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!

Participate in DCEE and make your first week at MIT one you'll never forget. Through site visits, demonstrations (breaking steel, anyone?), and short seminars, you'll learn more about the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, meet some of the faculty and discover some of the exciting things engineers can do at MIT—especially in CEE. In DCEE, you will:

  • spend a week exploring MIT
  • meet other freshmen, CEE upperclassmen and faculty
  • compete in an extreme engineering build-project
  • learn a few things about civil and environmental engineering.

Of course, DCEE knows how to kick back, relax, and enjoy the last week of summer, too. So, we'll see to it that you'll have:

  • plenty of good food
  • a trip to the beach
  • lots of chances to explore MIT and Boston.

The main focus of the week will be a fun civil and environmental engineering building project that will allow you to explore and enhance your creativity and design skills and also learn how to put them into action. You will split into competing teams led by undergraduate CEE students who will act as mentors throughout the week.

To cap it all off, you'll get a chance to show off your projects and compete for fabulous prizes and the coveted title of "DCEE 2009 Champs."

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.”

  • “DCEE was one of the best weeks that 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!”

  • “Why DCEE?… Because I love the environment. It’s delicious.”

Extreme Engineering ...

… is engineering as you've never seen it before.

In 2009, DCEE will focus on engineering projects that are, well, maybe a little different from those you’ve seen before. Whether it’s 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 constantly changing, as we tackle bigger and more creative projects.

The building project this year will give you a hands-on taste of extreme engineering. We don’t want to give away too much about the competition, but we do know you’ll want to join us as we design and build our own Bering Strait bridges from balsa-wood.

We’ll also be focusing on cutting-edge environmental projects and learning about the reasons we might want to put giant lenses or mirrors in space… Then, we’ll be getting “down and dirty” with a hands-on environmental engineering site visit.