{"57662":{"#nid":"57662","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Industrial Engineer Named National Co-op Student of the Year","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.coop.gatech.edu\/employers\/index.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Cooperative Division\u003C\/a\u003E is proud to announce that Brian C. Rugg has just been named National Cooperative Education Student of the Year!  This honor is awarded annually by the Cooperative Education Division (CED) of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/http:\/\/www.asee.org\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAmerican Society for Engineering Education\u003C\/a\u003E (ASEE) and the Cooperative Education and Internship Association (CEIA).  The award is based on academic achievement, accomplishments as a cooperative employee, leadership, character, and community involvement.  As National Co-op Student of the Year, Brian will be honored at this year\u0027s ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration, February 4-8, 2002.  Brian will be presented with a $1000 cash award, a recognition plaque, and his travel expenses will be paid to attend the conference in Sarasota, Florida.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBrian completed his Industrial Engineering degree with the Cooperative Designation.  He graduated in a total of 4-1\/2 years, alternating semesters of full-time classes, with full-time work experience in his major field.  Brian was a co-op employee with ChoicePoint, Inc., a leading IT company headquartered in Alpharetta, GA.  He worked with the company for five semesters.  Brian worked in business analysis, process reengineering, project management and implementation, as well as business technology administration.    Rob Phillips, Project Director at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choicepointinc.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EChoicePoint\u003C\/a\u003E and a mentor to Brian, describes one of Brian\u0027s contributions to the company: \u0022Brian immediately stepped into the role of project leader in a reengineering initiative aimed at establishing cross-functional customer implementation process teams.  He directed the efforts of a group of 18 individuals, many of whom were seasoned professionals.  In every instance, Brian\u0027s solid assertive skills, technical comprehension, and interpersonal abilities enabled him to effectively achieve a successful project implementation, exceeding my high expectations.  Primarily through Brian\u0027s efforts on the Apollo customer setup streamlining initiative, ChoicePoint was able to achieve over $400,000 in cost savings for the customer support division.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBrian graduated December 15, 2001, with his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering.  Earning an overall grade point average of 3.75 at Georgia Tech, Brian graduated with Highest Honor.  A leader at Georgia Tech, Brian coordinated Team Buzz community service projects for three years, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House and the Outdoor Activity Center.  He also served as President of Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, a member of the Alpha Phi Mu Industrial Engineering Honor Society, and Golden Key Honor Society.  Brian\u0027s other awards include the Eagle Scout, HOPE and Governor\u0027s Scholarships, the James G. and Mary Wohlford Scholarship, Dean\u0027s List and Faculty Honors at Georgia Tech.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBrian is the son of Edwin and Sharon Rugg of Marietta, GA.  He has received multiple job offers, and intends to work for several years before pursuing an MBA.  Upon learning he had been chosen as the National Co-op Student of the Year, Brian said, \u0022It brings me great excitement and pride to know that I will represent ChoicePoint and the Georgia Tech Co-op Program in this fashion.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022smallfont\u0022\u003EWritten by Lisa D. Jones, Program Coordinator, Georgia Tech Cooperative Division\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27279","created_gmt":"2002-01-11 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:06:35","author":"Barbara Christopher","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2002-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2002-01-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"57458","name":"ISyE External News"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EBarbara Christopher\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndustrial and Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=bt3\u0022\u003EContact Barbara Christopher\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404.385.3102\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["bchristopher@isye.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}