A new plaque honoring Dr. Andrew Terzuoli, associate professor emeritus of electrical engineering, is displayed in the Graduate School of Engineering and Management.  Terzuoli spent 39 years as a Graduate School faculty member, retiring in 2022.

Located near the office Terzuoli used for nearly 40 years, the plaque contains text from his “Trust Me” document, which provides time-tested advice to new students on successfully finishing their thesis on time.

The effort to produce the plaque was led by Graduate School faculty members and alumni, Lt. Col. Robert Larkin and Maj. Timothy Wolfe.

“The plaque serves both as a tribute to Dr. T's multiple decades of service to AFIT and as an enduring message to future students who can benefit from his words well after his retirement,” said Maj. Timothy Wolfe, assistant professor of electrical engineering and former student of Terzuoli’s.

Terzuoli wrote the “Trust Me” document around 1990 inspired by the thesis defense presentations students must complete before graduating.  

“The purpose was essentially to give students a fair chance at having a final presentation and celebration,” Terzuoli said.

Although written 30 years ago, the spirit of Terzuoli’s advice still rings true today.

Trust Me by Dr. Andrew Terzuoli
To: Students

Introduction
Welcome to fall quarter. Old folks, aka seniors, this will begin your biggest thesis push. New folks, aka juniors, this will be your lightest and easiest quarter until next fall; so take the opportunity to get involved now in some research effort; just play in the sand-box, so to speak. Rubbing shoulders with an old student is a good way to do it. Following is my Homer’s Smorgasbord of suggestions; they all may not apply to you, but if the shoe fits, wear it.

Work Hard, Work Long
Work at least 80 hours/week total on your classes and thesis. Seniors, this quarter all needs to go to your thesis! Sounds gross, but remember the USAF is paying your full salary, that buys 40 hours/week. But the MSEE you will receive is your own personal property, that's worth the other 40 hours/week, like a regular full time student anywhere else. It still leaves plenty of time for eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom and other diversions. Keep track of your time, it will help. Trust me.

Work At Work
Work at AFIT or your sponsors designated location. Beware of the delusion of working at home. Some students have successfully done it, but all the students I observed who did not finish tried to work at home. It’s like working in a vacuum – not fitting for sponsored research. It’s a deadly trap; it doesn’t work. Trust me!

Communicate Daily
Touch base at least daily with your thesis committee chair, aka advisor, and your sponsor's most interested party. It sounds like a lot, but the most successful students have done this. If they tell you to contact someone else, do it immediately. Remember, you are students here to learn and we all know that. If you're stuck on something ask for help; don't press on with brute force and bloody ignorance. Most problems you encounter have been solved before by someone somewhere who can usually straighten it out in five minutes and save you hours or days. We are being paid to do this. We are your advisors and we do just that: give you advice. But, your thesis research is your original work that nobody has done before. Consequently, many times we can't tell you exactly what to do, but we can usually tell you what to think about, try, where to go (seriously), or who to talk to; be sure to do it ASAP! Trust me.

Write As-You-Go
Make publishable quality charts to summarize your work continuously as you go along. These will be the backbone of your final thesis product which documents your entire research effort.

Biweekly Committee Presentations
Using the above, make a short (15-20 min.) biweekly presentations to your entire thesis committee, together not separately, at an agreeable prearranged time. These will be the people to whom you must make your final presentation. Their interaction as well as input is most valuable. If a particular faculty member repeatedly doesn't show when you gave him/her ample opportunity for input, your thesis advisor will defend you if that person confronts you with something at your final presentation. If you really want to get going, record these presentations and comments, then transcribe them onto your word processor. These will contribute significantly to the body of your thesis. Trust me; I did it myself. We all know how much we forget.

Biweekly Presentations to Peers
On alternate weeks and biweekly make shorter presentations (5-10 min.) to your student class. Don't underestimate the insight and freshness of young minds such as yours. Many times I've seen students help each other by sharing tricks to get unstuck. It creates a team approach and prevents depression and feeling isolated. When all else fails, bring ice cream and share it. Trust me, it works.

Incorporate Your Family*
Keep your family involved, it's not necessary to let the 80 hours/week isolate you from them. I personally believe in family businesses. Getting your MSEE is your family business right now; it will certainly impact them, but they will also reap the obvious benefits of your education. There's nothing wrong with bringing them to AFIT after hours and having them help take data, run programs, make bullet charts, graphs, help with word processing, etc. You may think you could do it quicker and better, and initially I'm sure you could, but if you involve them your children will learn a great deal, your spouse (or significant other) will appreciate your world and not feel so neglected. In the end it will surprise you how much they helped. Trust me. They are welcome at the above meetings and your final presentation. Bring refreshments! Spouses love to do this. (Not a sexist comment; I just like food and a hearty party.)

Expectations of AFIT Achievement
This is an educational not a research institute. You don't do research for the sake of research. You do research to demonstrate to the USAF and the academic community that we did indeed educate you. Your MSEE from AFIT is a credential you will bear for the rest of your life and its value is proportional to AFIT's reputation, which is strengthened by publications. If you follow the above guidelines I'm sure you will be able to have at least one publication from your work. Many faculty (including me) will have you be first author on publications resulting from your work if you participate in the publication process. Your committee members will be the co-authors to help you. Not all faculty do this, and those of us who do usually get some flack from those who don't; but some of our best friends are former students.

Use Your Support Network
Finally, it is normal to feel inadequate and overwhelmed at times. Deep inside we all feel something wrong with us at times. In fact, if you don’t at some point feel there is something wrong with you, there is something wrong with you. But we have a Chaplain and it is OK to talk about such things. God is still there too, and many times He gives us the ability to achieve far beyond our innate abilities. If you don’t believe it, trust me, you will see; I am walking evidence of this fact.

Conclusion
Please don’t let the courses eat you alive and get in the way of the best part of grad school, which is your individual research effort. Be sure to carve out its proper time, and jealously guard it. You will not regret it. Trust me. Have fun. Thanks for listening, and reading.

*Note: While incorporating family is still very important, due to safety and security concerns, it is recommended that students invite family to the many sanctioned events held throughout the year.