Julia Casey ‘26
10-ENG gave me the peace of mind to declare Course X as a freshman because the concentration process allowed for the flexibility I needed when I couldn’t decide between 1, 3, and 10.
Julia Casey ‘26
Advisors: Prof. Greg Rutledge and Tom Kinney
10-Eng Concentration: Materials Process & Design
Why did you decide on Course X for your undergrad?
I decided to declare Course X because it allowed me to study the intersection of the topics I was interested in. I really liked materials research, but I wasn’t satisfied with leaving fluids out of the equation like Course 3 largely does. When I was a freshman, I was also interested in environmental topics, but when I took 1.06, I can’t remember a time we didn’t assume the fluid being analyzed was water. Course X allowed me to approach complex systems, learn how to break them down into bite-sized chunks, and analyze each component independently. I didn’t have to choose between microscopic or macroscopic understanding – I could map out the process flow with its pipes, valves, and pumps and understand the chemistry happening inside the pipes with one degree.
What attracted you to 10-ENG?
I come from the classic first gen/low-income background where I didn’t really know what engineering was when I got to MIT. I knew some topics that I was interested in (at the time environmental issues) but I also knew that there was a lot I didn’t know I was interested in and even more that I hadn’t been exposed to yet. It’s not that I didn’t know what I wanted to do, it’s that I knew what I wanted would change. Being able to declare 10-ENG gave me the peace of mind to declare Course X as a freshman because the concentration process allowed for the flexibility I needed when I couldn’t decide between 1, 3, and 10.
How was your experience designing your curriculum?
There were highs and lows in the curriculum process. My Courseload changed every semester as my concentration itself was evolving alongside my process of learning where I wanted to end up. Adding on that figuring out which classes are offered which semesters and trying to get all the timing to work out (especially when you venture outside the department) can be quite the spiderweb of priorities and possibilities. But there are resources to help, and the benefits definitely exceeded the drawbacks because the classes I took in my concentration made me a better researcher and engineer.
What are you doing now? Did 10-ENG help you with your career or personal growth?
I currently work for Chartwell Consulting as an analyst. I’m in operations consulting, so my job is to go into manufacturing plants and help make their production lines more efficient. 10-ENG has helped me so far because the classes most clearly because I was able to take in my concentration gave me a better understanding of manufacturing processes. But in taking some of these classes, I also learned how to communicate and collaborate on highly technical concepts with people of completely different backgrounds on a variety of different projects, which is something I do every day. The interpersonal skills I gathered of how to pick up how an environmental engineer approaches a problem, for example, and the terminology they use, and implement that in my own communication of how I am understanding a pset question within a couple of minutes was more valuable to me than the technical background included in the course content.
Do you think Course 10-ENG would be beneficial for MIT and Course X undergrads?
It can be really useful for people interested in the intersectionality between topics or the application of a topic into chemical engineering concepts.
Do you have any other thoughts about your personal 10-ENG path or the program in general?
I appreciate the many conversations I had with my academic advisors, who were able to give advice on how to go about prioritizing which classes to take when I had to choose, and my concentration advisors who worked with me to get the classes I wanted to take approved. The program is flexible and largely self-driven, but the concentration advisors and the knowledge they have are half the benefit, and the more they are looped in the greater the benefit a student might get.