On Saturday, May 24, the students and faculty returned to SHAPE, but this time the host was General Philip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Georgia Tech alum (Civil Engineering, 1977).  As befitting their host, the students got a detailed briefing from the general and his senior officers on the system (called the Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre) NATO has developed to assess and manage threats within Europe, the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Africa, Middle East and part of Asia. 

Briefing from General Philip Breedlove, SACEUR

Afterward, the students and faculty joined General Breedlove as well as dignitaries from Georgia Tech—including President Bud Peterson, Provost Raphael Bras, Executive Vice President for Research Steve Cross, Vice President for International Development Marta Garcia, Dean of Engineering Gary May, Nunn School Director Joe Bankoff, and Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Reginald DesRoches—for a reception in the SHAPE Officer’s Club.

General Breedlove and President Peterson speak to students, faculty, and administrators

There, General Breedlove devoted the entire reception to talking with our students, and our students took every advantage of the opportuntity.

After the reception, General Breedlove made it very clear how impressed he was with our undergrads and the direction and development of the Nunn School.  Our students  represented themselves and the program very well indeed.  General Breedlove is Georgia Tech through and through, and his pride in GT and his home department (Civil and Environmental Engineering) was a treat to witness.

Some students also took the opportunity to meet with President Peterson.

In all, an amazing experience for students and faculty alike, and certainly one for a lifetime.