Currently, I’m planning to participate in Northwestern University’s engineering program over the summer, and I’m especially interested in how it will help me better understand real-world systems. Up to this point, most of my knowledge in industrial engineering has come from personal observations and research that I have been able to conduct on my own. However, soon I will have the support of multiple mentors who are all experts in different types of engineering, such as mechanical, environmental, biomedical, and material.

One thing I love about this course is how it has a strong focus on “Solving problems through design”, which are key steps industrial engineers must accomplish when trying to address a bottleneck or other concern.  Additionally,  being able to receive feedback and guidance from experienced engineers will be an entirely new experience for me and allow me to grow significantly in my overall learning of industrial engineering. I can’t wait to see how they approach problems when attempting to design a solution.

Another aspect of this course that interests me is the fact that I will be able to delve into specific genres of engineering. This will allow me to better understand how different fields approach problems and how these methods can be used to solve real-world issues. Furthermore, the curriculum involving multiple fields will help me decide on which areas of engineering I am most interested in pursuing in the future.

Another part of this program that stands out to me is the final capstone project. My brother, who studied engineering at Texas A&M University, completed a capstone project his senior year, and I saw how much he learned from that experience. Today, he still uses the same critical thinking and application methods he used on the project to solve complex issues at his current job. Seeing his growth has motivated me to seek out that same opportunity, where I can apply my knowledge from the program onto real life scenarios that strengthen my ability to solve complex challenges.

Overall, I am looking forward to this experience because it will allow me to build upon the skills I have already explored on my own, strengthening them greatly. By learning how to solve issues through different lenses and consideration, I will also be better equipped with identifying inefficiencies and creating improvements in both the community and greater areas. This experience will help me grow academically and personally as I work toward improving everyday systems and becoming a better industrial engineer.