Student Researchers
Avery Mosley '27, Cat Cirone '27, Shauna Sperou '27
Collaborators
Mike Nguyen (Harvard University)
Research Objectives
This project aims to:
1. Develop a list of specific technical and non-technical items that engineering alumni of Olin College have found important in their diverse post-baccalaureate careers, by interviewing alumni and other key constituents,
2. Assess Olin’s sociotechnical undergraduate engineering program by using the list of technical and non-technical items to identify areas of strength and potential improvement, via surveys sent to alumni, and
3. Enable other engineering programs to use our methods and results to inform other their institutional changes.
Expected Impact
Overall, our results show a correlation between how much alumni use a given skill or mindset in their current careers and how much they developed that item at Olin, suggesting that Olin's approach to engineering education has prepared alumni well for their careers. Sixty percent of survey respondents reported being satisfied with their careers and having felt stronger in their enduring skills (compared to technical skills) upon graduation. These findings motivate the increase of educational approaches like Olin's in engineering programs throughout the nation and globally. We've presented our work to the Olin community, hosted a workshop at Duke University, and will present our results at the 2026 ASEE Annual Conference.