Alina Staskevicius, an Industrial Engineering major who graduates in May, has been selected to receive the Tau Beta Pi Cup, which some say is arguably the highest honor that an undergraduate engineering student can earn at Georgia Tech. The Tau Beta Pi Cup was funded through a generous endowment from Narl Davidson, faculty ombudsman and professor emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, and his brothers in memory of their parents. Based not only on excellent scholarship, but also outstanding accomplishments and contributions, the award recognizes the top Georgia Tech engineering undergraduate who has demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and service to the field and the Institute, and who has shown potential for continuing growth.  Humble about the expectations of continued growth, Staskevicius leaves a deep imprint at Georgia Tech, spending her final year serving the Institute and her classmates as undergraduate student body president. At the Georgia Tech student honors day luncheon on
April 22. 2010, Staskevicius will receive the traditional engraved Tau Beta Pi Cup as well as a $5,000 award.  Learn more about Staskevicius in the interview that follows.

ISyE: Tell me what the Tau Beta Pi Cup award means to you.

AS: Receiving this award is extremely humbling. I am tremendously honored. I have so much respect for all Tech students, which makes the receipt of this award all the more overwhelming. Receiving the Tau Beta Pi Cup award also serves as a charge for me moving forward; I hope to live up to the expectations of continued growth and excellence in the future, and represent Georgia Tech well as an alumna.

ISyE : What piqued your interest in becoming an industrial engineer? (Were you always interested in ISyE?)

AS: When I visited Georgia Tech in the spring of my senior year of high school, my host, an ISyE student herself, introduced me to Industrial Engineering. I had always known that I wanted to pursue a degree heavy in mathematics, but one with a practical component to it as well. Industrial Engineering seemed like the perfect fit – and I was right!

ISyE : Favorite ISyE course and why?

AS: My favorite ISyE course was Senior Design. Everything came together for me that semester, and I enjoyed the overlaying of the various concepts I had learned in different classes preceding Senior Design. I also very much enjoyed the teamwork involved in working on my project and how we were able to solve real world problems.

ISyE : Favorite ISyE professor and why?

AS: My favorite ISyE professor was my ISyE 2028 professor, Dr. Nagi Gebraeel. Although Dr. Gebraeel was relatively new to GT when I took his class back in Fall 2007, he was extremely personable during lecture, taught the material effectively, and always greeted students with a wave when we see him around campus.

ISyE : Research interests?

AS: I have always been interested in research in the Health Systems area. Although I am not pre-med, I am drawn to the medical field, and I would like to learn more about how Industrial Engineering can be applied to concepts such as disease treatment.

ISyE : Biggest achievement?

AS: My biggest achievement was being elected undergraduate student body president last spring.

ISyE : Tell me about your role in SGA and some of your accomplishments?

AS: As SGA president this academic year, I served a dual role: I coordinated the activities of the executive branch of student government, and I also served as the primary voice of the student body to the Georgia Tech administration and others external to Tech. Although serving as president has kept me exceptionally busy throughout the final year of my undergraduate education, it has been the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience of my life thus far. Throughout my tenure, I have been able to meet with legislators to discuss budget issues, serve as a student representative on Tech’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee, help pass a reformed Dead Week policy, organize a GT White Out Football game, oversee the development of a new campus portal, launch a new SGA web site, and advocate for better faculty-student relations.

ISyE : Other non-academic interests?

AS: I love to learn new languages! I can speak French, English, and Lithuanian fluently, and have taken Spanish and German classes. I am an avid Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets sports fan, love to travel, and most of all enjoy spending time with my friends.

ISyE : Prospective career goals?

AS: I am working for Deloitte Consulting starting in July; in Fall 2012, I will attend Harvard Business School. Long term, I hope to either end up in the medical field in hospital management, or working for the Department of Education.

ISyE : Last book you read for pleasure?

AS: Pelican Brief by John Grisham

ISyE : What’s in your mp3 player?

AS: Too many songs to count! Some of my favorite songs include:

• “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John

• “Night Moves” by Bob Seger

• “When You Say Nothing at All” by Alison Krauss

ISyE : Favorite spot on campus?

AS: Although I have spent countless hours in the SGA office and in the library, my favorite spot on campus is Tech Tower. A true symbol of my undergraduate education, the Tower represents the rich history of the Institute and its commitment to academic excellence. The sight of this particular building will always remind me of the legacy I am a part of as a Yellow Jacket.

ISyE : Best piece of advice you ever received?

AS: This is not a piece of advice so much as a quote that I truly believe in: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead