Interdisciplinar-E

Through interdisciplinary courses in the engineering curriculum and eight courses they choose in the School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts engineers discover that engineering connects to far-flung fields—from studio art to sociology. Explore some of these intersections below.

Electrical Engineering + Environmental Studies: In Introduction to Engineering: Renewable Energy, first-year students examine renewable energy technologies with a critical eye—and a steady hand. Projectbased labs give these engineers a greater sense of what it means to go off the grid. Students build small windmills to test their effi ciency and even construct their own dye-sensitized solar panel with a surprising ingredient: raspberry jam! “It wasn’t a very effi cient solar panel,” Ansgar Jordan ’22 refl ects. “In fact, charging a phone with it would have taken many years. But the feeling of building something that worked was certainly very rewarding.”

Mechanical Engineering + Sociology: For his Summer Scholars research project, Richard Kaufman ’21 wanted to determine whether the current racial disparity in residential adoption of solar panels could be due to differences in the diffusion rate across demographics. “Residents of a given area are more likely to install solar on their roofs if a neighbor has already done so,” he explains. In order to model the spread of solar roofs, he used methods from epidemiology. Rather than determining the probability of a person getting sick, his models described the probability of a house adopting solar on its roof. “As a mechanical engineering major and sociology minor, this research provided a unique opportunity for me to combine my fields of study,” Richard says. “I’m passionate about green policy and energy justice, and I hope to use my skills to advance these fields.”

Engineering + Studio Art: An emphasis on “making” applies to engineers and artists alike. Floor van de Velde, a professor at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), teaches Digital Fabrication Lab, a studio sculpture course that allows SMFA and engineering students to develop proficiency in computer-aided design (CAD) and learn to safely and effectively use laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC milling machines. Through research, discussion, and practice, students are encouraged to develop a personal relationship with these technologies in order to integrate them into their artistic practices.

Computer Science + Aerospace: Shoot for the stars—and you might land an internship at NASA. This past summer, Elizabeth Hom ’22 worked as a software engineering intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory! “I’ve always been interested in aerospace, and it’s very cool to see how things I’ve learned in the classroom are applicable in industry work,” she explains. “Engineering is very much a team-based discipline, and despite the steep learning curve that comes with the first few weeks of most internships, it’s been really nice having so much support and vibrancy from the team I’m working with.”

Engineering + Education: Through Tufts’ engineering education minor, students gain field experience working in the classroom and at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach to inspire the next generation of engineers. “I used to always be torn between choosing to be an educator or an engineer,” says Madeline Fabela ’23. “One of the required classes for my minor was Society and Education, taught by professor Steven Cohen. This class really challenged my views and assumptions on education in America. It made me open my eyes to all the things that come into play when building and organizing schools.”