Denning T&M Annual Report (2023 – 2024)

Annual Report 2023- 24 (July 2023 – July 2024)

Executive Summary

The Steven A. Denning Technology & Management (T&M) Program helps create cross-functional leaders in technology and business-related fields by building upon Georgia Tech’s outstanding programs and curriculum. Classes emphasize experiential learning and include hands-on elements, allowing Denning T&M students the opportunity to offer interdisciplinary-team solutions to real-world problems faced by the program’s corporate affiliates.

The Denning T&M Program is open to all Georgia Tech undergraduate students, including the Scheller College of Business, the College of Computing, the College of Engineering, the College of Design, the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Sciences.

Business and Engineering students who complete the program earn a 22-credit minor in Engineering & Business. Computer Science and IT Management students earn a minor in Computing & Business. Students from all other colleges earn a minor in Technology & Business.

Vision: To develop a generation of collaborative, professionally adept, ethical, and successful business leaders with an openness to seeking and learning from alternative points of view and with the capability to leverage technology to improve the state of the world.

Mission: To be the flagship interdisciplinary program at Georgia Tech, offering minors at the intersections of technology and business, involving rigorous academic and professional training in collaboration with world-class faculty and corporate partners across a breadth of industries.

There are two sides to the program: students and corporate affiliates, and the five-member T&M faculty/staff team, with the support of our exceptional professors, bridge these two sides. Additionally, as the alumni base expands, the team strives to incorporate them into the program whenever possible.

When it comes to supporting our students, we offer rigorous academic challenges paired with events to encourage their growth as individuals and team members. We categorize our events as career development, corporate partnerships, academic, international, alumni-centered, community building, and administrative.

When it comes to establishing and nurturing our corporate partnerships, the T&M Program team works closely with each affiliate to meet their specific innovation and hiring needs. From on-site visits by our Administrative Director and Senior Manager, Corporate Relations & Student Counseling to office takeovers, the T&M career fair, and capstone project development, mentoring, and execution, we listen intently and execute process improvement to benefit affiliates and students alike.

This report includes our curriculum and information on our events to create a broad view of the T&M Program’s opportunities. In addition, it will touch on students, alumni, and corporate affiliates to show the unique ecosystem known across Georgia Tech as one of the exceptional offerings available to undergraduate students

Leadership Update

Dr. Han Zhang has completed the eighth year of his nine-year term as the Faculty Director of the Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program. He is a Professor in Information Technology Management (ITM) and the Steven A. Denning Professor of Technology & Management.

Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on the economics of information technology, online trust and reputation, online word-of-mouth, and the evolution of electronic markets. His research on the institutional setup to help small businesses grow in the digital economy has been used as the basis for testimony before the Congressional House Committee on Small Business. He currently serves as a senior editor for MIS Quarterly, a top-tier journal in the information systems field and the Editor-in-Chief for Information & Management.

Faculty, Staff, Student Assistants, and MBA Mentors

The T&M Program staff have been working together under the guidance of Faculty Director Han Zhang for eight years and Administrative Director Bob Burgess for 10 years. Sheena Brown (Academic Program Manager) handles all events, student recruiting and attrition, scholarships, and finances. Anne Lynch (Communications Manager) and John Stanford (Senior Manager, Industry Engagement & Student Counseling) partner to coach the students for career success. After offering career guidance, John passes the students back to Anne for writing advice. Between the two of them, the students receive the oneon-one attention needed to excel. John also coordinates all corporate engagement to nurture industry partnerships, while Anne maintains alumni engagement for our 782-member alumni community

Jack Terry, senior undergraduate office assistant, led his peers Parker French, JC Hansen, Sam Hatcher, Kylee Johnson, Sarah Shin, and Pennon Shue as undergraduate office assistants. Together they run T&M events, answer student questions, and support faculty and staff with projects.

T&M Faculty and Staff: Sheena Brown, John Stanford, Anne Lynch, and Han Zhang. Not pictured: Bob Burgess

Student Assistants: Jack Terry, Kylee Johnson, Sarah Shin, Parker French, and JC Hansen. Not pictured: Sam Hatcher and Pennon Shue.

In the spring of 2016, we began an initiative to support our undergraduate students with full-time MBA students. This academic year, Mohammed Abukhdeir, Imon Ghosh, Byron Fair, and Erik Makaroff served as MBA Mentors. MBA Mentors worked five hours per week and focused on coaching the teams with their writing, presentations, and business cases.

MBA Mentor

Capstone Projects for the Class of 2024

Mohammed Abukhdeir Boeing, Equifax, and NCR

Imon Ghosh Novelis, PACCAR, and Steelcase

Byron Fair Caterpillar, SmartPM, and Southwire

Erik Makaroff Naval Nuclear Laboratory, risk3sixty (two teams), and Georgia-Pacific

Admissions and Program Statistics

Fifty-nine students from the T&M Program Class of 2024 completed minors in either Computing & Business, Engineering & Business, or Technology & Business. In Fall 2024, 64 students in the Class of 2025 will begin the Pre-Capstone class, and 67 students in the newly admitted Class of 2026 will begin classes. The Class of 2026 has an average GPA of 3.75 and spans 13 Georgia Tech majors. Women students represent 38% of this class, Latino students represent 21%, African American students represent 9%, and students identifying as two or more races represent 4%.

 Aerospace Engineering (AE)

 Architecture

 Business Administration (BA)

 IT Management

 Finance

 Marketing

 Operations & Supply Chain

 Strategy & Innovation

 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CHBE)

 Civil Engineering (CE)

 Computer Engineering (CMPE)

 Computer Science (CS)

 Economics

 Electrical Engineering (EE)

 Environmental Engineering (ENVE)

 Industrial Design (ID)

 Industrial Engineering (IE)

 Mechanical Engineering (ME)

Dr. Han Zhang and Professor Bob Burgess addressing the incoming Class of 2026.

Class of 2026 Demographics by College

Demographics by Origin from 2016-2026

Demographics by Gender from 2016-2026

Additionally, between the fall semester of 2015 and the fall semester of 2023, the T&M Program offered “Express Admission” to all incoming Scheller College of Business Dean’s Scholars. Forty-eight Dean’s Scholars accepted the offer. Several students have stated that a key factor in their acceptance of the Scheller Dean’s Scholarship was the fact that they received “Express Admission,” which means they can declare their desire to join the program in their first year without formally applying or interviewing. Those accepting “Express Admission” began the T&M Program in the fall of their sophomore year.

Class of 2024 Dean’s Scholars

Brianna Henderson (IT management), Cody Kaplan (finance), Madeleine O’Byrne (strategy & innovation), Sukrutha Suthari (IT management), and Trey Tiffin (strategy & innovation).

Male 57%

The percentage of majors and concentrations represented in the T&M Program from the Scheller College of Business are found in the graph below:

The percentage of majors and concentrations represented in the T&M Program from the College of Engineering over the years are found in the graph below:

30% Acceptance Rate

There have been 3,266 applications received up through the Class of 2026, with 987 students accepted into the program.

92% Graduation Rate

There have been 987 students accepted through the Class of 2024, with 782 earning one of the three T&M minors.

Brianna Henderson (business – IT management)

John Rezabek (computer science)

College

College

College

Enrollment Growth by College through Class of 2026

Scheller

Ivan

College

Enrollment Growth by College through 2026 (Total Enrollment = 1,000)

Minors

Curriculum

Class of 2025 Academic Updates

Dr. Eric Overby and Dr. Karthik Ramachandran each taught our first-year students as a cohort, with the year culminating in a poster competition on April 22, 2024. Also, Scheller College majors (that are not IT management majors) took coursework with Dr. David Ku and Dr. John Cressler.

In Dr. Eric Overby’s “Analysis of Emerging Technologies,” students learned a structured approach to analyzing an emerging technology. They applied that approach to several emerging technologies, including those related to artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, energy and transportation technologies, and more.

Dr. Eric Overby teaching.

As part of Overby’s course, student teams present to guest speakers, which allows for richer discussion. Teams also roleplayed as podcasters on sustainability-themed topics. Dr. Overby selected the top three teams to refine their presentations and compete against each other in the second semester at an event called, “Reports from the Future ”

Reports from the Future

Dr. Eric Overby created a hands-on approach to introducing United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to first-year Denning Scholars in the spring semester by challenging them to think about how they would approach fulfilling one of the SDGs in his “Analysis of Emerging Technologies” course.

He asked student teams to choose an SDG that pertains to a specific country, and once the students had selected one of the 17 goals, they conducted an analysis and recorded a podcast of their findings. From there, Dr. Overby chose three teams to present their projects to a panel of judges. The entire T&M Program student body came out to Dr. Eric Overby’s “Reports from the Future Symposium” this year.

John Stanford, senior manager of Industry Engagement and Student Counseling, collaborated with the T&M’s corporate partners to assemble a panel of judges. The panel for this year’s event comprised Rohit Sinha from SmartPM, and Mary Kathryn Radivoj, Elizabeth McConnell, and Lindsey Nicholas from risk3sixty. Moreover, Karthik Ramachandran, the Dunn Family Professor of Operations Management, integrated a practical learning experience for his “Managing Product, Service, and Technology Development” class by having his students attend and observe the reports.

Class of 2024 student Suhas Yalamarti explained, “At the symposium, students took the audience on a visionary journey to 2033, where the podcast participants recounted the progress made in achieving specific SDGs. The finalist teams explored themes such as the ramifications of deforestation in Brazil and its worldwide implications (SDG No. 15 - Life on Land), strategies for reducing carbon emissions in domestic commercial aviation (SDG No. 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy), and more local endeavors to enhance sustainable ground and rail transportation in Atlanta (SDG No. 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities).”

“Best Presentation” Award: “Deforestation in Brazil”

The “Best Presentation” award was given to Krissy Bhargava (IT management), Analysse Humaran (mechanical engineering), Grace Langan (economics), Meri Mazurik (IT management), Mary Romano (public policy), and Elizabeth Yu (strategy & innovation) for their “Deforestation in Brazil” project.

T&M Program students voted on the presentations to choose the “People’s Choice” award. The winning team members were Landon Barrett (IT management), Emily Cory (industrial engineering), Sarah Duong (industrial design), Rhea Jaxon (computer science), Cynthia Li (industrial design), and Connor Soncrant (mechanical engineering) for their project, “Sustainable Transportation in Atlanta.”

“Through this project, I learned a lot. I live in Atlanta, but I didn’t know anything about the MARTA system, why it hadn’t had a lot of use, and why I hadn’t used it myself. This project helped me learn a lot about our transportation system and the history associated,” Barrett explained.

“We learned a lot about predicting what will happen in the next ten years by looking at the past and trying to use the information of what the trends have been around in the industry. We created a cone of uncertainty to see what all the possibilities that could play out in the next ten years could be, and then from that, we used our intuition and understanding to determine what we thought was the most probable outcome,” said Tushar Bansal, a team member on the sustainable commercial air travel project.

Managing Product, Service, & Technology Development

Dr. Karthik Ramachandran teaches “Managing Product, Service, & Technology Development,” each spring. Dr. Ramachandran’s students form teams and brainstorm solutions to problems with the goal of creating a product to solve one of these problems. Teams go through a customer discovery process and when they are nearing the end of the semester, they pitch their products to corporate affiliates at an event we affectionately named “Shark Tank” to receive final advice. The semester culminates with a poster showcase competition.

Kaylin Nolan (international affairs and modern languages), Lexi Kantor (business – IT management), and Tushar Bansal (aerospace engineering) speak with Jessica Lucas (risk3sixty).

Landon Barrett (business – IT management), Beyonca Mitchell (industrial engineering), and Gbemi Adeleye (biomedical engineering) speak to Tony Burdett (NCR Voyix).

Michael Bivona (Southwire) speaks to Arina Shah (computer engineering) and Mackenzie Czerner (business – IT management).

At the poster showcase, an audience of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents voted for the most creative project, the most likely to have an impact, and the most likely to be funded. Team ScootSafe won “Most Creative Project.” Team MediClear won “Most Likely to Have Impact.” Team Sublease Secured won “Most Likely to be Funded.”

Margaret Anne Coleman (industrial engineering), Owen Elkin (business – finance), and Xander Coles (industrial engineering) pitch to Tony Agusti (Caterpillar).

Team ScootSafe pitches to Tony Agusti (Caterpillar).

