Hear what our Petit Scholars are saying.  

"When I arrived at Tech I was originally planning on working or co-oping at Tech to help pay for the expenditures that go along with college, but once I got involved in research I was addicted.  Thanks to programs like Petit Scholars, I have been able to continue the research I love.  I am currently starting to compose my second first-author paper, and my data has also been presented at over ten national and international conferences."  - Daniel McGrail

"The Petit Scholars program has been fantastic! With my time in the program, I have been able to plan a fully independent and free-standing research study, fund it, and work towards my own goals with the support of the full lab group." - Joel Dolensky

"The Petit Undergraduate Scholars program has given me an invaluable opportunity to participate in research that will undoubtedly help me peruse my dreams of becoming a dentist." - Megan Bloomquist

"The Petit Scholars program is training me to develop my capabilities as an independent undergraduate researcher in Professor Hud's laboratory. With help from Petit Scholars, I will be able to both present my research on the chemical origins of life at professional conferences and publish my research in refereed journals to get the most out of my undergraduate research experience." - Michael Chen

“I was very privileged to have been accepted into the URS program for the 2002 year.  I was placed into Professor Ajit Yoganathan's research group. With my graduate student mentor Hwa-Liang Leo, we studied flow-fields surrounding artificial heart valves using noninvasive velocimetry techniques.  Even now, I still think back about what a great opportunity it was to be able to work alongside top-tiered researchers at a world class research institution -- as an undergraduate.  It was a great learning experience. I really valued that I was given a self-contained project, and not just merely a lab helper.   I was able to learn very much about the problem solving, communication, and project planning skills (and most of all perseverance!) required to complete a project.   I have always considered going to graduate school. This opportunity allowed me to get a glimpse into the research life and helped my decision to pursue graduate school.  I believe that the skills I gained are applicable in both academic and professional realms.” - Saul Lee 

"My participation in the Petit Scholars Program allowed me to do research that I enjoyed, and also allowed me to form lasting relationships with my mentors.  I will be a BME PhD candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at GT in the Fall, and much thanks are owed to the Petit Scholars Program for getting me started on this path." - Shereka Banton 

The Petit URS Program opened endless doorways for me. I was able to start and design my own research project and continue working individually afterward. I've had the opportunity to speak at conferences, present research to the Department of Defense and Children's Hospital of Atlanta, and my recently, my research experience through Petit URS allowed me to obtain an internship in tissue engineering through the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. I can't speak highly enough of the program and the countless benefits it has made available to me. - Olivia Burnsed

"Words cannot describe how valuable the experience I gained in the Petit program was; from completing your own project to presenting a poster, I learned so much and I am so thankful for my experience." - Glenn Travis Wagner

 "The Petit Scholars program has given me the opportunity to spend more time on research and less time working; it has also introduced me to many other motivated researchers, and I look forward to collaborating with them on future projects!" - Hasan Khosravi 

"Undergraduate research has allowed me the rare chance to delve into topics that we skim over in the impersonal arena of a cavernous lecture hall. It is a pass into a locked doorway. In the figurative sense, I encountered for the first time these noisy hoods and pipettes that I musn't drop. And literally, gaining buzzcard access to wing 1D is a small badge of honor in itself. The Petit Scholars program not only encompassed these aspects, but exceeded the typical undergraduate research experience. By encouraging mentors to provide students with an independent project, I have been able to undertake the responsibility of moving an idea from paper to the rewarding (and sometimes frustrating) reality of the benchside. Not only have I been able to experience the entire research process from brainstorming to experimentation, troubleshooting, and poster presenting, but a rare camaraderie has also been established. From brainstorming sessions with my professor to chatting about must-see sights in Paris, I have been warmly welcomed into this lab community. That is the most unexpected and most rewarding aspect of my undergraduate research." - Willa Ni

"My undergraduate education as an aspiring scientist would not have been complete without research experience, and this experience would not have been the same without the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. The array of possible projects offered to me was so diverse and the program and its participants so interdisciplinary and receptive that I already knew that no matter a student’s scientific focus, they would be able to contribute to a project and that there was so much potential for learning. I concluded this program with knowledge and a set of skills I can use now and in future research. Just as importantly through this experience I learned how to acquire skills and knowledge in a research environment and then use them to reason independently and collaborate actively with my mentor and other scientists. This will be indispensable for me as I continue on to graduate school...The amazing resources, a complete year of work that is full-time in the summer, and the mentor-scholar relationship are in my opinion the greatest strengths of the program. I was challenged yet always supported and encouraged. Having an experienced mentor to work with and guide me taught me so many things, and in my own academic career I plan to teach and be a mentor to other young scientists. I was also given an opportunity to start networking and have developed both professional connections and friendships. For me the Petit Scholars Program has been intellectually, professionally and personally invaluable." - Taran Lundgren