		Volume 15, Number 2

"Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT"
is published quarterly by the
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bldg. 1-383, 77 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139

Editor: Debbie Levey
(617)253-7101
levey@mit.edu

Systems engineering, travel, and adventure for CEE student

CEE Administrative Officer Patricia Dixon (left) and administrative assistant Joan McCusker admire paperweights produced by students in Prof. Herbert Einstein's class,1.012 Introduction to Civil Engineering Design. The basic assignment was to integrate form, function and material. Using plexiglass and aluminum blocks of different shapes, students assembled blocks, examined the result, took everything apart, and rearranged until it suited their sense of design and taste. Rubber bands and tape held the constructions together during the draft stage, until they were ready to be glued permanently.

This course is required for 1-C sophomores, and also attracts freshmen eager to do hands-on design. Early in the semester the students received lessons in basic drawing from Carolyn Junzilo Comer, a noted Boston-area painter and Prof. Einstein's administrative assistant. Their four design projects include two small assemblies (paperweight and coatrack), and two large theoretical undertakings: redesigning Boston's Back Bay, and work on the Industriplex Superfund Site development. Junlin Ho '01 describes the latter project in more detail in her interview on this page.

Combining some of her multiple interests, undergrad Junlin Ho '01 is double-majoring in CEE (Course 1) and Urban Studies & Planning (Course 11). "Within CEE I'm focusing on the systems track and more specifically construction management. Within Urban Studies it's a more general focus," although she is still oriented toward systems.

"When I was first trying to choose my main major, I was torn between Course 1 and 11. I finally chose CEE because I really liked some of the professors, and because I wanted to leave MIT with an engineering degree. Then I learned that I could double major, so everything worked out very well. Within the two majors I'm interested in brownfields redevelopment. It's the perfect melding of the two majors, since we're looking at cleaning up the site and building it, and also taking more of a regional planning and city planning perspective," she says.

During sophomore year Ho took 1.012 Introduction to CE Design, taught by Profs. Herbert Einstein and Sarah Slaughter. She recalls, "We went to visit one of the main brownfields, the Industriplex site in Woburn involved in the famous A Civil Action case. I got really interested in the subject." Meanwhile, in urban studies classes she studied the same topic more from the social aspects, such as the effects of living on or adjacent to a Superfund site, and the politics and different aspects of cleaning it up. She enjoyed examining the very complex problems in an interdisciplinary manner from the humanist side and also the technical side.

"Within CEE I have liked many classes, but nothing really bowled me over since that design class. After taking so many technical courses in sophomore year, it was great to go to a class where we had a chance to do more creative work. 1.012 was the only purely design class I took, and I really enjoyed it," she recalls.

In a showcase for brownfield development, the Industriplex site is being transformed into a major regional transportation center for commuter rail, bus transit, and park & ride, along with some eventual mixed development including a hotel, big box discount store, and office space. To prevent contact with remaining contaminants, Ho specifies, "They're putting in a huge piece of impervious material under the soil and adding more topsoil. The material is supposed to isolate the heavy metals and toxic substances. In addition, they're trying to prevent any new pollution from accumulating on the site, such as designing in catch basins and retention sites for oil and diesel dripping from cars." The site is at the center of her senior Urban Studies & Planning thesis, "Factors that Lead to Sustainable Brownfields Redevelopment, as Illustrated in the Case of the Industriplex in Woburn, MA."

Two summers ago Ho worked enthusiastically in Venice, Italy, for the Consorzio Venezia Nuova on the controversial mobile flood barriers to prevent the city from being repeatedly swamped by high tides each winter. "There was definitely a cultural and language barrier which took some getting used to, but the cultural experience was amazing. I came back raving about it. Just being able to live in Venice for three months and get to know the people was wonderful." She eagerly anticipated returning on a planning trip with Urban Studies & Planning during January at the height of flood season. "I only looked at the mobile flood barriers from a technical aspect, but it was really interesting to go there with Urban Studies and look at it from a more political aspect." During the January trip, Ho experienced first-hand the flooding issues that Venetians must deal with. "There were boards and planks everywhere for people to walk on over the flood waters."

