{"359701":{"#nid":"359701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Brains and Braun","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eby Bo Churney, Georgia Tech Social Media Fellow\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech football program is often lauded for placing greater emphasis on performance in the classroom than most other college programs. Even within the context of the school\u2019s academic rigor, offensive lineman Michael \u0022Trey\u0022 Braun stands out when it comes to achievements off the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBraun, the starting left guard on one of the most efficient offensive line units in NCAA football, graduated in December with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was also a part of an award-winning group at the most recent Capstone Expo, which showcases ideas and inventions from Georgia Tech students. Braun\u0027s team developed devices designed to help thirld world nations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBraun\u2019s Capstone group worked with Amigos for Christ, an organization founded by a Tech alumnus that runs a kitchen in Nicaragua. For their project, they worked on a new convection peanut roaster for Amigos for Christ, which used it in the production of peanut butter to help feed Nicaraguan children. Braun and his team also worked with women in the African country of Mali on new peanut shellers as part of his Capstone project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe women in Mali, a lot of times they shell peanuts as part of their income. So we worked on a shelling tray that would make it easier to shell the peanuts without breaking the kernel, because when they break the kernel, that sort of ruins the sale value for them,\u201d explained Braun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt may seem like his hard work and academic success is shattering the stereotype of the \u201ctypical\u201d football player. But, he said, \u201cI think everyone who plays football at Georgia Tech is busting that stereotype, because it is not a school where you can take it easy. There are no easy classes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBraun credits part of his success to the structure the program provides. He detailed his schedule, from early morning workouts, to the essentially mandatory 8 a.m. classes, all the way to afternoon football practices. With that time locked up, Braun says he and his teammates have learned to plan their time more efficiently, including schoolwork and leisure time (some of which Braun has devoted to doing stand-up comedy). Braun also stressed the importance of scheduling even the most mundane things \u2014 like eating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat\u2019s one big thing, you have to eat all your meals. That\u2019s important. That\u2019s something I think most students may take for granted, but you really have to plan out time to eat.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe collective commitment to both school and sport have created a deep camaraderie within the Georgia Tech football program, a program that is experiencing some of its greatest success in the past two decades..\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m excited about the Orange Bowl. We\u2019ve been practicing really hard, and we\u2019re really excited to get this opportunity. It\u2019s a huge Bowl, it\u2019s probably one of the biggest stages a lot of us have played on.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Orange Bowl will wrap up an exciting month-long stretch for Braun. He helped the Tech football team beat Georgia 30-24, played in the ACC title game, presented and won at Capstone, and graduated. Braun will also be getting married in January. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough he has graduated, Braun\u2019s career at Georgia Tech is not over. Braun still has a year of eligibility remaining with the football program and will begin work on his Masters in Business Administration in the Spring 2015 semester. \u201cOh, I\u2019ll be back,\u201d he said \u2014 for another year of leading Tech on the field and in the classroom.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Starting offensive lineman Trey Braun graduated with mechanical engineering degree in four years"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETrey Braun is a starting offensive lineman for the Yellow Jackets who graduated in December with his degree in mechanical engineering. While juggling his responsiblilties as a student athlete, Braun worked with fellow students to invent devices to help peanut farmers in third world countries like Nicaragua and Mali.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Trey Braun is a starting offensive lineman for the Yellow Jackets who graduated in December with his degree in mechanical engineering."}],"uid":"28058","created_gmt":"2014-12-31 16:27:28","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:46","author":"Steven Norris","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-12-31T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-12-31T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"359711":{"id":"359711","type":"image","title":"Trey Braun","body":null,"created":"1449245775","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:16:15","changed":"1475895096","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:36","alt":"Trey Braun","file":{"fid":"201535","name":"1491317_10101110473808509_6970687630688793944_o.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/1491317_10101110473808509_6970687630688793944_o_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/1491317_10101110473808509_6970687630688793944_o_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":276468,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/1491317_10101110473808509_6970687630688793944_o_0.jpg?itok=lxwdQWDo"}}},"media_ids":["359711"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ramblinwreck.com\/sports\/m-footbl\/mtt\/trey_braun_751259.html","title":"Trey Braun Athletics Bio"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1625","name":"athletics"},{"id":"32061","name":"capstone design expo"},{"id":"113251","name":"college  football"},{"id":"516","name":"engineering"},{"id":"1843","name":"football"},{"id":"246","name":"Georgia Institute of Technology"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"26051","name":"georgia tech athletics"},{"id":"113271","name":"intelligent"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"167258","name":"STEM"},{"id":"170790","name":"student athlete"},{"id":"113261","name":"Trey Braun"},{"id":"2223","name":"yellow jackets"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESteven Norris\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Social Media\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["snorris@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}