WHY M&T?

Throughout school, I was always fascinated with mathematics and how it could be applied to the real world. This led to my interest in pursuing studies in engineering. However, I knew I wanted to be more than an engineer, I wanted to be an innovator and entrepreneur – one who could turn moonshot ideas into reality.

M&T has allowed me to build up strong fundamentals on the technical side while gaining a firm understanding of business principles. I have an in robotics, automotive, clean energy, and smart homes and find I need both these skills to break into these industries. The engineering and business combination offered by M&T is perfect for anyone interested in starting their own company or being in the entrepreneurial space, regardless of industry.

FAVORITE CLASS

CIS 560. I decided to take my first graduate-level computer science class my sophomore year spring despite warnings that this course was notoriously difficult. Through this project-intensive course, I was introduced to the principles of computer graphics. I created an image editing toolbox, 3D linear algebra library, rasterizer for scene rendering, GUI for image processing, and a ray tracer as my final project.

I especially enjoyed how our instructor, Dr. Benedict Brown, was adamant that we learn the mathematical underpinnings behind the concepts and gain a strong foundation in C++. What amazed me the most was how much math, code, and effort goes behind rendering a simple scene of shapes. This course opened me up to a whole field I wasn’t initially interested in! But now, especially seeing how drastically graphics in films, games, and entertainment have improved over the years, I’m excited to learn more.

M&T COMMUNITY

I still recall that, shortly after my acceptance into the M&T program, I received dozens of emails from current M&T students and met with several alumni. I was impressed by the community and wondered if it would be similar once I was on campus. It was that and more!

Freshman year, nearly all of us M&Ts lived together in Ware College House. We bonded as a cohort and some of my closest friends are also M&Ts. Entering my junior year, it’s been crazy to consistently see fellow M&Ts in my courses and working with me in clubs, research, and even internships. And the M&T Staff are always so supportive. (M&T Director) Gad, (Administrative Director) January and the rest of the staff have been a huge help in everything from academic planning to career advice and social events bringing the whole M&T community together.

BEST SUMMER EXPERIENCE

The summer after my sophomore year is definitely my favorite experience so far. I am currently studying and working in Essen, Germany as part of the Ruhr Fellowship. Along with 16 other students from the US, we spent the first month taking a German language course, visiting companies in the Ruhr area (including going down a coal mine!), seeing the local universities and their labs, attending several CEO talks, and just getting acquainted with German culture.

In the second month, I was paired to intern for Innogy, a leading renewable energy company in Germany, where I developed an analytics dashboard for their retail department’s innovation team. The project, called Moonshot, aims to develop a fully functional energy supplier ten times cheaper than current models by automating customer service processes through a streamlined learning ChatBot mobile app.

During my brief stay, I’ve learned a great deal about the differences between Germany’s energy provider market, work culture, and digitalization focus compared to the US. I also met many colleagues who are also passionate about revolutionizing the oft-overlooked energy industry. Like everyone else, I’ve also attempted to make the most of my weekends traveling all over Germany, sampling the protein-heavy German diet in local pubs.