Team ScootSafe – “Most Creative Project”

First

Second

Cynthia Li writes, “ScootSafe is a program that uses on-scooter sensors and campus engagement to reward students who practice safe e-scooter usage and build a safe campus transportation community. E-scooter users in urban environments have increasing injuries due to a stigma surrounding safety and a combination of poor user habits and infrastructure leading to dangerous operation. In 2022 alone, there were over 50,000 emergency department visits associated with e-scooters, the majority of which were 18-25 years old. As e-scooters become more widespread, injuries continue to increase, resulting in bans across campuses and cities. The ScootSafe system monitors and scores riding habits and allows students to report safe and reckless riding in exchange for campus rewards. Through prototyping, sensor testing, and over 40 interviews and surveys, including GTPD and The Global Designing Cities Initiative, 95% were willing to use this product to help improve campus safety. Through ScootSafe, we can promote safe and accessible transportation for all.”

Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Cynthia Li (industrial design), and Emily Cory (industrial engineering).

Row: Mwenda Mbui (computer science), Kush Vakharia (industrial design), Elijah Johnson (industrial engineering), and Connor Soncrant (mechanical engineering).

ScootSafe Team

Team MediClear – “Most Likely to Have an Impact”

Zhang, Owen

Margaret

Margaret Anne Coleman and Sophia Watson explain, “Limited health literacy is a challenge that impacts 9 in 10 Americans and leads to a lower likelihood of patients following treatment plans MediClear aims to equip and inform patients by making medical reports and recovery plans simplified and digestible to allow patients to feel confident and empowered in their health. MediClear’s product uses artificial intelligence to annotate medical reports with images and definitions to help patients better digest the report and, therefore, be more likely to both follow treatment recommendations and avoid future emergency room visits. Unlike existing solutions, which water down multi-page reports into a few sentences, MediClear appends information without changing the original message. This approach also limits potential liabilities and costs for medical providers compared to other software. During the initial stages of testing, participants were asked to read a medical report and answer questions about it. Participants who used MediClear to answer the questions scored 30% higher and felt 1.5 times more confident in their answers than those who did not, indicating that MediClear increases both the competency and confidence of users.”

Han

Elkin (business – finance),

Anne Coleman (industrial engineering), Sophie Watson (industrial engineering), Briana Brozowski (business – strategy & innovation), and Xander Coles (industrial engineering),

Team Sublease Secured – “Most Likely to be Funded”

Team Sublease Secured with their poster.

Elizabeth Yu explained, “100% of students polled agreed that there is a lack of a safe subleasing platform, so our team developed Sublease Secured. This centralized digital platform matches student subleasers to seekers (those looking for an apartment) while also having an added contract-generating feature to accelerate negotiation. Currently, 84% of students named security as their #1 priority in the subleasing process, and 58% agreed that they felt lost at some point in the process. Unlike existing solutions, Sublease Secured prioritizes security using DUO mobile authentication and will include additional factors like verified listings and contract generation. With Sublease Secured, users create a verified account and can create/find listings, connect with other verified users, and generate a binding contractual agreement. After pitching this project to students around campus, 87% agreed they would use Sublease Secured over existing solutions.”

Han Zhang, Elizabeth Marie Yu (business – strategy & innovation), Krisangi Bhargava (business – IT management), Vikas Muralidharan (materials and science engineering), Meri Mazurik (business – IT management), Tony Tanory (computer science), and Cole Kettner (chemical and biomolecular engineering).

Dr. David Ku and Dr. John Cressler

Dr. David Ku teaches ME 3141, “Cutting-Edge Technologies Seminar,” to all business students except those studying IT Management.

Dr. John D. Cressler, a faculty member from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, teaches CoE 3002, “Introduction to the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Revolution,” each fall to all business students earning the engineering & business minor.

Class of 2024 student Annie Weber (business – leadership & organizational change) writes, “My favorite course was ‘Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Revolution.’ I learned so much about various topics, ranging from the history of the Information Age to microprocessors, transistors, circuits, and so much more. I loved learning about microelectronics and nanotechnology, as they were topics I had never discussed before. Every class was a new and interesting topic that challenged me, and we consistently discussed cutting-edge technologies. The central business insight I took away from the class was that you can have the best piece of technology, but if you can't articulate or market what it does, it is difficult to make headway with potential investors or consumers. Business knowledge is important for everyone, no matter their major, and this class reinforced that by not only focusing on the technology itself, but also the businesses and industries that technology supports.”

Annie Weber (business – leadership & organizational change) in her graduation regalia.

Scheller Student Features

The Scheller College of Business featured two Georgia Tech Class of 2024 students who were named Poets&Quants 2024 Best & Brightest Business Majors. Both Kalieann Wetherington (strategy & innovation) and Caleb Yarbrough (finance) completed their engineering & business minors with the T&M Program Class of 2023. Kalieann was on the Georgia-Pacific capstone team and Caleb was on the Southwire capstone team.

Poets&Quants asked Caleb, “What has surprised you most about majoring in business?”

Caleb answered, “I was surprised by the breadth of knowledge that I would be exposed to by studying business. Undergraduate business school does a tremendous job in providing a strong foundation across a variety of business concentrations that enables a holistic view of the business environment. Additionally, students gain a wide range of technical and soft skills that enable them to be well-rounded contributors to their industry.

I have also had the good fortune of gaining experience outside of a traditional business curriculum by attending a technology-focused institution like Georgia Tech. Through my business administration curriculum and minor in engineering & business through the Denning Technology & Management Program, I was able to work in cross-disciplinary teams and learn about subjects such as microelectronics, cutting-edge technologies, and product development and prototyping. I would have never imagined that studying business would also allow me to build robots too. Ultimately, the comprehensive set of skills that students develop through studying business is incredible.”

Caleb Yarbrough Kalieann Wetherington

Dean Anuj Mehrotra and Kalieann Wetherington after she won the John R. Battle Award for Student Excellence.

Poets&Quants asked Kalieann, “What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business?”

Kalieann answered, “The biggest lesson I learned is the amount of communication and collaboration needed to create a successful and innovative business environment. Almost all of my classes at Scheller have incorporated some aspect of team projects, encouraging students to learn not only how to lead a group but also how to actively listen to others.

Business is extremely interdisciplinary, and you will often be working on a team with people from a variety of different backgrounds, experiences, and skills. After working on a capstone team with students from other business concentrations and even majors, I got to experience firsthand just how important it is to leverage each individual’s strengths, listen to everyone’s ideas (while voicing your own), and ultimately learn from each other. When individuals of different backgrounds and perspectives come together, we can generate ideas and solutions that are more innovative than any of us could achieve alone.”

Corporate Statistics

The 2023-24 AY included partnerships with Boeing, Caterpillar, Equifax, Georgia-Pacific, The Home Depot, Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), NCR Voyix, Novelis, PACCAR Parts, risk3sixty, Southwire, SmartPM, and Steelcase for a total of 13 corporate affiliates and 13 capstone projects.

Corporate Affiliate History

Current and past corporate affiliate capstone project data.

Corporate Affiliate Guest Speakers

Denning T&M Program students benefited by meeting and speaking with the following corporate executives who served as guest speakers in Dr. Overby’s and Dr. Ramachandran’s classes this year.

KBX (affiliated with Georgia-Pacific)

Annant Patel, Chief Commercial Officer

NCR Voyix

Jay Acrement, Head Retail Product Innovation & Strategy; Senior AI/ML

Computer Vision PM

risk3sixty

Jessica Lucas, Vice President of People

Salary Statistics

risk3sixty

Sawyer Miller, Director, Audits and Implementations Practice Leader

risk3sixty

Mary Kathryn Radivoj, Product Manager

Across the board, students who graduate from Georgia Tech with one of our three minors realize a financial benefit in their starting salary. The graph below illustrates the differences across the five colleges for alumni starting full-time jobs in the summer of 2022. The percentages are the extra amount in percent earned above median salaries in the college. We used a two-year average median to account for anomalies in salary data. Also, the average hourly rate for T&M students interning during the summer of 2024 was $30/hour.

David Rozen (mechanical engineering) interning at Steelcase.

Value of T&M - Bonus Median Salary over Non-T&M students by College (Left axis shows absolute value and percentage labeled above each bar.)

Starting salary value of T&M.

Two-Year

(2022-23) Average Medians; T&M vs. College Medians

Computer Science (T&M; n=14)

Computer Science

Scheller College of Business (T&M; n=45)

Scheller College of Business

Engineering (T&M; n=44)

Engineering

College of Design (T&M; n=6)

College of Design

Ivan Allen College (T&M; n=5)

Ivan Allen College

$91,548.00

$76,000.00

$79,000.00

$91,897.00

$67,500.00

$72,920.00

$68,750.00

$40,000.00

$109,866.00

$125,500.00

$114,000.00

$140,000.00

Two-year (2022-23) Average Medians; T&M vs. College Medians

Tony Burdett (NCR Voyix) with T&M Program full-time employees and summer interns.

First Row: Robert McDonald (computer science), Clare Thanner (T&M Class of 2020, NCR), Sophia Watson (industrial engineering), Courtney Canouse (T&M Class of 2022, NCR), and Cailee Jackson (business – IT management). Second Row: Nicholas Sackleh (mechanical engineering), George Missailidis (T&M Class of 2022, NCR), Divita Chillakuru (T&M Class of 2022, NCR), Katie Krupczak (computer science), Christopher Parker (computer science), Ibukunola Jaiyesimi (industrial engineering), and Mary Romano (public policy).

Student Employment with Corporate Affiliates

The Denning T&M Program is pleased to report that 25 students are currently working for a corporate affiliate in a summer internship. In addition, seven students started a full-time position with a corporate affiliate in 2024.

BOEING

Jennifer Duong

Miguel

Chimdinma Ohamadike

CATERPILLAR

GEORGIA-PACIFIC

Name Major

Cohort Type

Annie Weber Business (Leadership & Organizational Change) 2023 Full Time

Briana Brozowski Business (Strategy & Innovation) 2025 Internship

Annabelle Pike Business (Operations & Supply Chain Management) 2025 Internship

Vikas Muralidharan Material Science and Engineering 2025 Internship at INVISTA

NCR ATLEOS

Name Major

Brianna Ladiero Literature, Media, and Communication 2024 Full Time

NCR VOYIX

Name

Haley Gruensfelder Industrial Design

Jake Abujawdeh Business (IT Management) 2026 Internship

Cailee Jackson Business (IT Management) 2025 Internship

Ibukunola Jaiyesimi Industrial Engineering 2024 Internship

Kathryn Krupczak Computer Science 2024 Internship

Robert McDonald Computer Science 2024 Internship

Christopher Parker Computer Science 2025 Internship

Mary Romano Public Policy 2025 Internship

Nicholas Sackleh Mechanical Engineering 2026 Internship

Sophia Watson Industrial Engineering 2025 Internship

NAVAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY (NNL)

Name

Sabrina Panlaqui Aerospace Engineering

risk3sixty

Name

Jacob Keenan Business (Finance) 2023 Internship

Grace Moussouri Computational Media 2024 Internship

SIEMENS

Name Major

Cohort Type

Angelica Fernandez Business (IT Management) 2024 Internship

Analysse Humaran Mechanical Engineering 2025 Internship

Alexander Lopez

SIEMENS

Computer Engineering 2025 Internship

Drew Mulcay Mechanical Engineering 2024 Internship

STEELCASE

Name Major T&M Cohort Type

David Rozen Mechanical Engineering 2024 Internship

THE HOME DEPOT

Name Major T&M Cohort Type

Sheila Trinh

Business (Operations & Supply Chain Management) 2024 Full Time

Ethan Benater Industrial Engineering 2025 Internship

Gabriel Gomez -Palomino Business (IT Management) 2024 Internship

Shahm Hemani Business (IT Management) 2024 Internship

Alexis Kantor

Business (IT Management) 2025 Internship

Harish Viswanathan Computer Science 2025 Internship

Dinma Ohamadike (business – marketing) at her Caterpillar internship. | Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design) announces her full-time position as a UX Designer at NCR Voyix.

Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management) announcing her full-time position as an Inventory Planning & Replenishment Analyst at The Home Depot. | Harish Viswanathan (computer science) interning at The Home Depot.

Cailee Jackson (business – IT management) interning at NCR Voyix.

T&M Events by Category

As mentioned in the Executive Summary, we categorize our events as career development, corporate partnerships, academic, international, alumni-centered, community building, and administrative. This section will elaborate on these events to allow the reader to see how the Denning T&M Program supports its students and corporate partners across multiple dimensions.

Career Development Events

When it comes to career development, T&M strives to provide as many hands-on workshops and events as possible to allow students to practice their communication skills frequently. The students consistently refine their elevator pitches and conversation skills to build confidence for competitive interviews and public speaking opportunities by consistently interacting with our corporate affiliates.

Each student starts off their T&M tenure with an official headshot in business formal. They also participate in a rigorous resume review with Communications Manager Anne Lynch to stand out amongst their peers when it comes to clarity, keyword optimization, and formatting. All students, current and on-campus alumni, are eligible to be included in a bound resume book that corporate affiliates await every fall at the T&M Career Fair.

