(classical music)

- Hello and thank you for
tuning in to Connections

and Directions, our
University of Michigan's Civil

and Environmental Engineering podcast.

My name is Michelle
Santelian and I am the CEE

marketing communications
specialist and host

of this series.

During our podcast, we
are featuring members

of our CEE community and
how their work reflects

our mission of engineers
and service to society.

We will be highlighting
our strategic directions

and our commitment to diversity,
equity, and inclusion.

CEE's five strategic directions
are human habitat experience

shaping resource flows,
adaptation, automation

and smart infrastructure finance.

I'm here with Jenna
Kutcher who's a second year

undergrad environmental
engineering student.

Welcome Jenna.

- Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

- How do you see yourself participating

in CEEs strategic directions?

- To be honest, I would
love to be a member of any

of the teams on the projects
because they're really

all trying to make a difference
to create a better world

for future generations.

I loved how the human
habitat experience was

trying to use the public's feedback

as an integral part of
the designing process.

I really think that
creating environmentally

conscious infrastructure
can create a habitat

for humans that is cohesive with nature

and I think that that's huge
in today's current society.

I also really liked how
shaping research flows

and I'm really interested
in the way that engineers

and service to society
wanted to rebalance the flow

'cause I think that it
needs to be much more

evenly distributed across
communities and I am inspired

by the fact that they
are also noticing that

and that they're taking
steps towards that.

- And how does our mission

of engineers and service to
society resonate with you?

What does it mean

to you and how do you
see yourself possibly

becoming an engineer making a difference?

- Yeah, so my dream for
the future has always been

like ever since I started college, to try

and have the human race have
a symbiotic relationship

with nature that is catered
to each specific environment

and location that people are living in

the ecosystems that are present there.

And it was really inspiring
to see that engineers

in service to society are
taking steps to do that

and working towards that same goal.

'Cause I really think it
can only be accomplished

through union of people,
cooperation across the board

and collaboration between
all of the billions

of people that we have
here on this planet.

And I don't think that we
can really achieve that

unless we're all working
together and I like the engineers

and service to society
is working towards that.

- And you mentioned
when you started college

what inspired you to get
involved in environmental

engineering to start with?

- I really love, I've been

on outdoorsy person my entire life.

I really love being outside

and when I was younger I
really started to get involved

in engineering in high school
and just like tech classes

and working with my hands
and calculus and the idea

of environmental engineering
of spending my days working

towards making a more cohesive planet just

really resonated with me and
really sounded like a good idea

and I kind of ran with
it and never turned back.

- That's wonderful.

How has participating in
the Pelham Scholars program

as an undergraduate enhanced
your student experience

and related to that, is that one

of the ways that you see DEI incorporated

in the department?

- Yeah, so definitely it's one

of the ways I see DEI
incorporated but additionally

like I think the Pelham
Scholars program has really

provided a safe place to share ideas

about how to create a
more welcoming environment

at the University of
Michigan alongside a lot

of people that have become
my really close friends

which is amazing 'cause it provides that

that community and that
opportunity to meet people

with a like-minded mindset.

And I really like the
opportunities it provides

for students to further
their education and the world

and allows people to expand
their perspective on society

which is really important
as you bring a lot

of people from different
backgrounds together.

And so I think that's
definitely a way that DEI

is incorporated into the
department because I think

like the CEE department
as a whole is really

pushing students to have a
mindset that all ideas are valued

and welcome because being
able to see the world

from multiple perspectives makes
us more intelligent people.

It makes us able to make better decisions

and being able to play
the devil's advocate

and being open when things are unclear

or don't make sense is really good

because that's how solutions are created

that's how engineers work
as they find problems

and then they really work

through them and think through them

but they have to think
about who it's affecting

and how their solutions are
going to affect the world.

And so I think

that that's huge that the
CEE department is really

pushing that type of mindset.

- And how did you get involved

with the Pelham Scholars program?

- I was in a class with

I had a couple of close
friends in that class

and what happened was my
teacher presented this program

as an opportunity that we could apply

for and it was really funny

because all of my like closer friends

from previous classes
were all interested in it.

And so we'd made the decision together

that we wanted to be a part of this.

We really liked the initiative of it

we really liked everything that it was

like standing for and working towards.

And so we all applied and
most of us actually got in

which we were really excited about

and it's been just kind of
a lot of fun ever since.

- And how did you choose the
University of Michigan for CEE?

You know, going back

to when you were applying
out of high school

what was it about our department
that set it apart for you?

- Yeah, so as soon as I chose

to be an environmental engineer

I immediately began researching programs

and ended up finding the
perfect one through UMich.

I thought it was going
to be a hard decision

planning where I wanted to
spend the next four years

of my life, but the more that
I learned about this community

and this program, the
easier my decision became.

It has, you know, it's a
highly ranked public university

it has a great engineering
program, it's within, you know

my home state and is
allowing me to be able to

see my family and create a balance

between my studies and my home
life, which I really loved.

You know, that's really important to me.

And so it's just had a lot of great things

about it and it also has a lot

of passionate people and I admired that

and that was something
that really drew me in.

- And what would you say
to prospective students

who are considering applying here

or considering if they've
already been accepted

whether to make a decision to come here?

- If they wanna make strong connections

if they wanna be a part
of an inclusive community

and have an ambitious attitude
and strive for success

this is the university for them.

It's not easy but it's worth it

and I wouldn't trade my
experiences here for anything else.

- Do you have a pearl of wisdom
from your experience in CEE

that you'd be willing to share
with prospective students?

- I don't know how wise I am yet, but

if I could tell my younger
self some sort of bit of advice

I think I would say that
opportunities are everywhere

but it's your responsibility to look

for them and to seek them out.

And I think don't be afraid
to start conversations

because new friends or study buddies

or mentors are only one conversation away.

And I don't know where I would be

without all the friendships
that I made just

by asking if I could sit next to someone

on the first day of class and
striking up conversations.

I mean it's really just pushing yourself

out of your comfort zone
and don't be afraid of that.

- And speaking of, you know, not speaking

of taking chances and
looking for opportunities

have you had the chance
to secure any internships

or additional research
experiences for example?

- Yes, so I am studying

with the SURE research program this summer

so it's the student undergraduate research

of engineering program and
I'm really excited, I'm a part

of a project with different
professors from the university

and we're working to do
environmental studies on microbiomes

and microbial processes
through food waste and

and sewage sludge, which
doesn't sound all that

exciting when you say it like
that, but I think that working

and studying and researching
all of these different forms

of waste that we're just throwing away

and trying to find ways
to repurpose them is

a really integral part about
working towards a better future

and working towards using
what we don't use now

to create more renewable resources.

- That sounds like a wonderful opportunity

and it should be an
exciting summer for you.

- Yeah, I'm very excited.

- Is there anything that
you would like to add?

- One thing I'd like to add is

that for anyone who is
thinking to come here and

and for students just in
general to remember that life is

about making small acts of
kindness turn into a habit.

And as an environmental engineer, I try

and like preach this a little bit

about just being more
thoughtful throughout your life

and making more thoughtful
conscious decisions because you

and the people around you will be better

off for it and future generations
will be better off for it.

- Thank you so much for joining us today.

- Of course.

Thank you for having me again.

(classical music)

- Thank you for listening
to our podcast conversation.

For more information about CEE at Michigan

please visit our website at cee.umich.edu.

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