Author: Laura Rosado | MIT News correspondent<\/p>\n
After three years leading biking tours through U.S. National Parks, Jackson Jewett decided it was time for a change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a lot of fun, but I realized I missed buildings,\u201d says Jewett. \u201cI really wanted to be a part of that industry, learn more about it, and reconnect with my roots in the built environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jewett grew up in California in what he describes as a \u201cvery creative household.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember making very elaborate Halloween costumes with my parents, making fun dioramas for school projects, and building forts in the backyard, that kind of thing,\u201d Jewett explains.<\/p>\n
Both of his parents have backgrounds in design; his mother studied art in college and his father is a practicing architect. From a young age, Jewett was interested in following in his father\u2019s footsteps. But when he arrived at the University of California at Berkeley in the midst of the 2009 housing crash, it didn\u2019t seem like the right time. Jewett graduated with a degree in cognitive science and a minor in history of architecture. And even as he led tours through Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and other parks, buildings were in the back of his mind.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just the built environment that Jewett was missing. He also longed for the rigor and structure of an academic environment.<\/p>\n
Jewett arrived at MIT in 2017, initially only planning on completing the master\u2019s program in civil and environmental engineering. It was then that he first met Josephine Carstensen, a newly hired lecturer in the department. Jewett was interested in Carstensen\u2019s work on \u201ctopology optimization,\u201d which uses algorithms to design structures that can achieve their performance requirements while using only a limited amount of material. He was particularly interested in applying this approach to concrete design, and he collaborated with Carstensen to help demonstrate its viability.<\/p>\n
After earning his master\u2019s, Jewett spent a year and a half as a structural engineer in New York City. But when Carstensen was hired as a professor, she reached out to Jewett about joining her lab as a PhD student. He was ready for another change.<\/p>\n
Now in the third year of his PhD program, Jewett\u2019s dissertation work builds upon his master\u2019s thesis to further refine algorithms that can design building-scale concrete structures that use less material, which would help lower carbon emissions from the construction industry. It is estimated that the concrete industry alone is responsible for 8 percent of global carbon emissions, so any efforts to reduce that number could help in the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n
Implementing new ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n Topology optimization is a small field, with the bulk of the prior work being computational without any experimental verification. The work Jewett completed for his master\u2019s thesis was just the start of a long learning process.<\/p>\n \u201cI do feel like I\u2019m just getting to the part where I can start implementing my own ideas without as much support as I\u2019ve needed in the past,\u201d says Jewett. \u201cIn the last couple of months, I\u2019ve been working on a reinforced concrete optimization algorithm that I hope will be the cornerstone of my thesis.\u201d<\/p>\n The process of fine-tuning a generative algorithm is slow going, particularly when tackling a multifaceted problem.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can take days or usually weeks to take a step toward making it work as an entire integrated system,\u201d says Jewett. \u201cThe days when that breakthrough happens and I can see the algorithm converging on a solution that makes sense \u2014 those are really exciting moments.\u201d<\/p>\n By harnessing computational power, Jewett is searching for materially efficient components that can be used to make up structures such as bridges or buildings. These are other constraints to consider as well, particularly ensuring that the cost of manufacturing isn\u2019t too high. Having worked in the industry before starting the PhD program, Jewett has an eye toward doing work that can be feasibly implemented.<\/p>\n Inspiring others<\/strong><\/p>\n When Jewett first visited MIT campus, he was drawn in by the collaborative environment of the institute and the students\u2019 drive to learn. Now, he\u2019s a part of that process as a teaching assistant and a supervisor in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. \u00a0<\/p>\n Working as a teaching assistant isn\u2019t a requirement for Jewett\u2019s program, but it\u2019s been one of his favorite parts of his time at MIT.<\/p>\n \u201cThe MIT undergrads are so gifted and just constantly impress me,\u201d says Jewett. \u201cBeing able to teach, especially in the context of what MIT values is a lot of fun. And I learn, too. My coding practices have gotten so much better since working with undergrads here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jewett\u2019s experiences have inspired him to pursue a career in academia after the completion of his program, which he expects to complete in the spring of 2025. But he\u2019s making sure to take care of himself along the way. He still finds time to plan cycling trips with his friends and has gotten into running ever since moving to Boston. So far, he\u2019s completed two marathons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so inspiring to be in a place where so many good ideas are just bouncing back and forth all over campus,\u201d says Jewett. \u201cAnd on most days, I remember that and it inspires me. But it\u2019s also the case that academics is hard, PhD programs are hard, and MIT \u2014 there\u2019s pressure being here, and sometimes that pressure can feel like it\u2019s working against you.\u201d<\/p>\n Jewett is grateful for the mental health resources that MIT provides students. While he says it can be imperfect, it\u2019s been a crucial part of his journey.<\/p>\n \u201cMy PhD thesis will be done in 2025, but the work won\u2019t be done. The time horizon of when these things need to be implemented is relatively short if we want to make an impact before global temperatures have already risen too high. My PhD research will be developing a framework for how that could be done with concrete construction, but I\u2019d like to keep thinking about other materials and construction methods even after this project is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"