Katy graduated in 2000 with a SB in Ocean Engineering.  Read her Alumni spotlight from the Fall 2006 version of "Making Waves."

by Katy Croff '00 

"Ocean Engineering?" Do you want to be a lifeguard or something?"  This is the response that I received when telling most friends that I was going to major in Course (2-OE) at the beginning of my sophomore year at MIT.  Despite the reaction, I stuck with it, got involved with the department and as a result have been exposed to many opportunities that I could not have imagined at the time. 

Aside from the daily rigors of taking classes and rowing on the Charles, there were two activities that were particularly meaningful for me as an undergraduate - 13SEAs and Deep-Arch.  At the end of my sophomore year, Rob Damus, Nick Hahn and I took over the leadership of the student section of SNAME at MIT.  We maintained the tradition of organizing talks for the department, collating student resume books for potential employers, and being involved with SNAME on a national level.  This was a fantastic way to familiarize myself with the professional world of ocean engineering and naval architecture, but after a couple of years I realized that there were many other avenues to go down as an ocean engineer.

 Anna Michel joined the department in 2000, and together we started 13SEAs as a way for students to be exposed to and involved with all aspects of ocean engineering, naval architecture, marine science and policy.  I am very happy to receive Making Waves every quarter, knowing that OE students are active and 13SEAs is still going strong!

During my junior year, I started working with Prof. David Mindell and the Deep Water Archaeology Research Group (DeepArch) at MIT.  This experience introduced me to a brand new field, one that allowed me to use my engineering skills to study the human past.  I was able to work on two projects in the Black Sea with DeepArch, and was hooked on deep water archaeology and working at sea!

I then went on to earn my M.Sc. in Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southhampton (UK), and am now working on a Ph.D in Archaeological Oceanography at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island.  This new program in GSO is an excellent way for me to bring together my engineering and scientific skills with the study of archaeology.  My current research focuses on geological changes in the Sea fo Crete (southern Aegean Sea), and how those changes affect the archaeological record.

My involvement with 13SEAs taught me how important ocean engineering and marine science education is for the future of the field. This year, I was fortunate enough to be named to the 2006 class of Emerging Explorers at the National Geographic Society.  This program will allow me to work with NGS in the future to bring my research to the public, hopefully inspiring future ocean scientists and engineers.

Finally, as an alumna and active member of one of the oldest departments at MIT, it was quite disappointing to see the closing of Ocean Engineering. I trust that the professors and students of the new Center for Ocean Engineering will carry on the tradition of excellence in teaching and research that I was so fortunate to experience.

View Katy's "Emerging Explorer" page to find out what she has in store:  http://nationalgeographic.com/emerging/kcroff.html