Nisha Detchprohm (nisha.detchprohm@ceismc.gatech.edu)

To the Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship reviewers, I am writing to recommend Katie Ciavola for the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarship opportunities. In my role as a research engineer specializing in design and engineering education, I’ve had the pleasure of having Katie as a student in my sophomore engineering design studio (referred to as ME 2110) Fall 2023 at Georgia Tech. She demonstrates the good academics, school and community involvement, and interest in an engineering career that the scholarship is looking for in an undergraduate student pursuing engineering. Katie turned in high quality deliverables, both individual and group. She was one of the few students who consistently went to office hours and was open to feedback for improvement. She clearly loves to learn and successfully applies knowledge learned. Her strong engineering skills are demonstrated by having the best CAD and construction in the section, her creative ideation showed in unique ideas and easily understandable technical communication, and her problem-solving abilities were constantly tested when coding and prototyping across all projects. She actively looks for more manufacturing and prototyping courses to take, including an industrial design minor and volunteering her remaining time as a prototyping instructor (PI) in the Invention Studio, a student-run makerspace. Katie is a natural leader. She convinced her former GT cheer teammates to sign up for 2110 the same semester to help each other succeed with their busy schedules. They showed up to my office hours as well, and they have mentioned her motivation during competitions, lifting their spirits during stressful times and leading celebration during team victories. In the course, lots of students looked up to her in a similar manner. When it came to team formation, she was the most requested teammate out of 19 students, being requested by over half of the class. Her peer evaluations throughout the semester supported this, regularly scoring full marks from all of her teammates. For 2110, her group finished in the semifinals of the Final Competition and first in Design Review out of 84 teams, which is a testament to her dedication and collaboration on a team project. One overlooked skillset that the engineering industry needs are technically knowledgeable mentors. Especially for women and other minorities in STEM, it’s easy to doubt one’s capabilities without a person providing encouraging and honest advice. For mentorship, not only did her teammates ask for her support and advice, but other students in the section would also approach her when they felt stuck during prototyping. Katie mentioned she enjoys building self-confidence and sharing knowledge with others, and that was why she became a PI at the Invention Studio and a grader for the dynamics course. When I have down time between meetings at the mechanical engineering building, I sit outside at the tables outside the makerspaces. I see her almost every time I am there regardless of what time of day it is. After taking ME 2110, she spends as much of her free time prototyping or teaching others to prototype. Her ability to explain a concept to others makes her a desirable mentor. Even the graduate teaching assistants for 2110 approached me about her interest in becoming an undergraduate teaching assistant for the course. I believe these qualities make Katie Ciavola a great candidate to represent and be supported by the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarships. She recently became an ambassador for Georgia Tech’s mechanical engineering department, interacting with high students from all over Georgia. Her actions and time spent giving back to her community truly shows that she believes in the career that being a mechanical engineering student can not only give her, but others who are interested in this direction as well. Her ability to autonomously produce high-quality work, build self-confidence to others and improve the learning experience for other students is a desirable trait for her classmates, instructors, and future colleagues in industry. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Nisha Detchprohm Research Engineer I at Georgia Institute of Technology Center of Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC)

Nisha Detchprohm (nisha.detchprohm@ceismc.gatech.edu)

To the Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship reviewers, I am writing to recommend Katie Ciavola for the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarship opportunities. In my role as a research engineer specializing in design and engineering education, I’ve had the pleasure of having Katie as a student in my sophomore engineering design studio (referred to as ME 2110) Fall 2023 at Georgia Tech. She demonstrates the good academics, school and community involvement, and interest in an engineering career that the scholarship is looking for in an undergraduate student pursuing engineering. Katie turned in high quality deliverables, both individual and group. She was one of the few students who consistently went to office hours and was open to feedback for improvement. She clearly loves to learn and successfully applies knowledge learned. Her strong engineering skills are demonstrated by having the best CAD and construction in the section, her creative ideation showed in unique ideas and easily understandable technical communication, and her problem-solving abilities were constantly tested when coding and prototyping across all projects. She actively looks for more manufacturing and prototyping courses to take, including an industrial design minor and volunteering her remaining time as a prototyping instructor (PI) in the Invention Studio, a student-run makerspace. Katie is a natural leader. She convinced her former GT cheer teammates to sign up for 2110 the same semester to help each other succeed with their busy schedules. They showed up to my office hours as well, and they have mentioned her motivation during competitions, lifting their spirits during stressful times and leading celebration during team victories. In the course, lots of students looked up to her in a similar manner. When it came to team formation, she was the most requested teammate out of 19 students, being requested by over half of the class. Her peer evaluations throughout the semester supported this, regularly scoring full marks from all of her teammates. For 2110, her group finished in the semifinals of the Final Competition and first in Design Review out of 84 teams, which is a testament to her dedication and collaboration on a team project. One overlooked skillset that the engineering industry needs are technically knowledgeable mentors. Especially for women and other minorities in STEM, it’s easy to doubt one’s capabilities without a person providing encouraging and honest advice. For mentorship, not only did her teammates ask for her support and advice, but other students in the section would also approach her when they felt stuck during prototyping. Katie mentioned she enjoys building self-confidence and sharing knowledge with others, and that was why she became a PI at the Invention Studio and a grader for the dynamics course. When I have down time between meetings at the mechanical engineering building, I sit outside at the tables outside the makerspaces. I see her almost every time I am there regardless of what time of day it is. After taking ME 2110, she spends as much of her free time prototyping or teaching others to prototype. Her ability to explain a concept to others makes her a desirable mentor. Even the graduate teaching assistants for 2110 approached me about her interest in becoming an undergraduate teaching assistant for the course. I believe these qualities make Katie Ciavola a great candidate to represent and be supported by the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarships. She recently became an ambassador for Georgia Tech’s mechanical engineering department, interacting with high students from all over Georgia. Her actions and time spent giving back to her community truly shows that she believes in the career that being a mechanical engineering student can not only give her, but others who are interested in this direction as well. Her ability to autonomously produce high-quality work, build self-confidence to others and improve the learning experience for other students is a desirable trait for her classmates, instructors, and future colleagues in industry. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Nisha Detchprohm Research Engineer I at Georgia Institute of Technology Center of Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC)