At the Fall 2023 T&M Career Fair, Senior Manager, Corporate Relations & Student Counseling John Stanford welcomed affiliates while setting up their tables in the Tech Square Research Building Over the course of the event, 126 students across 26 disciplines met with recruiters to explore internship and fulltime positions.

T&M’s Fall 2023 Career Fair was a tremendous success thanks to our partnerships with Caterpillar, Georgia-Pacific, The Home Depot, Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)/US Navy, NCR Voyix, risk3sixty, Siemens, SmartPM, Southwire, and Steelcase. Most notable was the strong T&M alumni presence representing corporate affiliates. We had nine alumni serving as recruiters for six companies.

Vikas Muralidharan’s LinkedIn profile showcasing his T&M headshot.

Corporate Affiliate Company

Wama Gbetibouo Caterpillar

Michelle Voykovic Georgia-Pacific

Parker Quarles Georgia-Pacific

Ford Coleman NCR Voyix

Divita Chillakuru NCR Voyix

George Missailidis NCR Voyix

Lindsey Nicholas risk3sixty

Miguel Bethancourt Siemens

Eliott Gardy Southwire

T&M Cohort Georgia Tech Major

Class of 2017 mechanical engineering

Class of 2020 business – operations & supply chain

Class of 2022 business – IT management

Class of 2020 business – strategy & innovation

Class of 2022 industrial design

Class of 2022 industrial design

Class of 2022 computer science

Class of 2021 mechanical engineering

Class of 2022 business – strategy & innovation

Grace Langan (economics) talks to George Missailidis (NCR Voyix, T&M Class of 2022). | Student talks to Ford Coleman (NCR Voyix, T&M Class of 2020).

Picture directory for the resume book. | Chabala Kaunda Jr. (mechanical engineering) waiting at the top of the line to meet with recruiters.

Alice Xu (industrial design) and Anthony Stroffolino (business – strategy & innovation) fist bump while waiting. | Ari Shalom (electrical engineering) and Andres Arbelaez (mechanical engineering).

Aris Williams (mechanical engineering) and Nick

Analysse Humaran (mechanical engineering), Christine Webster (public policy), Kelsey Bradford (computer science), Marina von Behren (finance), Arina Shah (computer engineering), and Gbemi Adeleye (biomedical engineering). | Wama Gbetibouo (Caterpillar, T&M Class of 2017) reviews a student’s resume.

Eliacin (computer science). Krisangi Bhargava (business – IT management), Zoe Mock (industrial design), and Landon Barrett (business – IT management).

John Stanford (corporate relations & student counseling, senior manager) and Zoe Mock (industrial engineering). | Margaret Anne Coleman (industrial engineering), Matthew Walter (mechanical engineering), Jesse George (mechanical engineering), and Cole Kettner (chemical and biomolecular engineering).

During the career fair, our students pitch themselves to prospective employers and capstone project sponsors. In the more intimate setting of the T&M Suite, John Stanford and Sheena Brown host office takeovers. These events last from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm and allow the companies to pitch themselves to our students. Students enjoy these informal events where they can learn more about the company culture while practicing their business conversation skills. Tony Burdett from NCR Voyix also conducted an interview workshop for current students

Date

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Event

Georgia-Pacific Office Takeover

risk3sixty Office Takeover

Caterpillar Office Takeover

Steelcase On-site Visit

Interview Workshop with Tony Burdett (on-site at NCR Voyix)

Boeing Breakfast

Southwire Spark Office Takeover

The Home Depot Office Takeover

Office Takeover and Corporate Engagement Schedule

Jared Moore (T&M 2016, computer science), Todd Schleicher (T&M 2019, industrial engineering) and T.J Capaldi (T&M 2013, computer science) from The Home Depot at their office takeover.

risk3sixty Office Takeover with Wright Malone, Mary Kathryn Radivoj (T&M Class of 2017, business – IT management), Sawyer Miller (T&M Class of 2013, business – IT management), and Jessica Lucas.

Hannah Chase (Caterpillar) and Wama Gbetibouo (T&M 2017, mechanical engineering) talking to students at Caterpillar Office Takeover.

Jacob Keenan (finance) and Christina Darland (T&M Class of 2019, Georgia-Pacific). | Zach Jimenez (business – IT management), Jamison Porter (T&M Class of 2016, Georgia-Pacific), Brianna Ladiero (literature, media, and communication), Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design), Sheila Trinh (business –operations & supply chain management), and Julia Neagu (business – finance).

Additional workshops allow T&M students to stand apart from their contemporaries. This year we hosted one Communications workshop, two Business Etiquette Dinners, one Dress for Success workshop, one IMPACT Speaker Series event, and two resume writing workshops.

In October 2023, the Class of 2024 and the Class of 2025 met together for a Communications workshop with Ivan Wanis Ruiz. Mr. Ruiz has taught Scheller MBA students in the past, so we were eager to have him meeting with our undergraduates. In a dynamic workshop that has students moving about the room and trying new communication techniques spontaneously, Mr. Ruiz taught his methods highlighted in his book End Boring: A Tactical Approach to Public Speaking and Communication

Ivan Wanis Ruiz teaching.

Dr. Han Zhang, Justin Cleckley (computer science), David Rozen (mechanical engineering), Ivan Wanis Ruiz, Professor Bob Burgess, and Henry Murphy (physics).

In November 2023, Peggy Parks, CEO of Parks Image Group, led two etiquette dinners for the Class of 2025. At both dinners, we invited alumni guests so they could add their perspective regarding dining and socializing at work events. Additionally, Anne Lynch assisted Ms. Parks by eating underneath a camera to demonstrate proper dining techniques.

Katie Krupczak (computer science) and Ivan Wanis Ruiz. | Katie Krupczak and fellow students.

Emily Cory (industrial engineering), Vinay Sankar (T&M Class of 2023), Zoe Mock (industrial design), Tushar Bansal (aerospace engineering), and Jasmine Walker (business – IT management).

Peggy Parks teaching. | View from Anne Lynch’s perspective. A camera projects her plate to large screens so students can see how to cut food properly.

Aboubacar Barrie (T&M Class of 2023) and Lester McCarter (special guest from Nordstrom) | Anne Lynch and Peggy Parks

Etiquette Dinner Guests

Alexei Nikonovich-Kahn

Kevin Okseniuk

Kelly Albano

William Courrèges-Clercq

Laura Dunigan

Aboubacar Barrie

Lekha Gowda

Vinay Sankar

T&M Cohort Georgia Tech Major

Class of 2015 business – operations & supply chain

Class of 2015 aerospace engineering

Class of 2016 business – IT management

Class of 2017 business – operations & supply chain

Class of 2017 business – operations & supply chain

Class of 2023 business – marketing

Class of 2023 business – IT management

Class of 2023 business – IT management

William Turnipseed Special Guest n/a

Robert Burgess

Dr. Han Zhang

Dr. David Ku

Lester McCarter

T&M Admin. Director n/a

T&M Faculty Director n/a

T&M Professor n/a

T&M Speaker n/a

Peggy Parks with alumni attendees Aboubacar Barrie (T&M Class of 2023), William Courrèges-Clercq (T&M 2017), Kelly Albano (T&M Class of 2016), and Kevin Okseniuk (T&M Class of 2015).

In March 2024, John Stanford moderated a discussion with nationally renowned historian Evan Thomas. Thomas was the guest IMPACT speaker in conjunction with Georgia Tech Institute for Leadership and Social Impact. He discussed his latest book, Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to End World War II. Thomas challenged the students to think about the moral quandaries of developing new technologies. The talk encompassed the fateful decision to use atomic weapons to end the deadliest war in history and the parallels between developing atomic weapons and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Evan Thomas and John Stanford.

Ethan Benater (industrial engineering) asks a question. | Evan Thomas

In April, the newly admitted T&M Program Class of 2026 students attended a Dress for Success Workshop taught by Nordstrom’s senior stylist Lester McCarter. The workshop prepared students to dress professionally for interviews and important corporate events with a focus on how to project confidence with body language.

Lester McCarter teaching the Class of 2026.

Lester McCarter teaching. | Lester McCarter after tying Richard Patrick’s (electrical engineering) tie

Capstone Events

Before the academic year begins, corporate sponsors solidify their capstone project and start refining it if needed with the T&M team. About one month into the semester, September pre-capstone class sessions are reserved for affiliates to give their capstone project pitches. Most students have already met the speaker at an office takeover, making it easier for them to envision themselves working alongside the project lead for six months. The capstone project pitches also allow affiliates to get feedback in the form of the Q&A session on how our interdisciplinary students would propose tackling their problem. We revealed the capstone teams at the Georgia Tech ropes course, and students tackled the challenges together. In many cases, they were joined on the ropes by one of their sponsors.

A line of students waits for Lester McCarter to tie their tie.

Ryan Kerns (T&M Class of 2014, Boeing) and Rob Stoker before delivering the Boeing capstone project pitch to the Class of 2024.

The Boeing capstone team. | The Caterpillar capstone team with Tony Agusti and Wama Gbetibuou.

The Equifax capstone team | The Georgia-Pacific capstone team with Christina Darland.

The Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) capstone team. | The NCR capstone team with Anne Lynch.

The Novelis capstone team. | The PACCAR capstone team.

The risk3sixty capstone team. | The risk3sixty-2 capstone team.

The SmartPM capstone team | The Southwire capstone team with Eliott Gardy.

The Steelcase capstone team.

Once the capstone teams have formed, they begin a set of interviews with subject matter experts. They also complete site visits, which can involve out-of-state travel. The PACCAR team traveled to Morrow, Georgia, and the Caterpillar team went to Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, Florida. Here is what these two teams had to say in November 2023:

“Today, our team visited the PACCAR Parts distribution facility in Morrow, Georgia, for our T&M Program capstone project. We have been researching technology solutions to improve the quality control and order accuracy of shipments picked and sent from this facility. We had the opportunity to ride along with employees on forklifts as they went through their order-picking process. Each of us had a great experience getting to interview employees and learn about some of their suggestions for improvements, as well as observe the order-picking process firsthand. It has been a great experience working with Adam Ernest, Alex Cagle, and Jarrod Martin, and we look forward to providing an effective solution for PACCAR.” - John Rezabek (industrial engineering) on behalf of teammates Ari Shalom (electrical engineering), Brianna Ladiero (literature, media, and communication), and Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management).

“See a crane taken apart. Visit a 3D-printed horse barn. That’s what our Caterpillar Inc. capstone team did last week. We went from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach, Florida, interviewing and conducting contextual inquiries with key stakeholders in our capstone project. We toured the 90-acre facility at Ring Power Cat with Anthony Pellegrino, PhD and learned the Caterpillar dealer’s roles, from equipment rental to technician training. We also saw the world’s largest 3D-printed building by Printed Farms with the Founder, Jim Ritter. This emersion trip opened our eyes to the industry opportunities, provided vital insights, and brought our team closer together.” - Jared Abrahamian (architecture), Cody Kaplan (business – finance), Lily Utt (business – finance), Alice Xu (industrial design), and Guy Broome (computer science).

PACCAR capstone team: Ari Shalom (electrical engineering), Brianna Ladiero (literature, media, and communication), Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management), and John Rezabek (industrial engineering).

The Caterpillar team waiting for their flight to Florida.

The Caterpillar capstone team: Guy Broome (computer science), Lily Utt (finance), Jared Abrahamian (architecture), Cody Kaplan (finance), and Zhiyang (Alice) Xu (industrial design).

The Caterpillar team with T&M alumnus sponsor Wama Gbetibouo and Jim Rittner from Printed Farms.

In February 2024, the Equifax capstone team went onsite to gather more information to complete their capstone project. Team members Yusuf Khan and Julia Neagu had this to say:

“The Equifax Team visited Equifax's Alpharetta office for a collaborative work session with their corporate affiliate, Jeff Dugger. The team is working on a machine learning project with Jeff and his team. Sipping cups of coffee, the team gained valuable insights from Georgia Institute of Technology alumnus Bo “Paul” Yan about the best practices for making such models. The Equifax Team members are Nick Eliacin (computer science), Agha Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Shihui (Aiden) Liu (computer science), Julia Neagu (business – finance), and Riley Woods (business – IT management).”

Nick Eliacin (computer science), Agha Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Shihui (Aiden) Liu (computer science), Riley Woods (business – IT management), Jeff Dugger (Equifax), Julia Neagu (business – finance), and Bo “Paul” Yan (Equifax).

The Class of 2024 Capstone “Draft” Board

Class of 2024

Corporate affiliates remain involved throughout the year as they interact with their capstone team and the T&M staff. In April, capstone students presented their findings in-person or over video conferencing platforms. One of more T&M staff members attended the 13 final presentations to the corporate sponsors and fellow executives.

