2023 senior projects: Designing the future

MS&E undergraduates presented their senior projects in March 2023. Across a wide breadth of industries and techniques, each project aimed to shape the future.

Students drew on their course work—including mathematical modeling, systems analysis, organization theory, optimization, probability, statistics, ethics, computer science, and economics—to inform their work on the projects. Teams of three to four students acted as consultants to their sponsor organizations, tackling real-world problems in real-time over 10 weeks.

Projects for 2023 shaped the future of business, for example by creating a toolkit to help venture capitalists choose the most promising investments, as well as the future of society, such as helping an organization mentor and empower youth to become changemakers. Sponsor organizations ranged from startups like Lumina, to established firms like Asana, to non-profits like Strong Girls United that serve to impact the community at large. While the students wrapped their findings into a final presentation, their work will continue to be utilized into the future. Some groups also stayed on as consultants after the course was over to tackle longer-term problems.

MS&E faculty members acted as mentors to the student teams throughout the quarter. Teams met regularly with faculty to refine their work leading up to their final presentations. This year's faculty mentors included professors Riitta Katila, Irene Lo, Elisabeth Paté-Cornell, Markus Pelger, and James Sweeney.

Learn more about senior projects, read project descriptions, and watch select presentation videos from 2023 on the MS&E senior projects page.