Nisha Detchprohm recommends Katherine Ciavola

Nisha Detchprohm (nisha.detchprohm@ceismc.gatech.edu)

To the Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship reviewers, I am writing to recommend Katie Ciavola for the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarship opportunities. In my role as a research engineer specializing in design and engineering education, I’ve had the pleasure of having Katie as a student in my sophomore engineering design studio (referred to as ME 2110) Fall 2023 at Georgia Tech. She demonstrates the good academics, school and community involvement, and interest in an engineering career that the scholarship is looking for in an undergraduate student pursuing engineering. Katie turned in high quality deliverables, both individual and group. She was one of the few students who consistently went to office hours and was open to feedback for improvement. She clearly loves to learn and successfully applies knowledge learned. Her strong engineering skills are demonstrated by having the best CAD and construction in the section, her creative ideation showed in unique ideas and easily understandable technical communication, and her problem-solving abilities were constantly tested when coding and prototyping across all projects. She actively looks for more manufacturing and prototyping courses to take, including an industrial design minor and volunteering her remaining time as a prototyping instructor (PI) in the Invention Studio, a student-run makerspace. Katie is a natural leader. She convinced her former GT cheer teammates to sign up for 2110 the same semester to help each other succeed with their busy schedules. They showed up to my office hours as well, and they have mentioned her motivation during competitions, lifting their spirits during stressful times and leading celebration during team victories. In the course, lots of students looked up to her in a similar manner. When it came to team formation, she was the most requested teammate out of 19 students, being requested by over half of the class. Her peer evaluations throughout the semester supported this, regularly scoring full marks from all of her teammates. For 2110, her group finished in the semifinals of the Final Competition and first in Design Review out of 84 teams, which is a testament to her dedication and collaboration on a team project. One overlooked skillset that the engineering industry needs are technically knowledgeable mentors. Especially for women and other minorities in STEM, it’s easy to doubt one’s capabilities without a person providing encouraging and honest advice. For mentorship, not only did her teammates ask for her support and advice, but other students in the section would also approach her when they felt stuck during prototyping. Katie mentioned she enjoys building self-confidence and sharing knowledge with others, and that was why she became a PI at the Invention Studio and a grader for the dynamics course. When I have down time between meetings at the mechanical engineering building, I sit outside at the tables outside the makerspaces. I see her almost every time I am there regardless of what time of day it is. After taking ME 2110, she spends as much of her free time prototyping or teaching others to prototype. Her ability to explain a concept to others makes her a desirable mentor. Even the graduate teaching assistants for 2110 approached me about her interest in becoming an undergraduate teaching assistant for the course. I believe these qualities make Katie Ciavola a great candidate to represent and be supported by the Georgia Engineering Foundation scholarships. She recently became an ambassador for Georgia Tech’s mechanical engineering department, interacting with high students from all over Georgia. Her actions and time spent giving back to her community truly shows that she believes in the career that being a mechanical engineering student can not only give her, but others who are interested in this direction as well. Her ability to autonomously produce high-quality work, build self-confidence to others and improve the learning experience for other students is a desirable trait for her classmates, instructors, and future colleagues in industry. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Nisha Detchprohm Research Engineer I at Georgia Institute of Technology Center of Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC)

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