Recent BSIE Grad's NU Experiences Push Her to Pursue MS

Name: Ann­marie Uliano

Major: Indus­trial engineering

Campus activ­i­ties: Pres­i­dent of the Society of Women Engi­neers, teaching assis­tant, worked at Northeastern’s Health­care Sys­tems Engi­neering Insti­tute, freshman engi­neering pro­gram peer mentor, Sci­ence Club for Girls mentor

What was your most sig­nif­i­cant learning expe­ri­ence at Northeastern?

I had four dif­ferent engi­neering expe­ri­en­tial learning oppor­tu­ni­ties. Two were in research and those helped me decide to pursue a master’s degree that will pro­vide me an oppor­tu­nity to look closely at novel tech­nolo­gies in a spe­cific area of focus. I don’t think going to a tra­di­tional four-​​year school would have allowed me to have the expe­ri­ences in acad­emia or industry that North­eastern has.

What were your co-​​op expe­ri­ences like?

I’ve always had a pas­sion to work in health­care or some­thing related to med­i­cine, and indus­trial engi­neering is broad enough that you can apply it to lit­er­ally any­thing you want. My pas­sion to work in health­care was only enhanced through my co-​​op expe­ri­ences, where I saw many facets of the industry, including phar­ma­ceu­ti­cals, med­ical devices, and health­care systems.

I did a co-​​op working with med­ical devices at a com­pany called Tecomet and I got to see how dif­ferent joint replace­ments are made. It was really cool to see the amazing tech­nology that is used to help people have a better quality of life.

What inspired you to get involved in so many dif­ferent campus groups and organizations?

The Society of Women Engi­neers has been my pri­mary campus activity. I held an officer posi­tion every year, attended national con­fer­ences, and helped plan var­ious events and activities.

Being involved with SWE has meant a lot. It has given me a con­nec­tion to some really inspiring and sup­portive people in the Col­lege of Engi­neering, pro­fes­sional speakers from the Boston area, and SWE mem­bers from around the world. Some of my best friends are from SWE. I’ve really enjoyed the oppor­tu­nity to learn from those before me in our orga­ni­za­tion. I got involved, began leading, and focused on moti­vating others, like the freshman girls I mentor, to take advan­tage of the ben­e­fits of coming to SWE meet­ings with an awe­some group of girls.

The lead­er­ship I gained through dif­ferent out­reach and men­toring expe­ri­ences in SWE and in the com­mu­nity inspired me to do more. I became a teaching assis­tant, where I got to aid freshman engi­neers in their first engi­neering course, in addi­tion to helping my peers max­i­mize their expe­ri­ence with class­room technology.

What would be your advice for next year’s incoming class?

Take advan­tage of the co-​​op pro­gram. With all the younger stu­dents I talk to I encourage all of them to take advan­tage of as many co-​​ops as they can because they are such an invalu­able experience.

North­eastern also has really inno­v­a­tive research taking place right at your fin­ger­tips. If you find some­thing inter­esting, your oppor­tu­nity could come from reaching out to a pro­fessor or researcher.

What are your plans after Commencement?

I will be starting my master’s degree pro­gram in indus­trial engi­neering at North­eastern in the fall. I’m looking for­ward to being back and con­tin­uing to make my mark here.