Princeton University

My undergraduate education was in physics, but after taking several years off after graduation I realized that Civil Engineering more fully matched my interests.  As I started researching graduate programs, I came across Prof. David Billington’s book The Tower and the Bridge -- a text that focuses on structural art and the special opportunities that engineers have to design structures that are efficient, economic, and elegant.  After reading this text, I immediately contacted Prof. Billington and discussed the possibility of working with him as a graduate student.

I knew that starting a graduate program in a different discipline would be challenging, but I was also confident of the personal attention and encouragement that I would receive from professors at Princeton.  After being accepted into the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) program, I met with Prof. Billington several times to discuss the best path for my education and he constantly assured me that I would be able to make up the courses that I was missing.  Throughout the first semester, Prof. Billington met with me twice per week to check on my progress and to help fill in some of the gaps in my education.  In addition, other professors in the department were very supportive and were always willing to meet with me outside of class to help me to understand some of the more advanced material.  I believe that this kind of individual attention and support is unique to Princeton and was one of the main reasons that I chose to attend this university.

I completed my MSE in 2008 with a master’s thesis that compared Eiffel’s Maria Pia Bridge and Ammann’s Bayonne Bridge.     I worked closely with Prof. Billington on this research and greatly enjoyed both the performing the rigorous technical analysis and looking at each structure from a historical perspective.   Outside of my thesis research, I also had the opportunity to work on the Candela Project with Prof. Garlock and Prof. Billington (http://mcis2.princeton.edu/candela/main.html).  This project studied the thin shell concrete structures designed and built by Felix Candela in the mid 20th century. Undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to perform technical analyses of these structures, research the history of each, and build models for an art museum exhibit.   It was a great experience to study structures outside of my main scope of research and to work with a large team of other students.   These experiences inspired me to apply for the PhD program.

I am now currently working toward a PhD under the direction of Prof. Billington, Prof. Garlock, and Prof. Adriaenssens.   My research focuses on studying new forms for movable bridges by integrating mechanical and structural systems.   I greatly look forward to what the next years will bring.   Thinking back on my decision to attend Princeton, I cannot think of another university which could have so well matched my interests in structural art and met my needs as a student coming from a different discipline.