Brian Lewis, a pre-doctoral candidate in the School of Industrial and System Engineering, was named as one of seven national Eisenhower Graduate Transportation Fellows for 2002. This prestigious award, sponsored by the National Highway Institute, is a merit-based award given to encourage the increase of knowledge in the field of transportation in the United States.

The three-year fellowship covers tuition and fees, a monthly stipend, and travel to the annual meeting in Washington — approximately $100,000. Lewis' research is based on understanding the tradeoffs between security practices and efficiency within intermodel transportation systems. It is a particularly timely topic, as the U.S. government continues to issue mandates on the security protocol for American airports, rail yards, and ports. Lewis' work focuses on seaports, and "the reactive side of those mandates — how do you respond?" he says.

Those who know Brian have high praise for his efforts, especially Dr. Chelsea White, Lewis' co-advisor and director of The Trucking Program. Lewis followed Dr. White from the University of Michigan to Georgia Tech in 2002, after completing his master's in industrial and operations engineering at Michigan in December 2001. Lewis also holds a bachelor's in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of California, Berkeley.

"Lewis is an outstanding doctoral student with a terrific academic record," says Dr. White. Dr. White also describes Lewis as "a high achiever," a trait that is also helping him overcome Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Disease, a form of cancer diagnosed in May of 2000. "The doctors tell me if I have to have cancer, this is the best one to get," Lewis says, explaining that he found a lump under his arm while he was still at Berkeley. The cancer is non curable, but the prognosis is good. "I can have a long life with treatment," says Lewis. He participated in a clinical trial through Stanford University, and appears optimistic about new treatments being developed. Still, "the whole mental aspect can be hard," he admits.

Lewis credits his friends and family for their support, especially his fiancé Sandi McCoy, who earned her master's of public health at Michigan and is now employed at the Centers for Disease Control. Her background in health has been instrumental in helping him understand and cope with his illness. He is also grateful for Dr. White and Dr. Alan Erera, whose support has allowed him to continue with his research despite undergoing the periodic treatments.

Dr. Erera, faculty member in ISyE, received the same fellowship from 1997-2000 while he was a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley. It was he who urged Lewis to apply. "The Eisenhower Graduate Transportation Fellowship program intends to fund truly outstanding students with significant potential to be lifelong leaders in the field of transportation research and education," says Erera. "Brian possesses the analytical research aptitude, the communications skills, and the motivation to become such a leader, and is most deserving of the award," he continued.

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