Discover Civil and Environmental Engineering

Discover Civil and Environmental Engineering (DCEE) is one of several one-week Freshman Pre-Orientation Programs (FPOP) offered to incoming MIT freshmen who want to settle in a little before the regular orientation program begins.

An Unforgettable Week!

There’s only one place you can spend a week exploring MIT and Boston, meeting other freshmen, CEE upperclassmen and faculty, competing in an extreme engineering build-project, and learning a few things about Civil and Environmental Engineering along the way. It’s DCEE.

Participate in Discover Civil and Environmental Engineering and make your first week at MIT one you’ll be sure to never forget. Through site visits, demonstrations (making quicksand anyone?), and short seminars, you'll learn more about the different aspects of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, meet some of the faculty and discover some of the exciting opportunities engineers have at MIT—especially in CEE.

We know you want to kick back, relax, and enjoy the last week of summer; you’ll have plenty of time at MIT to learn all the inner workings of CEE. So there will be plenty of food, a trip to thebeach, and a chance to make your way around Boston.

The main focus of the week will be a fun Civil and Environmental Engineering building project, allowing you to explore creative design and construction. You will split into completing teams led by undergraduate CEE students who will act as mentors throughout the week. To cap it all off, you will get a chance to show off your projects and compete for the coveted title of DCEE 2011 Champs.

Extreme Engineering… Not engineering as you’ve seen it before.

This year, DCEE will be focusing on engineering projects that are… well maybe a little different from those you’ve seen before. Whether it is prototyping designs for clean energy production, designing a bridge that can cross the Bering Strait and withstand iceberg hits, or finding ways to halt climate change on a global scale, the face of civil and environmental engineering is changing as we tackle bigger and more creative projects.

The building project this year will give you a hands-on taste of engineering, but we will also be focusing on cutting-edge environmental projects. We don’t want to give away too much about this year’s competition, but we do know you’ll want to join us and design the most efficient turbine to harvest wind energy.

Quotes from former DCEE participants

“I had a great time last year as a freshman with the program!”

“DCEE is so much fun!!!! Be prepared to be tired… pre-orientation is full of long days that are super packed and extremely fun.”

“… because I love the environment. It’s delicious.”

“DCEE was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had at MIT… It not only provided an in-depth exposure to civil and environmental engineering but I had the chance to interact with faculty, upperclassmen and develop long-lasting friendships with other participants.”

“Course 1 is awesome because we save the world from evil things! DCEE is awesome because it's fun and you get to build stuff!”

DCEE Specifics

  • Dates: Tuesday, August 23rd through Saturday, August 27th
  • Place: Freshman will live in their assigned dormitories on campus.
  • Available Spaces: 25
  • Cost: No charge.