December 2022 Speed School Banner Bearer Achieves Perfect 4.0 GPA

By Holly Hinson

With a perfect 4.0 GPA in his Mechanical Engineering major as well as his minor in Environmental Analysis, senior Daniel Foushee has been selected as the December 2022 Speed School Outstanding Student and Banner Bearer. A native of Lee County, Kentucky, (Ft. Knox area) Foushee decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps to Speed School, where his sibling received his degree in computer engineering. “I’ve always been really proficient at math and science, so I figured it’d be a good way to apply those skills,” he said.

In his first co-op rotation, Foushee interned as a general mechanical engineering co-op at AMIST, but with the urgent needs of the pandemic, had the unique opportunity to become part of a mass effort to address a community need by helping to manufacture and assemble hundreds of face shields with 3D printed parts.

Foushee has also lent his considerable academic talents to tutoring math students through the REACH program. “I really enjoy tutoring, so I think I might enjoy teaching, and may decide to go on for that PhD someday,” he said. “It’s fun working with students to help them learn, and then seeing them understand it,” said Foushee. “I can build a relationship with the students, which benefits them as well as me.”

In addition to his top-notch scholarship and service, Foushee has been active in research since before his first co-op, working on an undergraduate summer research project with mechanical engineering faculty. Foushee said his favorite instructor, mechanical engineering professor Dr. Bikram Bhatia, has taught and worked with him on research, something he plans to continue as part of his post-grad future, along with returning to Speed for his Master’s degree in ME.

“If he decides to pursue it, he would make a great researcher, “said Bhatia about Foushee. “He is very inquisitive and doesn’t shy away from asking questions, a great quality for a student to have,” he said. “I also like the rigor in which he approaches any problem and tries to understand the problem, and then come up with a solution that answers it,” said Bhatia.

The banner bearer said he knows he wants his future career focus to be in the renewable energy sector.

“Energy generation is a big problem for humanity as a whole, and it is something that needs to be fixed sooner rather than later, “said Foushee. “I hope to be helping that change come quicker, so we can have a reliable source of energy without all the negative impacts of fossil fuels.”

An officer of Tau Beta Pi Honor Society as well as Triangle Fraternity, Foushee said the most important lesson he learned from Speed School was the importance of communication.

“When I first started, it was more difficult for me to ask questions because I had gotten through a lot of stuff by myself,” he said. “It was getting past that pride of being able to do everything by yourself, and realizing that you need other people to work.”

How does one achieve a perfect GPA? “My only recommendation is I would say you have to be willing to put in the time,” said Foushee. “Not waiting until the last minute is important, too. Procrastination really doesn’t help.”