Corporate Partnership and Academic Events

Understandably, career development, corporate partnership, and academic events overlap as these categories are interdependent. In fact, that’s what makes the Denning Technology & Management Program so unique. However, there are some events solely for our corporate affiliates to make sure they are getting the most of their sponsorship. In the summer, our Administrative Director Bob Burgess and our Senior Manager, Corporate Relations and Student Counseling John Stanford conduct their Summer Tour, where they connect with as many affiliates as possible. They discuss best practices, potential capstone projects, and meet new employees that may begin working with the T&M Program at these meetings. The Summer Tour is a great way to learn more about the company culture as well.

Commencement

On Monday, April 22, 2024, Class of 2024 T&M students met at the Academy of Medicine for their Commencement ceremony. The Class of 2024 nominated two Class Speakers, and Bob Burgess announced awards for students of the year and capstone project team winners. All other award winners are listed in the “Denning Awards” section.

Dr. Han Zhang with class speakers Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management) and Guy Broome (computer science).

Guy Broome and Sheila Trinh addressing their peers.

Faculty Director Dr. Han Zhang speaking to the Class of 2024.

Administrative Director Bob Burgess addressing the Class of 2024

Corporate Advisory Panel Meeting

We held our Corporate Advisory Panel Meeting at Top Golf so that affiliates could meet with each other as well as the T&M faculty and staff. At this end-of-year meeting, affiliates looked back over the year and offered advice on continuing to improve the program.

T&M Class of 2024 graduates

Tony Burdett (NCR Voyix) and Christina Basore (risk3sixty). | Tony Agusti (Caterpillar)

John Stanford, Jamison Porter (T&M Class of 2016, Georgia-Pacific), and Christina Darland (T&M Class of 2019, Georgia-Pacific).

Danny Arana (NCR Voyix) | Carrie Shapiro (Georgia-Pacific)

Corporate affiliates with T&M faculty and staff.

International Events

Our March 2024 International Experience had a sustainability theme and was held in Panama City, Panama, and San Jose, Costa Rica Twenty-six students traveled with two staff members (Bob Burgess and Anne Lynch), one spouse (Lori Burgess), and one International Study Programs senior program manager (Adela Kutalkova)

Since 2015, the T&M Program has enabled 287 students to have a week-long group International Experience while an undergraduate student. Many students have commented that they would have missed the opportunity to study abroad if not for the “Spring Break travel structure” and the fact that the T&M Program subsidizes the cost of the trip.

International Experience History

Day One: Saturday, March 16, 2024

We kicked off our 2024 International Experience with International Study Programs on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Panama Canal. We spent the morning there and, in the evening, we went on a foodie tour on a replica “Diablos Rojos” painted school bus complete with flashing lights and blaring music.

Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management) summarized the academic morning tour this way:

“The program’s visit to the Panama Canal Miraflores Center was an impactful experience. Witnessing the intricate engineering feats like the intricate lock system inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s original designs and delving into the canal’s historical significance left Alice Xu (industrial design) and I in awe. Two significant insights emerged from our visit: first, the immense scale of the canal’s construction showcased human determination and innovation throughout global history, a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration and perseverance. We also gained a deeper understanding of the canal's pivotal role in global trade, highlighting the interconnectedness of countries and their economies, especially after the 2016 canal expansion project. Additionally, watching an IMAX movie about the canal narrated by Morgan Freeman was an unforgettable highlight, adding another layer of fascination to our journey. This visit was not only a really great educational opportunity but also a reminder of the impact infrastructure projects can have on shaping our increasingly trade-driven world.”

The Panama Canal | Katie Krupczak (computer science), Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design), Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management), Alice Xu (industrial design), and Guy Broome (Computer Science) at the Panama Canal.

The Panama Red Devil arrives at the hotel to take the group on a foodie tour. | Cody Kaplan (business –finance) gives two thumbs up in the center of the bus.

Day Two: Sunday, March 17, 2024

Day Two brought us to visit an indigenous Embera community.

Cody Kaplan (business – finance) writes, “Today our group traveled by boat along the Chagres river deep into the mountains to visit the Embera tribe, one of the indigenous tribes of Panamá. We immersed ourselves in the cultural experience, hearing about their culture and dress, participating in various tribal dances, and enjoying a traditional meal of fish, meats, plantain, yuca, and fresh fruits. As part of our trip, our guides led our group through the natural beauty to a waterfall. Not only was the trip an incredible cultural experience, but one that allowed us to see a world outside of the pedestrian life we are accustomed. We had a chance to connect closer to nature, and expand our perspectives. To the Embera, who shared so much, we say “Bia bua,” which means thank you in the Embera language. I won’t soon forget this one!”

T&M students in a canoe with the Georgia Tech flag.

Maddie Poch (business – IT management) in the front middle canoe surrounded by T&M students and staff. | Embera tribe member.

Cody Kaplan (business – finance) | Students and staff cooling off on the way to the Embera village.

Students

The Embera village. | Tour guide Ronald Acevedo with representatives from the Embera village.

learning a traditional Embera dance.

Day Three: Monday, March 18, 2024

T&M visited EnfraGen LLC in the morning and A.P. Moller – Maersk in the afternoon.

“We were able to visit EnfraGen, LLC a subsidiary of Glenfarne Energy Transition, LLC today. It was an enlightening dive into renewable energy sources, including solar, hydro, and wind. Our speaker today was Georgia Institute of Technology alumnus Jorge M. Dengo Garrón. During his talk, Jorge explained that his interest in sustainability started when he was a child in Costa Rica, where his uncle worked in a hydroelectric station. Jorge walked us through EnfraGen’s energy portfolio, showcasing their plant locations, how long they have existed, their capacity, and their carbon reduction. Seeking to shape the conversation around energy, the company hopes to overcome people’s misconceptions about renewable energy.

We received insights on the safety and community outreach initiatives that the company is involved in to educate the community about the benefits of sustainable energy sources. It was also interesting to learn that Panama and Costa Rica relied almost primarily on hydroelectric power over other energy sources, which is drastically different from the US.

We had a wonderful visit to EnfraGen’s office and are thankful for the knowledge expressed by Jorge, CEO Jim Pontiff, and gracious presenters Maria Karina Pinzón, Tania Mabel Aponte Atencio, and Maruquel Flores Arosemena from the company.”

Written by Xander Coles (industrial engineering), Agha Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Theodore (Teddy) Koutsoftas (industrial design), and Sukrutha Suthari (business – IT management) who led this visit on behalf of their fellow students.

Theodore (Teddy) Koutsoftas (industrial design), Sukrutha Suthari (business – IT management), Agha Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), and Xander Coles (industrial engineering). | Jorge M. Dengo Garrón (EnfraGen) with Cody Kaplan (business – finance), Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design), and Alice Xu (industrial design).

T&M Program students and staff with EnfraGen team.

“It was an honor and a privilege to meet Señor Antonio Dominguez, the President of Latin America and the Caribbean Region for A.P. Moller - Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics companies. It was eye-opening to learn not just about what Maersk does but the way they do it. In the words of Sr. Dominguez, Maersk doesn’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk by moving away from fossil fuels and driving a sustainable future.

Maersk has a goal of zero carbon emissions by 2040; from what we saw, they are well on their way there. Maersk already has 12 green-methanol container ships (which have zero carbon emissions) on the water and will have 25 by the end of 2025.

In addition to sustainability, Maersk has made a commitment to DEI and to stand in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, spreading awareness through their rainbow containers, which they ship across the globe.

At the end of the presentation, Sr. Dominguez gave us a tour of their office and showed us their command and planning center for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Thank you so much to Maersk, Sr. Dominguez, and all the employees for welcoming us into their office and giving us an unforgettable experience.”

Written by Miguel Daly (mechanical engineering), Owen Elkin (finance), and Katie Krupczak (computer science) who led this visit on behalf of their fellow students.

Señor Antonio Dominguez | Miguel Daly (mechanical engineering), Katie Krupczak (computer science), Owen Elkin (finance), and Señor Antonio Dominguez.

T&M staff and students at Maersk’s rainbow container.

Day Four: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

T&M headed to Dicarina to meet with the warehouse manager and tour the warehouse.

“Today, we had the pleasure of visiting Dicarina one of Panama’s largest local distribution facilities. We had the honor of speaking to Eduardo Espinosa, the warehouse’s general manager, who explained how Dicarina plays a crucial role in supporting the logistics of product distribution and decent employment in Panama.

Through a tour of the warehouse led by Mr. Espinosa, we learned more about how Dicarina optimizes its warehouses based on product categories and palette heights. We watched as employees scanned and sorted inbound and outbound products during the distribution process while touring the warehouse. It was amazing to see firsthand the implications and ways the Dicarina supply chain operates based on consumer and manufacturing needs.

In addition, we had the privilege of meeting Dicarina’s CEO, Alfredo Argueta, who gave us insight into the challenges Dicarina faces regarding US monetary policy decisions. Since Panama’s economy is pegged to the US dollar, it was interesting to understand how the Federal Reserve policy decisions affect Dicarina’s supply chain logistics.

An immense thank you to Dicarina, Eduardo Espinosa, Alfredo Argueta, and all the warehouse employees for welcoming us to the warehouse and providing us with an extremely unique experience! We are so grateful to them and T&M for allowing us to experience these opportunities.”

Written by Bhairavi Chhiba (economics), Zoe Mock (industrial design), and David Rozen (mechanical engineering).

Eduardo Espinosa speaks to students. | T&M staff and students outside Dicarina.

John Rezabek (industrial engineering) and Owen Elkin (business – finance). | Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design)

Eduardo Espinosa, David Rozen (mechanical engineering), Bhairavi Chhiba (economics), and Zoe Mock (industrial design).

Day Five: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Today the T&M group flew from Panama City, Panama to San Jose, Costa Rica. On arrival, they enjoyed a group lunch and then hear from Ms. Vanessa Gibson.

“Today, the T&M International Experience group had the opportunity to meet with Vanessa Gibson, Director of Corporate Development and Investment Climate, to learn how the CINDE - Experts in FDI (Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency) has been pivotal in transforming Costa Rica’s economy since 1982. It was amazing to hear about how Costa Rica can balance a growing economy while being the most sustainable country in the world, all with the help of CINDE’s efforts. It was an incredible experience to learn how they became the global role model for sustainability while recovering from an inflation crisis.

The strategies shared have proven highly effective. CINDE is the top promoter of foreign direct investment or FDI. In fact, 25% of Costa Rica’s FDI can be credited to CINDE. This, in turn, creates economic development and technological growth for the country. Given the opportunities CINDE’s work provides, we are especially thankful to Vanessa for the enlightening conversation and for showing that it’s possible to thrive economically while being a steward of the planet.”

Written by Cole Kettner (chemical and biomolecular engineering), Julia Neagu (business – finance), and Madeline Poch (business – IT management).

Vanessa Gibson | Madeline Poch (business – IT management), Vanessa Gibson, Cole Kettner (chemical and biomolecular engineering), Julia Neagu (business – finance).

Day Six: Thursday, March 21, 2024

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, we visited AraCacao in the morning and the Toucan Rescue Ranch in the afternoon.

“We were excited to visit AraCacao a bean-to-bar chocolate company located in Costa Rica. During this time, we had the privilege of meeting with the founder and general manager, Albert Sánchez Gamboa.

Our visit not only treated us to the exquisite flavors of 70-100% cacao chocolate but also deepened our understanding of the rich historical significance and promising future of sustainable and ethical practices within the chocolate industry.

AraCacao ensures that every part of the cacao bean is used or recycled in their chocolate-making process. By doing so, they minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. For instance, after the beans are processed to extract cocoa solids and cocoa butter for chocolate production, AraCacao creatively repurposes the remaining cacao husks and shells. These by-products are often used to make compost, which not only reduces waste but also enriches soil fertility, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.

Through this, AraCacao minimizes its environmental footprint and aligns with circular economy principles. This approach not only benefits the environment but also supports the local community by reducing waste disposal costs and generating additional value from the production process.

Our discussions with Albert provided invaluable insights into AraCacao’s steadfast commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, exemplifying their dedication to SDG 12 (sustainable production and consumption). From their innovative approaches to sustainable packaging to their proactive efforts in public education, AraCacao's initiatives showcase a forward-thinking approach to business. We eagerly anticipate witnessing their continued growth and impact in the years ahead.”

Written by Joanna Reese (electrical engineering), John Rezabek (industrial engineering), and Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management).

AraCacao’s chocolates.

Theodore (Teddy) Koutsoftas (industrial design) takes a selfie.

John Rezabek (industrial engineering), Joanna Reese (electrical engineering), AraCacao’s barista, Albert Sánchez Gamboa, and Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management).

