Making Waves- Ocean Engineering Life at MIT: August 2009

This year the MIT 2OE class consisted of 4 members. We asked each senior to fill out a short questionaire about their time at MIT and here are their responses:

Mike Smith-Bronstein

Plans: Nuclear Officer on a navy submarine

Favorite MIT Class: 2.005 (Thermal Fluids Engineering I) or Music of Africa

Favorite OE Memory: Watching the robotic kayak actually work in 2.017

Advice to Freshmen: Office Hours.

Kaitlyn McCartney

Plans:

Working for a small environmental and marine engineering consulting firm out of Falmouth MA and then going back to school for a Master's or PhD.. haven't decided yet! But the company will pay for it :-)

Favorite MIT Class:
Intro to Naval Arch. or Robotics

Favorite OE Memory:
Sinking our autonomous kayak in 2.017. Sad but funny.

Advice to Freshmen: Enjoy college, don't stress too much or work too hard. Its over before you know it.

Brooks Reed

Plans:

I'm entering the MIT/WHOI joint program next year, and plan to be co-advised by Franz Hover at MIT and Dana Yoerger at WHOI. I'm not sure which project I will be working on yet, but probably something related to navigation and control of AUVs. Eventually I think I'd like to be a research engineer somewhere, possibly at an oceanographic institution.

Favorite MIT Class:

Probably 2.005 or Popular Musics of the World (21M.294)

Favorite OE Memory:

I had a lot of fun with our 2.017 ROV project. Also, taking part in the first pool test of the Sea Grant Odyssey IV AUV.

Advice to Freshmen:

In terms of OE, classes aren't everything. Try to take opportunities to learn about the field from a broader perspective. It will help you stay interested, apply what you learn in class, and have good background knowledge for jobs and internships. Other than that, have fun.

Elizabeth Palmer