Planting the Seeds for a More Sustainable Future

Gabriel Sandoval’s interest in climate started with the weather. As a little kid he would watch storms rain down outside his window and couldn’t help but wonder where they came from. 

While that wonder led him to study environmental science at the University of Southern California, his time there led to bigger questions about what changing climate patterns might mean for different communities.   

“Studying in LA, environmental justice issues were all around me,” Sandoval said. “And as I learned more about them, I realized that my family on my dad’s side had lived in an environmental justice area. Their family immigrated from Mexico, and it’s common for immigrants and people of color to be funneled into areas that are highly impacted by climate change.” 

Alarmed by what he learned, Sandoval wanted to do more to help people affected by climate change. Fueled by a parallel interest in data science, he sought a path that would allow him to combine his interest in climate and sustainability with a more technical and quantitative approach.  

That’s how he discovered Duke’s new Master of Engineering program in Climate and Sustainability Engineering. 

The Master of Engineering in Climate and Sustainability Engineering (MEng C&SE) was born out of a conversation between Duke Engineering and its industry and alumni contacts about the growing need for engineering graduates who are ready to work in the climate change and sustainability space.  

Over the course of three semesters, students take courses and engage with experts in ways that teach them not only to be good engineers, but to more broadly understand how to work with others to implement their solutions and how their projects will impact different communities. 

“One thing that I appreciate about the program is that the people in my cohort have a lot of different interests, and the way that the program is structured allows us to really dive into those interests,” said Karimah Preston, one of the Sandoval’s fellow classmates in the program’s inaugural cohort.  

A first-generation college student, Preston discovered her love for engineering and problem solving during her studies as a biological engineering major at North Carolina A&T State University. After spending two years as a solar design engineer for Revamp Engineering, she decided she wanted to further build upon her knowledge and looked into a master’s degree. 

More traditional master programs weren’t a good fit for Preston, as she always felt like there were only a few courses that connected with both her engineering and sustainability interests. But when she learned about Duke’s MEng C&SE program, it was a perfect match. 

“In this program, I wouldn’t have to just try to find a couple classes that I was interested in,” Preston said. “Between the core courses and the electives, you can really go into whatever specific area you find interesting.” 

In addition to those courses, another aspect of the MEng C&SE that Preston and Sandoval appreciate are the numerus guest lectures, where industry experts share their experiences and advice with the students. These lectures are not only informative on a technical level, but also help the students envision their future paths. 

“He was like, ‘You know, you guys are the ones that are going to be solving the climate crisis. You guys are the engineers that are going to be changing the future,” said Preston. 

One guest that both students recall fondly is John Sartor, the president and CEO of the architecture and engineering firm Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor. During his lecture, Sartor went around the room and asked the students what they were interested in. Taking to the chalkboard, he sketched out a landscape of the roles that climate and sustainability engineers could play based on those interests. From government, to infrastructure and technology, Sartor helped the students to see the myriad career possibilities available to them and encouraged them to pursue their passion.  

“Sartor expressed a lot of faith that we were going to go out there and really change the world,” Sandoval concurred. “Having a seasoned engineer come and basically hype us up like that was awesome.” 

Out in the Field 

The MEng C&SE program also provides students plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom. One such avenue is through Design Climate, an elective spanning two semesters that takes students through the design process for a climate tech startup, from brainstorming to prototyping to pitching solutions to real-world stakeholders.   

One of the MEng C&SE students currently taking Design Climate is Louis Luo. Luo studied electrical engineering at National Taiwan University, but had also always been interested in the environment: he was an avid backpacker as a kid and served as the sustainable department head of his college’s student association. To him, the MEng C&SE program was a great chance to continue applying the technical aspects of engineering that he loved while gaining more knowledge in areas like business and policy to develop projects with sustainable impact. 

Luo’s electrical engineering background has come in handy for his Design Climate group project, a “fitbit for shorelines” device that monitors coastal environmental health through metrics such as water quality. But on a field trip to Morehead City out along the coast of North Carolina, Luo learned that pitching the project to community members might be done a bit differently than he first thought. 

“When engineers and scientists talk about water quality, we describe it in terms like pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen,” Luo explained. “But this data doesn’t mean much to the average person.” 

When Luo and the other students sat down to talk to stakeholders from the surrounding coastal towns, they learned that people wanted to hear more about whether their water was safe — to swim in, to harvest, to drink. These metrics could still speak to water quality and were far more accessible to everyday folk. 

“Through that experience, I learned about how important it is to translate data into things that people care about,” said Luo. 

It’s a lesson that Luo learned in courses outside of Design Climate as well. As part of the “Applied Climate and Sustainability Engineering” and “Material Design in a Circular Economy” courses, students visited Faircloth Farms in Clinton, NC to learn about regenerative farming practices. While the students knew all about the environmental benefits of these practices from their readings, Luo was surprised to find that the benefits the farmers focused on had more to do with cost. The farmers no longer needed to use as much fertilizer or equipment as they had before they implemented regenerative practices –– and this was a win for their wallets as much as for the environment. 

