Lucas Ospina ‘26
I used to think I got lucky meeting the right people at the right times. But looking back at all the meaningful connections I've made through 10-ENG, finding great mentors feels almost inevitable. I'm very optimistic about my future as a scientist because of this path.
Lucas Ospina ‘26
Advisors: Prof. Michael Strano (academic); Prof. Michael Strano and Prof. William Tisdale (research)
10-Eng Concentration: Nanotechnology (concentration designed with Prof. Strano)
Why did you decide on Course X for your undergrad?
I found that the Course X community is super welcoming and the amount of mentorship available within the department is incredible. Really, I cannot imagine being where I am today without the mentorship of Andrea Aude ('24), Yijun Yang ('24), Annlin Su ('24), and Fiona Shortt ('24). They gave me so much perspective on what my undergraduate experience would look like, the many opportunities available to ChemEs, and moral support throughout the years. Even nowadays, I find myself instinctively turning to them for advice, and they are always so happy to reconnect with me. I think this is something unique to the supportive culture that Course X builds.
Opportunities like the Discovering Chemical Engineering FPOP and 10.000 (Molecule Builders) also made the transition to MIT a lot less daunting and gave me confidence in declaring Course X. The Department has supported me financially through the C. Michael Mohr (1955) Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Fund, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the research projects I wanted to pursue.
What attracted you to 10-ENG?
Deciding on 10-ENG was a no-brainer to me. What other program allows you to foster such a close relationship with MIT-level experts in the field you want to work in? It's really an incredible opportunity for students who are willing to take a risk and dive headfirst into a subject they find interesting. The flexibility of the 10-ENG program was really appealing to me because I had the freedom to take as many classes as possible at MIT that I found interesting. This allowed me to really focus on the topics I wanted, and to develop an interdisciplinary mindset that is more important now than ever.
How was your experience designing your curriculum?
Designing my own 10-ENG: Nanotechnology was the most fulfilling experience I had at MIT. I want to understand nanoscale phenomena and learn how those principles are being leveraged to create innovative technologies. The Chemical Engineering Department offers so many interesting graduate-level courses that cover these topics (that I highly recommend), like 10.51 and 10.585. I also got to get involved with MIT.nano's facilities by taking 6.2540 and heard many interesting perspectives on the future of the field as part of Prof. Jeehwan Kim's 2.S981. I really got to explore not just what Course X has to offer, but MIT's School of Engineering as a whole.
By designing my own curriculum, I got to ask myself: What am I trying to get out of this class? Will I genuinely be interested in the content it covers? Do I have the background, or am I willing to put in the time to catch up? I think this approach to taking classes at MIT really solidified my topic specialization instead of just trying to check off the boxes to graduate. My advisors helped guide me down the right path based on their extensive knowledge of the field, making me feel confident throughout.
What are you doing now? Did 10-ENG help you with your career or personal growth?
I will be pursuing my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and currently I am helping start Prof. Natsumi Komatsu's lab that focuses on nanotechnology for brain chemistry.
Career-wise, 10-ENG has really allowed me to jumpstart my career by specializing in a super relevant topic. I feel much more comfortable being involved in discussions that relate to the applications of nanotechnology and the underlying physics behind nanoscale phenomena, which transcend just one application. In the two months since my graduation, I have met so many experts in the field and received specialized training from NIST.
Personally, I feel like 10-ENG has really helped me develop my independence of thought, allowing me to feel comfortable carving out my own path. It has also made me realize the importance of mentorship and perseverance in the face of uncertainty.
Do you think Course 10-ENG would be beneficial for MIT and Course X undergrads?
The mentorship, content-specialization, and independence of thought that 10-ENG builds are something I truly believe all MIT undergrads would benefit from. I believe that any Course X student who has an idea of what opportunities they want to pursue in the future should be pursuing 10-ENG to the fullest and complementing the 10-ENG experience with research opportunities and industry experience in the summers.