“The Denning Technology & Management Program International Experience group had an unforgettable experience at the Toucan Rescue Ranch (TRR) in Costa Rica today! Here, we were warmly welcomed by the Environmental Education Coordinator at the TRR, Stephanie Valle Cubero, and guide, Joselyn Miranda-González. They both guided us through the ranch, introducing us to the fascinating world of wildlife conservation.

We saw sloths hanging from branches, toucans gracing the skies, agile wildcats, and mysterious owls. Every moment was a glimpse into the wonders of nature in Costa Rica. We also learned many facts about these animals, including how sloths move slowly to conserve energy, and how toucans have regenerative tongues.

Stephanie's passion for these animals was evident as she shared insights into the meticulous process of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rewilding them. Beyond the awe-inspiring encounters, we delved into the heart of TRR's mission. Learning about their extensive programs like the Education for All Program, Coffee with Sloths Event, Night Tours, and Student Internships, all aimed at conservation education and community engagement, left us inspired and hopeful for the future of these precious species.

Thank you, TRR, for opening our eyes to the beauty and importance of wildlife conservation. And a special thank you to Stephanie for being an incredible guide on this journey of discovery. Let's continue to support initiatives like TRR and work together to protect our planet's biodiversity!”

Written

by Guy Broome (computer science), William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation), and Tony Tanory (computer science).

Cynthia Li’s (industrial design) photo of a sloth and a toucan.

Day Seven: Friday, March 22, 2024

On the final day of the 2024 International Experience, we visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park in the morning and the Hacienda Alsacia – Starbucks Coffee Farm in the afternoon.

“On our final day, the group stopped at La Casita del Cafe to see a coffee plantation and then visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica. We had an awesome time walking through the butterfly observatory, monkey pass, hummingbird garden, and aviary, among many other animal exhibits. These exhibits all serve as wildlife refuges. The Gardens also hosted five waterfalls, where we were able to hike through 2.2 miles of Cloud and Rainforest.

La Paz’s mission is to protect the natural environment and area for education and enjoyment. We learned that many of the birds were either captured illegally by hunters or donated by their owners, and this is the only documented place in the world to find 26 hummingbird species.

We had a great time walking around the gardens, and the natural beauty and opportunity to witness biodiversity was truly one of the highlights of the trip!”

Written by Anthony Birozes (biomedical engineering), Kareena Kumar (business – strategy & innovation), and Kaylin Nolan (international affairs and modern languages).

Stephanie Valle Cubero teaching. | William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation), Guy Broome (computer science), Stephanie Valle Cubero, and Tony Tanory (computer science).

“We were thrilled to tour Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffee Farm, the world's only Starbucks coffee plantation. Led by our guides, Mauro and Geraldine, we delved into the intricate process of coffee production, from plant to cup, gaining invaluable insights into sustainable methods employed by Starbucks to enhance the global coffee industry.

One highlight was learning about Hacienda Alsacia’s role as an R&D investment for Starbucks, focusing on developing more resilient coffee plants to combat disease and increase yields. This innovative approach includes plans to “open source” these advancements to benefit coffee farms worldwide, fostering greater sustainability across the industry.

Following the tour, we had opportunity to taste freshly brewed coffee at the Starbucks shop, overlooking the picturesque plantation below. This immersive experience not only engaged our senses but also deepened our appreciation for the journey coffee takes from farm to cup.”

Written

by

Haley Gruensfelder

(industrial design), Cody Kaplan (business – finance), Cynthia Li (industrial design), and Alice Xu (industrial design).

Students at the waterfall park.

Coffee tasting.

T&M touring the farm.

T&M posing for a selfie with the tour guide.

Cody Kaplan (business – finance), Alice Xu (industrial design), Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design), and Cynthia Li (industrial design).

Alumni Events, Involvement, and Accomplishments

Anne Lynch serves as our alumni engagement manager. She met with several alumni for one-on-one meetings, invited them to student workshops, facilitated 16 alumni office takeovers where they could interact with current students in a small group setting, and traveled to Washington D.C., Seattle, Washington, New York, New York, Chicago, Illinois, and San Francsico, California to hosts lunch and dinner reunions Anne also hosted two Atlanta reunions at Torched Hop Brewing in Midtown John Stanford, Senior Manager, Industry Engagement & Student Counseling, maintained open communication with alumni during the past year and focused his efforts on alumni working for corporate affiliates. Additionally, 56 alumni critiqued midterm presentations for the Class of 2024 capstone teams. It was a fruitful year for alumni engagement!

Between August 2023 and July 2024, 252 unique alumni engaged in one or more ways with the Denning T&M Program. As of May 2024, we have 782 alumni.

Breakdown

Anne Lynch with Jonathan Lin (T&M Class of 2017) at Denver airport. | Anne Lynch with David Burg (T&M Class of 2014), Logan Marett (T&M Class of 2012), and Colin O’Mara (T&M Class of 2021) in Denver, Colorado in September 2023.

T&M alumni in Washington, D.C in October 2023. | Connor Meeds (T&M Class of 2020) and Giancarlo Vargas (T&M Class of 2020).

Kinsley Winn (T&M Class of 2017), Anne Lynch, and Chris Healy (T&M Class of 2017). | Mia Schwartz (T&M Class of 2021) and Lauren Wilch (T&M Class of 2021) in Washington, D.C.

Phuong Ninh (T&M Class of 2015) talking to students at an alumni office takeover in October 2023.

Michael Severin (T&M Class of 2013) addressing the T&M Class of 2014 about proper capstone sponsor communication in October 2023. | Kay Balla (T&M Class of 2016), Anne Lynch, and Isabella Turner (T&M Class of 2023) at the October 2023 Atlanta alumni reunion.

D’Andre Waller (T&M Class of 2017), TreVorski Garrett (T&M Class of 2014), Henderson Johnson II (T&M Class of 2016), Wama Gbetibouo T&M Class of 2017), Alex Grady (T&M Class of 2018), Aboubacar Barrie (T&M Class of 2023), and Dorian Lee (T&M Class of 2020) in Atlanta.

Devika Dutt (T&M Class of 2021) and Lekha Gowda (T&M Class of 2023). | T&M Class of 2022 classmates Tyler Smith, Nicholas Meyer, Sid Balaga, and Parker Quarles. | Adam Poteet (T&M Class of 2023), Claire Boerner (T&M Class of 2022), and Stockton DeLaria (T&M Class of 2020).

Danish Dharani (T&M Class of 2016) leads an alumni office takeover. Pictured here are fellow alumnus Alexei Nikonovich-Kahn (T&M Class of 2015), Beyonca Mitchell (chemical and biomolecular engineering), Shlok Dholakia (computer engineering), and Vikas Muralidharan (materials science and engineering).

Jessica Jiang (T&M Class of 2018) and Anne Lynch. | Jessica Jiang’s alumni office takeover.

Chelsi Cocking (T&M Class of 2017) with Anne Lynch. | Anne Lynch with TreVorski Garrett (T&M Class of 2014).

TreVorski Garrett (T&M Class of 2014) in a red hat on left and Chelsi Cocking (T&M Class of 2017) in a white shirt on right speaking to students at an alumni office takeover in November 2013.

Miles Parker (T&M Class of 2019) with Reena Shah (T&M Class of 2016) | Ari Shalom (electrical engineering), Joshua Canlas (biomedical engineering), Miles Parker, Reena Shah, Sarah Duong (industrial design), William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation), and Tushar Bansal (aerospace engineering) at Miles Parker’s alumni office takeover in November 2023.

Mackenzie Czerner (business – IT management), Landon Barrett (business – IT management), Emily Cory (industrial engineering), Sophia Rubino (T&M Class of 2021), David Rozen (mechanical engineering), Christine Webster (public policy), Ari Shalom (electrical engineering), Xander Coles (industrial engineering), and Shlok Dholakia (computer engineering) at Sophia Rubino’s alumni office takeover in January 2024.

Zoe Mock (industrial design), Tommy Antonino (T&M Class of 2015), Yusuf Khan (business – strategy innovation), and Aboubacar Barrie (business – marketing) at Tommy’s alumni office takeover in February 2024. | Tommy Antonino with Anne Lynch.

Matt Mills pointing at his T&M Class of 2013 picture from when he was a student. | Justin Cleckley (computer science), Matt Mills (T&M Class of 2013), Brianna Henderson (business – IT management), Ansh Dalia (business – IT management), Kelsey Bradford (computer science), Joshua Canlas (biomedical engineering), and Riley Woods (business – IT management) at Matt Mills’ alumni office takeover in February 2024.

Nick Seidler (T&M Class of 2017) and Anne Lynch. | Alice Xu (industrial design), Annabelle Pike (business – marketing), Riley Woods (business – IT management), Nick Seidler, Robert McDonald (computer science), Akash Mahesh (computer science), and Ansh Dalia (business – IT management) at Nick Seidler’s alumni office takeover in March 2024.

Alumni dinner after the Class of 2026 Welcome Orientation. These alumni represented corporate affiliates and hosted tables independently to welcome our newest cohort in March 2024

Alex Grady (T&M Class of 2018), Grace Pfohl (T&M Class of 2022), Ally Nastasi (T&M Class of 2021), Eliott Gardy (T&M Class of 2022), Parker Quarles (T&M Class of 2022), George Missailidis (T&M Class of 2022), Henderson Johnson II (T&M Class of 2016), Wama Gbetibouo (T&M Class of 2017), Chelsi Cocking (T&M Class of 2017), and Karli Stites (T&M Class of 2018).

Abhinav Tirath (T&M Class of 2021) leading an alumni office takeover for Tanju Ozdemir (materials science and engineering), Vikas Muralidharan (materials science and engineering), Shlok Dholakia (computer engineering), Ethan Benater (industrial engineering), Tony Tanory (computer engineering), Akash Mahesh (computer science), Rett Moore (industrial engineering), and Chabala Kaunda (mechanical engineering).

Alex Stelea (T&M Class of 2015) after his alumni office takeover posing with Rhea Jaxon (computer science), Kelsey Bradford (computer science), Gabriel Gomez-Palomino (business – IT management), Kasra Sohrab (computer science), William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation), and Guy Broome (computer science).

Diana Thompson (T&M Class of 2016) talking to Willow Harris (business – finance). | Jeffrey Kuang (industrial engineering) sitting next to Aditya Raghupathy (T&M Class of 2016).

Paul Evans (computer science), Alice Xu (industrial design), Diana Thompson (T&M Class of 2016), Aditya Raghupathy (T&M Class of 2016), and Eliott Gardy (T&M Class of 2022) at Diana and Aditya’s alumni office takeover in March. | Diana Thompson, Aditya Raghupathy, and Anne Lynch.

Sophie Watson (industrial engineering), Mary Chris Cella (business – IT management), Cristina Guruceaga (T&M Class of 2018), Mackenzie Czerner (business – IT management), Kai Lewis (business – IT management), and Briana Brozowski (business – IT management) at Cristina Guruceaga’s alumni office takeover.

Steven Hao (computer science), Justin Cleckley (computer science), Christoper Parker (computer science), Brandon Miller (T&M Class of 2013), Zachary Szanti (business – strategy & innovation), Aris Williams (mechanical engineering), and Anuva Agrawal (mechanical engineering) at Brandon Miller’s alumni office takeover in April 2024.

“Look left, look right. Both of those people are brilliant. You should get to know them. They can help you grow.” – Alex Berry (T&M Class of 2016) featured on a May 2024 graduation handout. | Advertisement for May 2024 Alumni reunion in Atlanta.

Ryan Gentes (T&M Class of 2010) and Kishen Raghunath (T&M Class of 2010) holding their Class of 2010 cohort photo. | Ryan Gentes, Kishen Raghunath, and Anne Lynch in April 2024.

Devika Dutt (T&M Class of 2021) with Anne Lynch. | Katie Krupczak (T&M Class of 2024), Sabrina Panlaqui (T&M Class of 2023), Shahm Hemani (T&M Class of 2024), Guy Broome (T&M Class of 2024), Sheila Trinh (T&M Class of 2024), Akash Mahesh (T&M Class of 2024), Miguel Daly (T&M Class of 2024), and Yusuf Khan (T&M Class of 2024) at the Atlanta all-class alumni reunion to welcome the newest alumni from the Class of 2024.

Dr. Han Zhang, Sheena Brown, and Anne Lynch from the T&M team. | Lulu Gao (T&M Class of 2022), Rubi Runton (T&M Class of 2023), and Cindy Zhou (T&M Class of 2023) at the Atlanta alumni reunion.

Bob Burgess and Dr. David Ku (T&M Professor). | Janet Kinard (Vice President for Engagement at Georgia Tech Alumni Association) and Anne Lynch at the Atlanta alumni reunion in May 2024.

