{"690109":{"#nid":"690109","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Just Say Hello ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust saying hello to someone can make all the difference in the college experience. That\u2019s the message Lucas McCarty wants to pass on to the next generation of Yellow Jackets as he graduates with a master\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe St. Louis, Missouri, native didn\u2019t know anyone on campus when he arrived as an undergraduate, but he knew that an introduction \u2014 be it in a lecture hall or at a campus event \u2014 could be the potential bridge between himself and a community ready to exchange new ideas and collaborate.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIntroduce yourself to the strangers you meet, because you never know. In a month, that stranger could be a teammate, and then a friend, and the next thing you know, you\u2019re shattering records and reshaping industries,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u0027t imagine my college experience without the people I\u2019ve met this way.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFollowing his own advice, McCarty connected with a group that would create a new BattleBots team. That team, Anxieti, traveled the country and competed at three National Havoc Robot League world championships, becoming the first Tech team to qualify for the competition. As an undergraduate, he also participated in HyTech Racing, Tech\u2019s student-run organization dedicated to furthering students\u0027 engineering experience through the development of Formula SAE electric vehicles.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdded to that, McCarty was a member of the Georgia Tech German Club for four years and served as the organization\u2019s president, establishing annual traditions like visits to local German restaurants and road trips to the German-themed town of Helen, Georgia.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETech\u2019s Collaborative Edge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcCarty says Tech\u0027s collaborative environment sets it apart from other institutions \u2014 both in terms of extracurricular and classroom activities.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEverything I\u2019ve achieved in my time at Tech would\u2019ve been impossible without the strong friendships and collaboration that we have here. While we are at a competitive school, students don\u2019t feel the need to push each other down. Instead, they kind of work together to raise everybody up, and that\u2019s something everyone can benefit from,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHelping others was at the root of McCarty\u0027s decision to come to Tech. His brother, Joshua, is wheelchair-bound due to cerebral palsy. Moved by his brother\u2019s situation \u2014 since the second grade \u2014 McCarty knew he wanted to become a mechanical engineer to make a difference. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u0027ve seen firsthand the impact core assistive technologies have on his life. His electric wheelchair gives him independence. We have a van with a ramp inside that allows us to transport the wheelchair. Without these things, every day would look completely different. Seeing the impact that engineering can have on somebody\u0027s life has pushed me to see what I can create, and my brother\u2019s perseverance and determination inspire me every day. He deals with unique challenges but never stops bringing light to others\u2019 lives,\u201d he said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcCarty applied and was accepted to many of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/23\/georgia-tech-secures-multiple-no-1-rankings\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etop 10 U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report engineering programs\u003C\/a\u003E. But he says it was the faculty, curriculum, and student resources, like the campus makerspaces and student organization offerings, that set Tech apart. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOftentimes in a lecture, there\u2019s a topic that a professor is teaching that\u0027s a mind-blowing, highly specialized topic, and they\u2019ll casually mention that they invented this 20 years ago. I think that\u2019s one of the special things about Tech. We have an unmatched innovative culture here, and there are always breakthroughs happening at this place where we get to work and spend our days,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince his second year as an undergraduate, McCarty has interned at Siemens. After Commencement, he will be a full-time engineer in their research and development department, working on new products for distributed energy resource management to improve grid reliability and the incorporation of renewable energy sources into homes and buildings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcCarty starts his full-time role the Monday after Commencement, but in the fall, he\u2019ll take a delayed celebratory trip to Greece and Italy. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Mechanical engineering graduate Lucas McCarty found that collaboration at Georgia Tech begins with a simple introduction. "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMechanical engineering graduate Lucas McCarty found that collaboration at Georgia Tech begins with a simple introduction.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mechanical engineering graduate Lucas McCarty found that collaboration at Georgia Tech begins with a simple introduction. "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-05-01 20:03:13","changed_gmt":"2026-05-01 20:18:18","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680144":{"id":"680144","type":"image","title":"McCarty-Thumbnail.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003ELucas McCarty and his team on \u0027EV and the Grid\u0027 race day with Buzz. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1777666347","gmt_created":"2026-05-01 20:12:27","changed":"1777666347","gmt_changed":"2026-05-01 20:12:27","alt":"Lucas McCarty","file":{"fid":"264385","name":"McCarty-Thumbnail.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/01\/McCarty-Thumbnail.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/01\/McCarty-Thumbnail.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6211791,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/01\/McCarty-Thumbnail.jpeg?itok=6dYgmxYm"}}},"media_ids":["680144"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/commencement.gatech.edu","title":"Spring Commencement Information "}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"167101","name":"Spring Commencement"},{"id":"193483","name":"Engineering, graduate students"},{"id":"190256","name":"G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"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\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute Communications\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}