environmental, and technological challenges,
  • a commitment to producing environmentally conscientious professionals,
  • a campus fully committed to environmental sustainability,
  • global education and global research experiences,
  • team-based and interdisciplinary learning to equip students for real-world professional experiences,
  • funding of graduate and undergraduate research experiences,
  • ample opportunities for student innovations, such as InVenture,
  • numerous opportunities for students to present their research on- and off-campus,
  • hosting of globally renowned guest speakers and visiting professors,
  • an extensive global network of research collaborations,
  • graduates with the highest work ethics and productivity, and
  • graduates with a commitment to making a profound difference in the world.

The School of Public Policy fully reflects and supports these high standards. Take a look at our students and alumni. They are the proof.

Time to Get Back to the Basics

 Career Planning  No Responses »
Dec 122011
 

With end of term papers due, you are probably looking forward to a restful holiday break. But there is more on the horizon than holiday meals and registration for the Spring 2012 semester. This is the time of year when employers start posting job and internship announcements. That is why Georgia Tech and the School of Public Policy are gearing up their career services. Georgia Tech has scheduled important Career Fairs for you. In coordination with the Office of Career Services, the School of Public Policy will be offering workshops on Career Searches, Social Media and Networking, Contract Development, Grants and Fellowships, Project Management, and Consulting.  All of these events are free and open to students and alumni. Keep your eyes open for upcoming announcements. In the meantime, review the basics of job searches. Insider Higher Ed has an article entitled: “Avoid Obvious Mistakes.” This might be a good place to get back to the basics of job searches.

Featured Alumna: Jennifer Chirico, Ph.D.

 PP Alumni Profiles  No Responses »
Dec 072011
 

Highest Degree: Ph.D., Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology (2011), Specialty: Environmental Policy

Other Degrees: M.P.H., Portland State University (2004); B.S., Management, Georgia Institute of Technology (1997).

Georgia Tech alumni are so impressed by the quality of their Tech education that many return for graduate degrees at Tech.  Jennifer Chirico is one such student.

Jennifer distinguished herself as an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech, earning Dean’s List recognition for 10 of 12 quarters, Faculty Honor Role, Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts Award, Georgia Tech Women’s Forum Scholarship, Mill B. Lane/NationsBank Scholarship, and a HOPE Scholarship.  She earned Certificates in Finance, Industrial Psychology, and Social Psychology and graduated with a B.S. in Management with Honors. But Georgia Tech was not the only university to recognize her achievements.  

At Portland State University, Jennifer graduated with an M.P.H. with Highest Honors, in the top 5% of her class, and was selected by faculty to lead as the Oregon Graduate Student Representative for Oregon Masters in Public Health.

Before returning to Georgia Tech for her doctoral degree, Jennifer worked as a Senior Consultant to the Center for Disease Control and the Internal Revenue Service through Booz Allen Hamilton (2004-07), in Atlanta, Georgia, and as an Investment and Technical Consultant with  Hewitt Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (1997–99). 

Once at Georgia Tech again, Jennifer earned additional academic distinctions, such as recognition on the Dean’s List, a Science Technology Innovation and Policy Internship, a Georgia Tech Presidential Fellowship, as well as research and teaching assistantships within the School of Public Policy and the Enterprise Innovation Institute.  She has co-authored numerous articles, presentations, and working papers with Georgia Tech professors. In 2010, she delivered the keynote speech at the International Conference on Thermal Treatment Technologies and Hazardous Waste Combustors, sponsored by the Air and Waste Management Association, in San Francisco. 

Presently, Jennifer serves as the Executive Director of the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM) at the University of Hawaii-Maui College (www.sustainablemaui.org).  There Jennifer continues her environmental research, addressing the unique sustainability challenges of Pacific islands.  

Although she is half a world away, Jennifer will maintain ties with Georgia Tech and don’t be surprised if she returns to present her research to faculty and future students.  We look forward to her continued contributions as an alumna, scholar, and friend.

Featured MS Alumna: Peggy Berg, Entrepreneur and Consultant

 PP Alumni Profiles  No Responses »
Dec 062011
 

Highest Degree: M.S., Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology (December 2011)

Other Degree: B.A., Business, Michigan State University

The Georgia Tech School of Public Policy attracts a diverse group of students into its graduate degree programs. Peggy Berg illustrates not only this diversity but how accomplished professionals recognize the value and marketability of a Public Policy degree.

Before entering the M.S. Public Policy degree program, Peggy was a successful consultant. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Hotel Administrator.  As the Founder and President of The Highland Group, Hotel Investment Advisors, Inc., Peggy demonstrated her proven expertise in market analysis, financial analysis, industry statistical surveys and litigation support, primarily to the hospitality industry.  Previously, she was the Partner and Regional MAS Manager at Pannell Kerr Forster, the 14th largest international public accounting firm.  She was the first woman elected to partnership at Pannell Kerr Forster among 140 members.  But her service and leadership did not end there.

Peggy has served as the Founder and President of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, Founder of the Extended Stay Council within the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and chair of the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association. 

After a long and successful career in the private sector, Peggy now focuses on the public sector.  Peggy’s life has been about service, about giving, and building up every organization she joins.  She now takes her energy, entrepreneurial drive, and service ethic into the public sector.

In January 2012, Peggy will deliver a free workshop to Public Policy students and alumni on how to enter and succeed as a consultant in today’s economy.  Learn how you can apply your Public Policy skills in this dynamic and growing field.  To learn more about Peggy Berg, please contact her at: pberg@rosedalellc.net.

The Georgia Tech School of Public Policy not only builds and trains future leaders, it also attracts and retrains proven leaders.