Anthony Birozes and Yusuf Khan from the T&M Class of 2024. | Jeremy DiBattista (T&M Class of 2019) and Charlie Ye (T&M Class of 2020).

Lunch meeting with Olivia Jagiella-Lodise (T&M Class of 2017) on a trip home from medical school in Dublin, Ireland in May 2024. | Lunch meeting with Devika Dutt (T&M Class of 2021) before introducing her to Dean Anuj Mehrotra and other key Scheller administrators in May 2024.

Twenty-one Seattle-based alumni met for dinner and drinks in May 2024.

Lynch with Allyn Wang (T&M Class of 2010). | Anne Lynch with Kinsley Winn (2017) who helped organize the Seattle events.

“So fun! Thanks for organizing, Anne!” – Allyn Wang

“It was so much fun, Anne! Thanks for making the trek to the west coast!” – Kinsley Winn

Nikita Deshpande (T&M Class of 2020), Nicole Wang (T&M Class of 2020), Anne Lynch, Kinsley Winn (T&M Class of 2017), Jonathan Lin (T&M Class of 2017), Kim Molina-Veronico (T&M Class of 2021), Nikita Dani (T&M Class of 2021) and Amrit Iyer (T&M Class of 2023) at lunch in Seattle. |Anne Lynch and Jason Ye (T&M Class of 2014) at a post-lunch tea shop.

Anne

Twenty-nine percent of our New York City alumni (27 out of 92) met at The Liberty NYC on Thursday, June 20, 2024. We had representatives from 11 out of 15 cohorts and Sid Balaga won the unofficial contest of newest resident; he moved to New York the previous weekend.

Nazareth (T&M Class of 2020) at a coffee meeting in New York City in June 2024. | Anne Lynch, Jamal Johnson (T&M Class of 2015) and Sierra Menzies Johnson (T&M Class of 2016) at the New York City alumni reunion in June 2024.

“So glad we got to reconnect!” – Caitlyn Nazareth

“Great seeing everyone! Thanks for organizing Anne!” – Emily Dong

Caitlyn

Nikita Bawa (T&M Class of 2018), Corbin Klett (T&M Class of 2012), and Kelly Albano (T&M Class of 2016). | T&M Class of 2015 classmates Max Kaltman, Emily Dong, and Andy Sheng in New York City.

Gennadiy Gurevich (T&M Class 2011), Anne Lynch, and Cory Dunton (T&M Class of 2011). | Meghana Gongalareddy (T&M Class of 2023) and Thushara Mudireddy (T&M Class of 2019).

Sid Balaga (T&M Class of 2022), Grant Herman (T&M Class of 2017), James Ni (T&M Class of 2019), Anne Lynch, Janvi Chawla (T&M Class of 2015), Rachel Techau (T&M Class of 2019), and Matthew DoVale (T&M Class of 2022) met for lunch in New York City.

The number of Chicago Alumni Events grew as the trip unfolded. What started as one dinner and one lunch turned into two coffee meetings, one dinner, one venue-change for dessert, one nighttime tour, and one lunch. Anne Lynch met with nine of our 24 Chicago-area alumni for a 37.5% engagement.

Anne Lynch and Anna Katherine Cates (T&M Class of 2020) in front of “The Flamingo” by Alexander Calder in Chicago, Illinois in June 2024. | Tommy Antonino (T&M Class of 2015), Roshan Balakrishan (T&M Class of 2017), Rishi Patel (T&M Class of 2018), Anne Lynch, Abbie Burton (T&M Class of 2015), and Reena Shah (T&M Class of 2016) at dinner in Chicago.

“It was great seeing everyone!” – Abbie Burton

Anne Lynch, Roshan Balakrishan, Reena Shah, Abbie Burton, and Tommy Antonino enjoying desert in Chicago. | Anne Lynch and Tommy Antonino with the nighttime skyline behind them.

Anne Lynch met with 33 of our 73 Bay Area alumni over two days and five events in July 2024, which resulted in 45% engagement. Plus, out of these 33 alumni, four people came to two events, and one alumnus was at three!

Kyle Bogdal (T&M Class of 2015), Ryan Duckworth (T&M Class of 2014), Eric Johnson (T&M Class of 2015) and Anne Lynch in Chicago at lunch. | Reena Shah (T&M Class of 2016) and Anne Lynch with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline in the background.

Mo Shen (T&M Class of 2014), Anne Lynch, Shivani Mehrotra (T&M Class of 2020) and Elena Schriever (T&M Class of 2020) at lunch in Mountain View, California in July 2024. | T&M Class of 2022 classmates Lulu Gao and Aleksandr Kalenchits at an evening alumni reunion in San Francisco in July 2024.

Bay Area T&M Program alumni met for dinner and drinks in San Francisco in July 2024.

“It was fun to meet lots of new people! I had been wanting to join one of these T&M events for a while. Appreciate you coordinating this, Anne Lynch!” – Michael Paravati

Nick Teissler (T&M Class of 2015), Michael Paravati (T&M Class of 2011), Vivian Fan (T&M Class of 2010), Emily Korby (T&M Class of 2013), Michael Severin (T&M Class of 2013), and Brian Lozano (T&M Class of 2015) at the July 2024 San Francisco alumni reunion.

Reid Clyburn (T&M Class of 2018) and Chase Lewis (T&M Class of 2019) | Michael Severin (T&M Class of 2013) and Anne Lynch

Anne Lynch with Aleksandr Kalenchits (T&M Class of 2022) in the Salesforce Tower looking down on San Francisco. | Rehman Pirani (T&M Class of 2016) holding a T&M folder from 2016 featuring him and his classmates.

“Thank so much, Anne Lynch. Seeing T&M alumni from throughout the years, making new connections, and throw in some GT nostalgia - what an amazing initiative!!!” – Alex Berry

Miles Parker (T&M Class of 2019), Anna Klaussen (T&M Class of 2019), Anne Lynch, Aleksandr Kalenchits (T&M Class of 2022), Lulu Gao (T&M Class of 2022), Chakrika Ratra (T&M Class of 2022), Alison Shutzberg (T&M Class of 2018), Ryan Morrissey (T&M Class of 2017), Morgan Knowlton (T&M Class of 2021) and Alex Berry (T&M Class of 2016) at lunch in San Francisco in July 2024.

Anne Lynch meeting with Janet Kinard (Vice President for Engagement, Georgia Tech Alumni Association) | Scott Pergament and Anne Lynch after a lunch meeting while Scott was in town.

In the spring semester, all capstone teams created midterm presentation videos. We then solicited alumni to critique a subset of these presentations that were approved for sharing by the corporate affiliates. Fifty-six alumni T&M Program alumni gave detailed critiques on the T&M Class of 2024’s midterm presentations. They also offered to meet with current students to expand on their advice. Our Denning Scholars took their projects and presentations to the next level with their expertise. We are continually impressed by our community’s generosity.

Team

Caterpillar

Naval Nuclear Laboratory

NCR

Novelis

PACCAR

risk3sixty - Team 1

risk3sixty - Team 2

SmartPM Technologies

Southwire

Steelcase

Executive Summary

3D Printed Structures Marketplace connecting Contractors, Individual Buyers, Architects, and 3D Printing Companies.

Recommend scalable, cost-effective technology solutions and strategies throughout all phases of crane operation, including maintenance.

How might NCR Voyix help restaurants innovate the Drive-Thru?

To increase recycling rates of used beverage cans at Georgia Tech through gamification and increased recycling infrastructure.

PACCAR Parts is looking for next-gen technology solutions to reduce quality errors in their distribution.

Utilize OpenAI’s ChatGPT API to automate three critical audit processes: framework mapping, test memo writing, and policy creation.

Vendor management module does not suit the needs of users. UI/UX is not intuitive. For vendors, there are no current methods to efficiently complete security questionnaires.

Custom chatbot using RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) to get specific project data.

Analyze PoE as an up and coming, disruptive technology compared to typical lighting.

Recommend that AMQ standardizes reusing the existing supply of cardboard by integrating TeleTwin pack for the 3F screens. Once reusing cannot be sustained, AMQ should begin buying premade TeleTwin boxes.

Team descriptions for alumni feedback on their midterm capstone presentations.

Fifty-six alumni volunteered to critique midterm presentations (T&M Class of 2011 – T&M Class of 2019)

Fifty-six alumni volunteered to critique midterm presentations. (T&M Class of 2019 – T&M Class of 2022)

Fifty-six alumni volunteered to critique midterm presentations. (T&M Class of 2022 – T&M Class of 2023)

Alumni LinkedIn Initiative

In June 2019, we created a Higher Education page on LinkedIn for the Denning Technology & Management Program to post public content about our program, students, corporate affiliates, and alumni. Most importantly, our 782 alumni can add the T&M Program under their LinkedIn Education section to officially list the minor they earned at Georgia Tech. Once added, alumni become searchable in a directory based on location, company, career field, major, and skillset. This directory can also be queried by keyword to find alumni with expertise in anything from machine learning to corporate finance to diversity and inclusion. There are currently 728 registered alumni, a 93% participation rate. We also have 2,266 LinkedIn page followers.

93% Participation Rate

Students, alumni, corporate affiliates, and headhunters can use the alumni directory to find experts, future colleagues, mentors, speakers, and former classmates. Current students have used the directory to reach out to alumni who worked at their target companies, navigated being an F-1 visa holder, and asked for advice on pursuing an MBA. Alumni have used the directory to reconnect with former classmates and look for a new job. And corporate affiliates can now easily target alumni for recruitment. It has also facilitated city-specific alumni networking.

The T&M Program’s dynamic public presence on LinkedIn enables connectivity and relationships in a way that wasn’t possible before. These relationships have the potential to drive innovation, build community, and impact future income. You can access the page at:

https://www.linkedin.com/school/denning-technology-management-program

Banner for public LinkedIn group featuring T&M students with Shenzhen University students.

With the T&M LinkedIn page, we can post public content about our program, students, corporate affiliates, and alumni. Additionally, we partner with the Scheller College of Business to amplify their LinkedIn content through our audience.

Community Building Events

The T&M Program understands that a strong community fosters academic success and future alumni engagement. When the opportunity presents itself and the student interest is there, the program has financially backed additional opportunities for our scholars. Over the last year, we sponsored the Ideas to Serve showcase and an IMPACT Speaker Series lecture through the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact. Ideas to Serve allows Georgia Tech students to focus on community collaborations and promotes an in-depth understanding of social and environmental issues. Information on the lecture is elsewhere in this report as John Stanford moderated the talk.

Administrative Events

Lastly, when running the T&M Program, certain administrative events allow us to recruit potential students, welcome the newly admitted students, help students build community, and then celebrate our program’s graduates.

The academic year kicked off with the Fall Orientation on Monday, August 28, 2024, for both the Class of 2024 and the Class of 2025. Each staff member presented to remind students of our expertise areas and Bob Burgess revealed the location for the March 2024 International Experience: Panama and Costa Rica.

On September 25, 2023, we hosted a Prospective Student Information Session at Clough Commons Auditorium. This event is held prior to the beginning of the application period, which begins October 1st and ends at exactly 11:59 pm on October 31 every year. Administrative Director Bob Burgess kicked off the meeting and then turned it over to a student-run panel, all from the Class of 2024. The panel spoke candidly on their T&M experience; their insights and advice gave the audience the information they needed to apply confidently. One hundred and seventy-four prospective students attended.

Info Session Flyer | Prospective students listening to the panel.

Our distinguished panel: Drew Mulcay (mechanical engineering), Katie-Rose Slade (earth and atmospheric sciences), Jose Santiago-Rios (mechanical engineering), Brianna Ladiero (literature, media, and communication), Jared Abrahamian (architecture), Agha Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain), Miguel Daly (mechanical engineering), Katie Krupczak (computer science), Guy Broome (computer science), Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design), John Rezabek (industrial engineering), Nicole Shariati (business – IT management), and Lily Utt (business – finance).

Denning Technology & Management Program homepage highlighting graduates from the Class of 2023.

On March 4, 2024, after admissions decisions had been made, we hosted an in-person Orientation and Welcome event to introduce the newest students from the Class of 2026 to each other and the corporate affiliates. We gathered in the Tech Square Research Building, and students met with corporate affiliates, current students, and alumni in 15-minute segments. Before the event concluded, students could mingle freely to talk to anyone they hadn’t met yet.

Jessica Lucas (risk3sixty) talks to new students.

Alex Grady (T&M Class of 2018) speaks to new students. | Newly admitted Class of 2026 students who were high school classmates, Prince Muteteke (industrial engineering) and Terrence Onodipe (computer science).

Denning Awards

Class of 2024 Capstone Project of the Year 1st Place: Caterpillar won based on the criteria of milestone completion and quality, feedback from corporate sponsors, and teamwork.

