Studying Energy at MIT means many things to many students. For some, it means urban planning or ocean engineering. For others, it means nuclear physics or climate science. Energy permeates almost all disciplines at MIT. This is the first installment of a 4-part series that offers an inside look at the interests and motivations of a few Energy Studies Minor students.
“People often forget how valuable a resource the ocean really is, especially with respect to energy,” says Chris Welch ’13, a mechanical & ocean engineering major who studies the energy potential within oceans – from oil and gas to renewable hydropower. “We are at a very exciting juncture. We know the promise our planet holds within its oceans for providing us with the energy we need, but we need the brilliant ocean engineers who will help fulfill that promise.”
Welch is poised to become one of them. As an undergraduate, he’s already built autonomous underwater vehicles that will help people better understand ocean processes and help safely extract untapped oil and gas. Welch credits the energy minor for cementing his interest in energy and creating a bridge that connects MIT students to the “real world” of energy.
“From the engaging class topics that have embodied a sense of relevance to current events, to the immense variety of guest speakers who have spoken from every angle of energy, the energy minor has exposed me to the endless possibilities to apply my technical background to the real world,” Welch says.
Along with the energy minor, Welch notes the importance of internships for learning how the knowledge gained on campus can be applied. Last summer, he interned with Chevron’s Energy Technology Company. There, he worked with elite engineers responsible for designing Chevron’s offshore facilities around the world – all of whom had earned doctorates from top universities like MIT. Welch realized his schooling was far from over.
“I was awestruck by their technical capabilities that commanded so much respect within the company,” Welch says. “I came to the conclusion that if I wanted a better shot at inducing useful change in the world, I would first have to go to graduate school.”
Welch looks forward to building on his ocean engineering roots by pursuing a PhD in the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s joint program next year.
This article is part of the I Minored in Energy at MIT: 4 Student Stories series.
- Read part 1: Chris Welch: Bringing Ocean Engineering to the Real World
- Read part 2: Casey Stein: Confronting the Energy-Water Challenge
- Read part 3: Jake Jurewicz: Meeting the Challenge of Nuclear Energy
- Read part 4: Shaena Berlin: Linking Energy and Environmental Challenges