As part of the overall CEE experience, students are guaranteed internships during the summer if they are interested in working. Ho and others in the CEE Student Association (CEESA) hope to improve the internship program by tying it into the CEESA-sponsored event, Course 1 Career Days, and involving more undergrads in the planning aspect. During the summer of 2000, Ho did planning for VHB, a CEE/environmental firm which also has a city planning and landscape architecture department. She worked in aviation planning on Boston's Logan airport, studying sustainable development from a CEE viewpoint.

This year Ho and Michelle Vidal '01 are co-presidents of CEESA. "Through CEESA, I want to connect the students more to the real world. Friends have complained about very theoretical classes where they don't utilize any skills picked up in class when they go out in the real world. Regardless of the actual knowledge we learn in our classes, they're teaching us how to think things out on our own and come up with answers even when we don't have all the information we need."

CEESA is also trying to raise awareness about available scholarships. Having collected scholarships from the Boston Society of Civil Engineers (the Simpson Gumperz Heger scholarship) and from the American Consulting Engineers Commission, Mass. branch, Ho urges her fellow students to be aware that "scholarships do exist and fellow students do receive them. It's worth losing a few more hours' sleep to fill out the applications.

"I got my job in Venice through the internship program. It was a great experience for me, and I'd definitely like to encourage more students to take advantage of internships. My Class of '01 was the first year to get involved as sophomores. Sophomores haven't necessarily acquired too much CEE background yet, and I know that some people were disappointed with their placements. I'm hoping that it won't happen to this year's sophomores, especially since we have a lot more people involved."

After graduation, Ho will work for GIC Real Estate doing real estate investment. Eventually, she hopes to go to law school. "Although I'm not sure what kind of law I'll specialize in, I'm interested in environmental law which would combine my CEE and urban studies background."

Like many CEE students, Ho was fascinated with building from childhood and worked busily with her Legos. She also drew constantly, with a focus on horse stables, and thought about becoming an architect "until I came to MIT and discovered that they do more abstract design work. That's when I became more interested in CEE and eventually Urban Studies & Planning." The interest in horses, if not stables, has continued unabated. As a member and officer of MIT's Equestrian Team, she competes in the ring and over jumps, "which I really like because it is much more exciting."

Evaluating MIT from the perspective of a senior, Ho says, "There are definitely many moments of 'Wow, what was I thinking of when I decided to come here--the stress, lack of sleep, all that. But I definitely love it here. My parents often ask, especially when I'm sick or feeling overworked, 'Are you sure you made the right choice when you came to MIT?' and my answer is always yes. I like the people, and the opportunities I've been given and the things I've been exposed to really have made it worthwhile.

"Since CEE has a relatively small number of undergrads, I have gotten to know many of the professors well enough to have good conversations. I have a lot of initiative and this Department gives me a chance by funding and supporting my ideas. When I started organizing an IAP (January intersession) trip to Puerto Rico for the Tren Urbano project, Pat Dixon and Prof. Rafael Bras were very encouraging of what I wanted to do. The one-week trip to Puerto Rico was a great experience. I met some of the younger students in the Department, which was nice. We saw so many large projects from the Arecibo Radio Telescope to Tren Urbano. Presenting our final report from 1.041 Systems Engineering Design to Puerto Rico's Secretary of Transportation was a good opportunity. Of course, 80=B0 weather in January didn't hurt, either.

"I'm definitely a systems person so I like construction management issues. My year was the first year they reconstructed the undergrad curriculum. It's kind of shaky being the guinea pig, and it was a big change for us. But I like how it's moving toward more design-oriented teamwork, which I think is important."

Ready to visit the Tren Urbano construction site in Jan Juan, Puerto Rico, are (left to right) CEE seniors Junlin Ho, Michelle Vidal, and Sandi Lin.

Ho also expresses great satisfaction with Urban Studies. "We've gotten funding for trips to look at cities throughout the world during IAP. Some of the most interesting classes I've taken have been in Urban Studies. Technical issues don't always excite me because there's usually a set answer. Given a problem about stress, you find out that the beam breaks at a certain point. But with Urban Studies and some of the CEE classes within the systems track, they're much more interesting because there is no set answer. For example, Puerto Rico is building a huge transportation system with Tren Urbano in San Juan. Who's to say that one particular design or track is the right answer? You have to look at it from all sorts of perspectives to see how it's going to work.