Class of 2024 Capstone Project of the Year 2nd Place: Boeing won based on the criteria of milestone completion and quality, feedback from corporate sponsors, and teamwork.

Class of 2024 Capstone Presentation of the Year 1st Place: This year, Equifax won for their outstanding work on their capstone presentation.

Class of 2024 Capstone Presentation of the Year 2nd Place: risk3sixty won second place for their outstanding work on their capstone presentation.

Class of 2024 Students of the Year Awards:

This year, we are proud to recognize seven students with the “Class of 2024 Student of the Year” award. These students were chosen based on nominations from corporate affiliates, with final decisions based on T&M faculty and staff consensus deliberations.

First Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Grace Moussouri (computational media, risk3sixty capstone team), Teddy Koutsoftas (industrial design, risk3sixty-2 capstone team), Guy Broome (computer science, Caterpillar capstone team), John Stanford. Second Row: Katie Krupczak (computer science, Southwire capstone team), Matthew Geuss (industrial engineering, Steelcase capstone team), and Riley Woods (business – IT management, Equifax capstone team). Not pictured: Tomer Shmul (computer science, SmartPM capstone team).

Class of 2024 Social Committee:

Over the last academic year, three Class of 2024 students revived the T&M Program social committee. Their kindness and commitment to creating a T&M community inside and outside the classroom made a tangible difference, and the T&M staff can’t thank them enough. We are grateful to Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain), Julia Neagu (business – finance), and Jared Abrahamian (architecture).

Communications manager Anne Lynch, Sheila Trinh, Julia Neagu, and Jared Abrahamian.

Sheila, Julia, and Jared organized multiple events, including a Tech Rec Bowling Night, informal get togethers in the T&M Suite such as one called “Monday Mingle,” and a movie night. They encouraged cross-cohort mingling and talked to new students at the Class of 2026 Welcome Orientation. And most importantly, they were kindness ambassadors that encouraged all T&M students to be more involved.

Julia Neagu (business – finance), Jared Abrahamian (architecture), and Sheila Trinh (business –operations & supply chain) at the bowling alley. | Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management) and Teddy Koutsoftas (industrial design).

Vikas Muralidharan (materials science and engineering), Arina Shah (computer engineering) and Kelsey Bradford (computer science).

Class of 2024 and Class of 2025 students at Tech Rec.

T&M students at the social committee’s bowling night.

The social committee. | Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management), Maddie Poch (business – IT management), and Brianna Henderson (business – IT management).

Yusuf Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Gururaj Deshpande (T&M Class of 2022, biomedical engineering), and Jared Abrahamian (architecture). | T&M students at Monday Mingle.

Flyer for T&M movie night. | T&M students at an Atlanta Falcon’s game.

Class of 2025 Students of the Year Award

The Class of 2025 students of the year award was based on nominations from professors, with final decisions based on consensus deliberations by T&M faculty and staff. Mario Asiain-Ayala (business –strategy & innovation) and Analysse Humaran (mechanical engineering) were selected from an impressive pool of five other distinguished nominees, which included Grant Fouts (business – strategy & innovation), Annabelle Pike (business – marketing), Ethan Benater (industrial engineering), Kush Vakharia (industrial design), and Blake Coleman (business – strategy & innovation).

Class of 2025 LinkedIn Engagement Award

This year, we created a special “LinkedIn Engagement” award to recognize a Class of 2025 student for his consistent engagement with T&M Program LinkedIn content. Chabala “CJ” Kaunda (mechanical engineering) stood out as an online T&M ambassador, and we are grateful to him for his encouragement.

Han Zhang, Analysse Humaran and Mario Asiain-Ayala | Dr. Han Zhang and nominees before Analysse and Mario were announced as the “Class of 2025 Students of the Year.”

Chabala “CJ” Kaunda

International Experience Sustainability Award

This year we created a special “International Experience Sustainability Award” to honor Cole Kettner (chemical and biomolecular engineering) for his commitment to sustainability during our spring break trip to Panama and Costa Rica. Cole was always the last to leave our tour bus and collected empty water bottles that got left behind. Not only that, but Cole was a force of positivity and a delight to travel with.

Scholarships

Robert L. Branner, Jr. Scholarship: The Robert L. Branner, Jr. Scholarship Endowment Fund was established in 2011 to be awarded to students who have been selected to participate in the Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program.

Dr. Han Zhang, Cole Kettner, and Bob Burgess.

Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain)

Denning Technology & Management Program Scholarship: The Denning Technology & Management Program Scholarship was established to support Denning T&M Program students who do not qualify for the other more specific scholarships.

Laughter Scholarship: The Laughter Scholarship Endowment Fund was established by the donor to be awarded to Aerospace Engineering undergraduate students at the Georgia Institute of Technology who have been selected to participate in the Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program.

Jared Abrahamian (architecture)

Lauryn Carter (industrial design)

Brianna (Bri) Ladiero (literature, media, and communication)

Akash Mahesh (computer science)

Raphael Parent (computer science)

Christopher Parker (computer science)

Kadin Story (computer science)

Tony Tanory (computer science)

Carolyn Yuan (computer science)

Tushar Bansal (aerospace engineering)

Lonnie A. “Aubry” Holland Technology & Management Scholarship and Holland-Roller Scholarship: Aubry Holland was the founder of the Holland-Underwood Foundation, and this scholarship is in his memory. The Holland-Roller Endowment Fund was established by the donor for Denning T&M undergraduate College of Engineering students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The scholarship is in memory of L. Aubry Holland, ME 1937 (1915-2003).

Gbemi Adeleye (biomedical engineering)

Aboubacar Barrie (business – marketing)

Margaret Anne Coleman (industrial engineering)

Miguel Daly (mechanical engineering)

Matthew Geuss (industrial engineering)

Ibukunola Jaiyesimi (industrial engineering)

Elijah Johnson (industrial engineering)

John Rezabek (industrial engineering)

David Rozen (mechanical engineering)

Sheila Trinh (business –operations & supply chain)

McConnell Family Scholarship: The McConnell Family Endowment Fund was established by the donor in memory of his father, Turner Lawson McConnell, COM 1928, and in honor of his wife, Patricia W. McConnell, daughter Kathleen McConnell Korotzer, and son Lawson Jackson McConnell, Jr. MGT 1988. We look forward to awarding McConnell Family Scholarships during the next academic year.

Judy D. and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Denning Technology & Management Program Scholarship: The scholarship endowment fund was established by the donor Stephen P. Zelnak, Jr., IM 1969, to be awarded to students who have been selected to participate in the Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program.

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Class of 2024 Capstone Projects

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The backbone of the Denning T&M Program is the capstone project. Each year, our second-year students carefully weigh their options and select five projects (ranking them 1 – 5) where they believe they will be able to contribute significantly and learn the most. Then the T&M Program faculty and staff carefully form the teams using a wide array of criteria. This academic year we had 13 projects split between our 59 Class of 2024 cohort members. The following pages highlight the work our capstone students did over the academic year.

Landon Barrett (business – IT management)

Angelica Fernandez (business – IT management)

William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation)

Zach Jimenez (business – IT management)

Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain)

Shahm Hemani (business –

Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply

Boeing: Fitting Automation with Vibratory Feeder System

Best Capstone Project Presentation – Second Place

Corporate Sponsor: Sarah Selim Middleton (T&M 2018, mechanical engineering)

MBA Mentor: Mo Abukhdeir

Team Summary: “The Denning Technology & Management Program Boeing capstone project was tasked with streamlining and enhancing Boeing’s sorting, orienting, and placement of aircraft fittings. Currently, about 800,000 fittings are manually placed on finger racks annually to undergo chemical treatment. The capstone team developed and prototyped an automated solution that utilizes a vibratory feeder, computer vision, and an Arduino-controlled solenoid. The transition to this system will reduce manual labor by over 80%, cut down operational costs, and provide higher job satisfaction for the operator. The implementation of this system demonstrates a stride toward efficiency, employee well-being, and an embrace of future-forward manufacturing practices. With an initial investment that recoups in just seven weeks, the project aligns with Boeing's vision for sustainable innovation and market competitiveness.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Kareena Kumar (business – strategy & innovation), Jesse George (mechanical engineering), William David Gomez (business – strategy & innovation), Zach Jimenez (business – strategy & innovation), and John Stanford.

Caterpillar:

3D Printable Structures Marketplace

Best Capstone Project Team – First Place

Corporate Sponsors: Tony Agusti, Wama Gbetibouo (T&M 2017, mechanical engineering), and Tazio Grivetti

MBA Mentor: Byron Fair

Team Summary: “3D construction printing (3DCP) has emerged as a disruptive force in home building due to the technologies’ low labor requirements, efficient speed, and cost-effective nature. Though the 3DCP industry has great promise, current industry players are experiencing silos that are causing industry stagnation. Caterpillar identified the industry’s fragmented nature and proposed a 3D printable structures marketplace that connects all relevant stakeholders (architects, developers, customers, 3D printing companies, mix companies, and contractors) on one e-commerce platform based on its existing patents. The Denning Technology & Management Program capstone team, sponsored by Caterpillar, developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for such a marketplace through both front and back-end development and explored viability by creating a business case supported with Operating Profit After Capital Charge (OPACC) projections and hosting an industry webinar. Through the project, the team was able to accomplish over 120 interviews with subject matter experts, eight immersive research trips, the development of a fully functional front-end MVP with back-end integration, management of 65 undergraduate and graduate computer science students, the creation of a detailed financial model, the hosting of an industry webinar with over 470 participants, and presentation to Caterpillar leadership. The capstone team gained invaluable skills across project management, financial modeling, event planning, and technical communication that will be carried forward with them through their future careers.”

First Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Tony Agusti (Caterpillar), Alice Xu (industrial design), Guy Broome (computer science), John Stanford. Second Row: Wama Gbetibouo (Caterpillar), Lily Utt (business – finance), Cody Kaplan (business – finance), Jared Abrahamian (architecture).

The Future of 3D Printing Construction Webinar

LinkedIn posts about “The Future of 3D Printing construction” Webinar.

A significant aspect of this year’s Caterpillar capstone team’s project was an all-day webinar that featured domestic and international industry experts. Scheller College of Business former dean Maryam Alavi kicked off the event along with team member Lily Utt. The event had 472 participants and featured 18 speakers and 25 CEOs.

Jared Abrahamian wrote, “Our webinar is officially complete! What an incredible showing of knowledge from around the industry. We had speakers from 3D printing companies, contractors, architects, investors, real estate developers and material suppliers.

We dove into the technological opportunities and technical challenges, as well as the incredible possibilities of the industry. We discussed investing, building, developing, and more, to gain a comprehensive understanding of every side of this growing technology.”

Jenna Dezinski presenting with Jared Abrahamian (architecture). | Behind the scenes at the webinar’s headquarters in the Scheller College of Business.

Equifax: Transformers in Credit Risk Modeling

Best Capstone Project Presentation – First Place

Corporate Sponsors: Jeff Dugger and Johnathan Boardman

MBA Mentor: Mo Abukhdeir

Team Summary: “In collaboration with Equifax, the Denning T&M Program capstone team embarked on an investigative journey into the Transformer Architecture, assessing its potential to revolutionize Equifax’s credit risk modeling processes. This project was characterized by developing a transformer model with a keen focus on possible applications. The team embraced the complexities of the problem space, constructing a specialized transformer model that integrated into Equifax’s existing attribute generation capabilities. The final objective was to enhance the developed transformer model to meet three specified targets, enabling the creation of AI-based attributes across different use cases. The merits of this approach were demonstrated by results that matched established baselines while showcasing enhanced flexibility and scalability in newfound implementations. These findings, coupled with a great value proposition, were shared with Equifax executives and present the company with an incentive to continue investing in this research.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Nick Eliacin (computer science), Agha Yusuf Ahmad Khan (business – strategy & innovation), Shihui (Aiden) Liu (computer science), Julia Neagu (business – finance), Riley Woods (business – IT management), and John Stanford.

Georgia-Pacific: Application of Novel Reorder Policies for Georgia-Pacific’s Dispenser Products

Corporate Sponsors: Elizabeth Hietpas, Jason Hillman, Steve Carney, Katy Ifkovits, and Christina Darland (T&M 2019, industrial engineering).

