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“Improv taught me many of the soft skills that I use in my job every day: how to think on my feet; how to roll with the punches; how to present and speak to large groups of people; and, most importantly, how to laugh at myself.” Matt Magnasco, CE 98, MS CE 99, Charlotte, N.C.
Improv taught me many of the soft skills that I use in my job every day: how to think on my feet; how to roll with the punches; how to present and speak to large groups of people; and, most importantly, how to laugh at myself. It was the creative release I needed to balance six years of engineering school, and it was the people interaction that this introvert needed. I stopped doing improv upon graduation, but going back to DramaTech this spring for Alumni Weekend reminded me why I loved doing it. Good luck to Sethu, and I hope to join him on stage at a future DramaTech Alumni Weekend improv show.
Elon Musk Owes a Debt
I was glad to see that the work on the Tubexpress transport system by Professor [Marion Robert] Carstens (“Before the Hyperloop,” Fall 2015 issue) was not forgotten. In the CE-320 class I took back then, we worked on calculating the coefficient of friction for various vehicle configurations. I knew that a full-scale prototype had been in the works, but I lost track of the project. It always seemed like an excellent form of transportation, and it would be nice if Elon Musk and his developers would give some credit to Professor Carstens.
Matt Magnasco, CE 98, MS CE 99
Charlton S. Lewis, CE 71
Charlotte, N.C.
Cleveland, Tenn.
Sci-Fi Issue Soars
Last week, the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine (Fall 2015, Vol. 91, No. 3) arrived in my mailbox. (Apparently, the previous resident of my apartment was a Tech grad whose mail forwarding has yet to kick in.) I sat down, read it and thought that this science fiction-themed issue was the best single issue of any alumni publication I’ve ever read. I also especially enjoyed the piece on how student Sethu Chidambaram was encouraged by his alumni mentor to get over his fear of public speaking by trying out improv comedy. It’s amazing the things that are coming out of Georgia Tech! Accept my compliments on the wonderful issue. When the previous tenant’s mail forwarding kicks in, I’ll be sad to see it go! Peter Relic Atlanta
But is the Whiskey Clear? I wanted to pass along a follow up to the story you wrote about some of Georgia Tech’s alumni designers (“Tech by Design, Fall 2014, Vol. 90, No. 3), featuring me and the custom ping-pong table I built for a client. One Tech alumnus saw this and contacted me to create another custom piece of furniture—a liquor cabinet with a subtle Tech theme that used a hexagonbeehive pattern. Just wanted to say thank you and show to other readers that the Alumni Magazine does a great job at connecting alumni. Alan Harp, ID 88, MS Arch 01
Improv Connection
The article about Sethu Chidambaram (“Success Through Improv,” Fall 2015 issue) enjoying doing improv comedy with DramaTech hit home for me. I, too, did improv with DramaTech. 0 0 8
GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 91 NO.4 2015
Atlanta
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