Nzuki spent 10 weeks this summer in Georgia Tech's Polymer Thin Film Processing Lab after receiving an invitation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program. He went on to place third overall in his category at this phenomenal symposium. At the STEM Innovators Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Conference, he presented his work and won first place for oral presentation in the civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering category. At the nation's largest interdisciplinary research forum, the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), he presented research on groundbreaking manufacturing machine software. In a real-world application and culmination of his learning, Nzuki completed a co-op at Shaw Industries where he led a team on a project that resulted in a $750,000 annual cost savings to the company.
In addition to his incredible work and research, he's highly involved on campus having served as an Odyssey Peer Mentor, member of the KSU Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and an Honors Ambassador; the last of which he says opened the gateway for success. Nzuki says that of all of his incredible accomplishments and accolades, he is most proud of having participated in the University's Honors Program. "The Honors College was without a doubt one of my favorite parts of being a KSU student... the work was often challenging, but you are always rewarded for being curious," he says.
When asked about Nzuki, Dr. Ian Ferguson, dean of the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, said the following: "Eric has shown potential to not only conduct cutting edge research, but to also communicate his work at professional meetings...He has shown a high aptitude of collaboration and leadership, skills that I believe will be of great use as he pursues his future career." Upon graduation, Nzuki will begin working at Georgia Pacific.