MBA Mentor: Erik Makaroff

Team Summary: “Georgia-Pacific (GP) believes there are opportunities to optimize the supply chain for their dispenser products to reduce overall working capital. Specifically, because dispensers have varying demand and lead times, maintaining order fulfillment rates without excessively raising costs is a challenging task. Thus, the T&M Program capstone team focused on inventory management and adjusting current inventory policies to accommodate high variances between different dispenser products better. The team first approached this problem by analyzing GP’s current inventory practice, a single reorder policy applied to all dispenser SKUs. The team then researched alternative methods for determining reorder points. After the team selected two potential inventory policies for use, the focus shifted toward data collection and simulation development. In a Jupyter notebook hosted on Google Colab, a Python simulation was created to mimic GP’s current “one-size-fits-all” inventory policy. Using GP’s demand forecast data and real orders across a three-year period, the simulation could determine fulfillment rates and other important inventory metrics associated with each dispenser product. To compare this “baseline” against the team’s two selected inventory methods, the new policy rules were coded into the simulation and run across the same three-year period. After analyzing results, each dispenser was individually assigned the inventory policy rule that maximized cost reduction while maintaining its desired service level. Once all new policies had been implemented, the team saw a significant reduction in working capital and holding costs compared to baseline values. This data-driven project will enable GP supply planners to apply unique inventory rules to each dispenser that better reflect their individual behavior. In addition to providing a descriptive Jupyter notebook equipped with the code necessary to run these simulations many times over, the team provided a handbook detailing rationales for the selected inventory policies and how best to implement them.”

First Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Ishani Spanier (industrial engineering), Caroline Harpole (biomedical engineering), and Sam Barbuti (economics). Second Row: Tamas Mester (computer science) and Matthew Walter (mechanical engineering).

Naval Nuclear Labs (NNL): Emerging Crane Technologies

Corporate Sponsors: Daniel O’Toole and Arthur Peck

MBA Mentor: Erik Makaroff

Team Summary: “The Denning Technology & Management Program capstone team researched and evaluated available and emerging crane technologies to recommend scalable, cost-effective technology solutions and strategies for NNL to enhance safety and efficiency across all phases of crane operation, including maintenance. The capstone team found that the benefits of proactive anti-sway crane systems are the most beneficial technology to install at NNL facilities. Interviews were conducted with Professor Singhose of the Georgia Tech Crane Research Laboratory, Rockwell Automation, and InVekTek. A report detailing the research, interviews, down-selection process, and overall work of the team provides an implementation plan to follow through on the team’s recommendations for all 15 indoor cranes at the Bettis site in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Carolyn Yuan (computer science), Jose Santiago-Rios (mechanical engineering), Drew Mulcay (mechanical engineering), and Miguel Daly (mechanical engineering)

NCR

Voyix:

The Drive-Thru of the Future

Corporate Sponsors: Anisha Bhogale, Georgiy Pyantkovs’ky, Som Banerjee, Lindsay Petrovic, Clare Thanner (T&M 2020, business – finance), and Danny Arana.

MBA Mentor: Mo Abukhdeir

Team Summary: “The Denning Technology & Management Program capstone team worked over the course of two semesters with NCR Voyix to usher in a new era of drive-thru technology. The first semester consisted of a research and ideation phase. The capstone team drafted 100+ ideas, critiqued and discussed the merits of each idea with corporate sponsors, and found a key area of opportunity. Apple CarPlay and geofencing technology have never been used together in the drive-thru before. The team conducted primary and secondary research throughout the length of the capstone project. They conducted extensive interviews with individuals with all levels of experience, from junior employees to triple franchise owners and operators of the drive thru. In the second semester, the capstone team focused on developing a user interface prototype, a business case, and a pitch deck to bring this idea to fruition. The team had a final presentation in which they pitched their idea to the CEO and other executives of NCR Voyix, successfully wrapping up the project and learning valuable lessons from their presentation experience with executive leadership.”

First Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Amelia Wetherington (business – IT management), Sukrutha Suthari (business – IT management), and Haley Gruensfelder (industrial design). Second Row: Ibukunola Jaiyesimi (industrial engineering) and Shahm Hemani (business – finance).

Novelis: Increasing UBC Recycling Rates at Georgia Tech Through Gamification

Corporate Sponsors: Zaffer Sange

MBA Mentor: Imon Ghosh

Team Summary: “The Novelis capstone team’s objective was to increase the recycling rate of used beverage cans (UBCs) at Georgia Tech by implementing a recycling gamification app and increasing recycling infrastructure. To achieve this goal and after researching existing zero-waste venues, the capstone team met with Georgia Tech Sustainability and Georgia Tech Athletics to explore potential avenues for increasing bin infrastructure on campus. The capstone team then developed and rolled out the gamification app CampusRecycler at a Georgia Tech baseball game and added aluminum -specific infrastructure. This game day recycling event tested how a gamification app would influence student recycling behavior. Based on these results, the team developed recommendations regarding the continuation of the app and the scalability of improved infrastructure to increase recycling rates across all athletic venues.”

Dr. Han Zhang, David Rozen (mechanical engineering), Rachel Burrell (electrical engineering), Abby Birkmeier (civil engineering), and Juliana Badeaux (literature, media, and communication).

PACCAR: Reducing Quality Picking Errors Using Augmented Reality

Corporate Sponsors: Adam Ernest and Alex Cagle

MBA Mentor: Imon Ghosh

Team Summary: “Since September 2023, the Denning T&M Program PACCAR capstone team has been responsible for investigating technological solutions aimed at improving picking accuracy and reducing quality errors over a long-term timeline of 5-10 years, using ROI to assess potential technology solutions for shipments to and from the PACCAR Parts distribution center located in Morrow, Georgia. The main focus areas are the shipping errors “Shipped Short” and “Wrong Part.” Through regular visits to the distribution center, the team has observed existing daily operational processes, spanning from the breakout to the shipping stage. Moreover, interviews have been conducted with both current distribution center staff and subject matter experts in operations and organizational behavior. Drawing from data collected through on-site observations and in-depth interviews, the PACCAR capstone team recommends that PACCAR Parts explore the integration of augmented reality (AR) headsets for small-tomedium part-picking operations at distribution centers. This recommendation is grounded in the belief that AR technology will not only enhance picking accuracy and reduce quality errors but also foster higher levels of employee adoption and diminish order error claims.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Sheila Trinh (business – operations & supply chain management), John Rezabek (industrial engineering), and Brianna (Bri) Ladiero (literature, media, and communication).

Not Pictured: Abraham Ari Shalom (electrical engineering).

risk3sixty: AI + Audit

Best Capstone Project Team – Second Place

Corporate Sponsors: Kevin Ketts, Cal Supik, and Carlin Cole

MBA Mentor: Erik Makaroff

Team Summary: “The 2023-2024 risk3sixty capstone team was tasked with automating three tedious, labor-intensive auditing tasks using artificial intelligence in a project called “AI + Audit.” Our first task involved choosing the AI engine that we would utilize for the rest of our project. Based on security, scalability, trainability, and cost, OpenAI proved to be the best candidate over the open-source option GPT4All. The next task was to utilize OpenAI’s API to develop a tool that maps the controls of different cybersecurity frameworks together. Frameworks are sets of documents describing guidelines, standards, and best practices designed to mitigate cyber security risks in management practices. Since many frameworks have controls that overlap with one another, mapping the frameworks and creating harmonized controls streamlines the testing and audit process. Additionally, our project automated the testing memo-writing process. When an auditor is evaluating a client’s practices against a given framework, they take walkthrough notes and then review those notes to evaluate each testing procedure manually. With this tool, auditors can upload their work notes, and an evaluation against each control will be automatically generated. The final deliverable created for this project was a policy generation tool. A cybersecurity policy defines and documents an organization’s statement of intent, principles, and approaches to ensure effective management of cybersecurity risks in pursuit of its strategic objectives. When given a set of harmonized controls, this tool can create a comprehensive and formatted policy document that explains the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of implementing these procedures. In order to prepare our tools for integration into risk3sixty’s website, we converted our code to node.js and created a locally hosted web application. As a whole, we predict that our project will lower the costs of related tasks by 50 percent and allow employees to spend more time upskilling and innovating.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Brianna Henderson (business – IT management), Robert McDonald (computer science), Jessica Lucas (risk3sixty), Maddie Poch (business – IT management), Grace Moussouri (computational media), and John Stanford.

risk3sixty-2: Vendor Management Module Refactoring & Custom GPT

Corporate Sponsors: Kevin Ketts and Jessica Lucas

MBA Mentor: Erik Makaroff

Team Summary: “The risk3sixty capstone team focused on improving security processes and vendor interactions using new technology. The project included researching GPT models to automate the filling out of security questionnaires, aiming to streamline the process while saving money and time. Updates were made to the UI/UX of vendor modules to enhance workflow and ensure an easier understanding of the risk information. The proof of concept for the GPT model and the reworked UI/UX design proved useful for implementation in the risk3sixty’s system. These changes will lead to more efficient operations and better interaction with vendors, marking a significant improvement in the company’s use of AI technology in security functions.”

First Row: Dr. Han Zhang, Amanda Valencia (international affairs), and Nicole Shariati (business – IT management). Second Row: Suhas Yalamarti (business – IT management), Teddy Koutsoftas (industrial design), and Anthony Birozes (biomedical engineering).

SmartPM Technologies: SmartPM Customer Support Generative AI Chatbot

Corporate Sponsors: Michael Pink, Rich Pink, and Rohit Sinha

MBA Mentor: Byron Fair

Team Summary: “The Denning Technology & Management Program capstone team’s investigation into supplementing SmartPM’s customer support with a chatbot has identified Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) through LangChain as a viable solution. SmartPM, experiencing rapid growth and a surge in customer support requests, required a method to handle queries with current project data effectively. RAG, combining data retrieval and response generation via a large language model facilitated by LangChain’s “agents” and “tools” architecture, proved effective in answering over 95% of the most common customer questions with their individual project data. This approach, after extensive testing and development, including building out specific tools and refining data framing and LLM prompts, is highly recommended for further development and use. The anticipated financial benefits include significant cost savings, estimated at a net gain of over $2 million by 2026 if a portion of questions from customer calls are replaced by the chatbot, alongside non-financial advantages such as improved customer experience and reduced churn, underlining the chatbot’s potential to transform SmartPM’s customer support and platform experience.”

Dr. Han Zhang, William Wood (computer science), Rett Moore (industrial engineering), Akash Mahesh (computer science), and Gabriel Gomez-Palomino (business – IT management).

Not Pictured: Tomer Shmul (computer science).

Southwire: Capturing PoE & Class 4 Industry Attention

Corporate Sponsors: Michael Bivona, Eliott Gardy (T&M 2022, business – strategy & innovation), Charles Hume, and Maegan Sherrill.

MBA Mentor: Byron Fair

Team Summary: “Southwire Technology Ventures (SWTV) is a corporate venture capital team within North America’s largest supplier of cable, Southwire. They have tasked a team of students of the Denning Technology & Management Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology with analyzing Power over Ethernet (PoE) as a disruptive technology capable of reshaping electrical infrastructure in buildings. Through site visits to the Sinclair Hotel and Mouser in Fort Worth, Texas, the Cisco office space in the CODA building, and the Southwire Battery office, the Southwire Capstone Team found that PoE is an emerging but not-yet disruptive technology. Class 4 Fault Managed Power has been identified as the most promising complementary aspect of PoE. Research and interviews with SMEs within related industries have determined that industry attention will drive Class 4 adoption and create revenue for the stakeholders involved.

Dr. Han Zhang, Aris Williams (mechanical engineering), Marina von Behren (business – finance), Trey Tiffin (business – strategy & innovation), Madeleine O’Byrne (business – strategy & innovation), and Katie Krupczak (computer science).

Steelcase: Steelcase AMQ 3F PET Screens Packaging Strategy

Corporate Sponsors: Jason Los and Edward Vander Bilt

MBA Mentor: Imon Ghosh

Team Summary: “The Steelcase T&M Program capstone team was tasked with creating a plan for packaging 3F polyethylene terephthalate (PET) screens for AMQ, Steelcase’s mid-market division. Through a site visit to Steelcase’s headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, interviews with subject matter experts, and strategic analysis, the capstone team addressed Steelcase’s need for a standardized packaging procedure. The capstone team recommended optimizing a packaging process with a customized telescoping box design, the Teletwin stencil, and purchasing the remaining materials from a sustainable cardboard supplier. The team weighed financial, sustainability, and technical concerns while addressing this problem. Anticipated benefits include time savings of 3 minutes per package, reduced injury risk, and improved brand reputation. Ultimately, this capstone project will drive lasting change in how Steelcase packages 3F PET screens and potentially more products in the future.”

Dr. Han Zhang, Katie-Rose Slade (earth and atmospheric sciences), Adam Rosen (business – finance), Matthew Geuss (industrial engineering), and Angelica Fernandez (business – IT management).

GEORGIA TECH

DENNING TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

CLASS OF 2024

Class Photos

GEORGIA TECH

DENNING TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

CLASS OF 2025

GEORGIA TECH

DENNING TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT PROGRAM CLASS OF 2026