“You really need to talk to stakeholders outside of the classroom to learn what people care about beyond just the environmental context or what’s mentioned in the textbooks,” said Luo. “Those are the insights you gain most from these trips.” 

Preston, who was also on the Faircloth Farms trip, commented on how this direct exposure to the people, animals and places impacted by climate and sustainability engineering also served as a reminder for why many students pursue this line of work in the first place. She recalled the joy of riding around on the back of the farmers’ pickup truck, fascinated as the farmers pointed out the forest they maintained as well as hundreds of “the cutest cows” Preston had ever seen. 

“I feel like a lot of people go into climate and sustainability because we love nature. So when we get the chance to be there face to face, and be like, ‘Okay, we’re doing it for you, little brown cow!’…that’s really rewarding.” 

Choosing Your Own Adventure 

Outside of the coursework and field trips required by the program, many of the MEng C&SE students also get involved with other activities available to Duke’s students. 

Luo and Sandoval participated in the 2024 Duke AI Hackathon, where they spent 36 hours developing a software idea for the “social impact and climate” track of the competition. Inspired by a guest lecturer who talked about data centers, they designed an AI chat bot that can give companies advice about data center sustainability. 

“It was intense,” said Sandoval. He had never done a hackathon before but took up Luo’s invite to form a team with another MEng C&SE cohort mate. Ultimately, their team emerged as the winner of their hackathon track. 

“Not a lot of sleep was had that weekend, but in the end I was really impressed by what we were able to do in such a short amount of time. A lot of our master program’s coursework involves working in teams, and being able to apply what we’ve learned about teamwork to this hackathon was really cool.” 

Meanwhile, Preston attended the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) as part of one of her elective courses. In a room full of policymakers, Preston initially wasn’t sure where she fit in as an engineer. But as she met representatives from different nations and talked to them about the climate solutions they wanted to implement, she realized that her background as an engineer allowed her to contribute a different perspective to the conversation. 

“One big thing COP29 was trying to establish was how much funding would be allowed for developing countries to reach their climate goals,” said Preston. “As I observed the conference’s proceedings, I thought, ‘Okay, when they get this funding, what are they going to use it for? What are these policies going to allow them to do? And how can I, as an engineer, support that?’ Because at the end of the day, the engineers are the ones that will be developing these solutions.” 

“Even though I did feel a little bit out of place at first, in the end I understood why what I was doing was so important to support policymakers’ work — and in return, why what policymakers do is so important to support engineers’ work.” 

A Close Cohort

The MEng C&SE students had a packed fall semester—and that was just their first out of three. One thing that seems to help get them through it all is the tight-knit community they’ve found in one another. 

“I have the same four classes as many of the people in the program, so I see them every day,” said Sandoval. “Having this strong foundation — where we’re not just classmates that collaborate on one project for a few weeks, but colleagues and friends that will be interacting for the next year and a half — has allowed us to build strong relationships.” 

This translates to hangouts outside of the classroom as well. On the weekends, many of the students go out to lunch, work out at the gym and occasionally attend concerts together. Luo even fondly recalled “tenting” with Sandoval and some other MEng C&SE students outside of Krzyzewskiville for two nights, which ended in them winning the lottery to purchase men’s basketball season tickets. 

“Being part of a close cohort has been one of the best parts of my Duke experience,” he said. 

“In a field that’s as specific as climate and sustainability engineering, it can be hard to find people that are into the same things that you’re into,” Preston added. “So one benefit about us being close is that if we see an article or piece of news that we think might interest someone else in the cohort, we’ll share it with them. Like, there’s this one guy named Samson who’s really into batteries. So anytime I see anything about batteries I think, ‘let me send this to Samson!” 

“When all of us first came into this program, we did not know each other. But now we laugh, we’ve formed good relationships, I feel like the connections we have will supersede the 18 months of our official program.” 

Advice for Prospective Students

For anyone considering whether the MEng C&SE program is the right step for them, the current students had a few words of advice to share. 

To the fellow engineering graduates out there, Luo gave a reminder that one of the program’s strengths is the fact that it’s not pure engineering. “Yes, engineering is important. But to get your projects approved, to get others to care about them, you have to practice your people skills and learn to talk about things in ways that matter to non-engineers. That’s one of the most valuable takeaways I’ve had in this program so far.” 

Sandoval advised that people follow their passion, because that’s what led him to Duke. “If you’re interested in climate and sustainability engineering, and if you want to have an impact on the space in the future, you should do this program because I think it’s prepping us perfectly to go into the field and do exactly that.” 

Similarly, Preston advocated for anyone who joins the program to come in with an open heart and a mind that’s hungry to learn and grow. “The second that you walk in, you’re going to be showered with so many opportunities, so many events, so many connections…and it can feel overwhelming. But if you want something that will be life-changing, if you want something that will shift your perspective for the better and help you define your career— this is it.”