Isabel Burgess
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Isabel's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallHanover, NH
Favorite Class: 3D Design & Digital FabricationThis special topics class taught Adobe Illustrator and the CAD software Rhino 3D. We laser cut, 3D-printed, and used the CNC router to cut huge sheets of plywood to make pavilion structures. My group made an 11 foot tall pineapple structure that now sits in House Center A .
WinterHanover, NH
This is the one class that Professor Merton teaches each year and it is well worth it just for her. The texts are transformative and lend themselves to self reflection and better learning in all aspects of life. The expertly planned assignments helped me become a much better writer.
SpringHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Introduction to Scientific ComputingENGS 20 with Professor Taylor is taught in a "flipped classroom" style where one watches mini-lectures before class and works on coding projects during class. Students are assumed to have no coding experience coming into this class and are taught the basics of C and Matlab languages.
SummerTucson, AZ
I went home for the summer, enjoyed the sun, swam nearly everyday, and worked for Cocina Verify, a startup company that verifies food safety in restaurants in Latin America.
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FallCusco, Peru
Favorite Class: Introduction to Hispanic Studies III: 20th - 21st CenturiesThe Peru LSA+ for Spanish is one of the defining moments of my Dartmouth career. We pet llamas, hiked in extraordinarily beautiful places, visited Machu Picchu, and read amazing Peruvian literature, my favorite of which is Rosa Cuchillo by Oscar Colchado Lucio.
WinterHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Drawn to Resist: The Latin American Comics with LiniersMy favorite class ever! Taught by the renowned Argentine comic artist Liniers, we looked at Latin American comics through time and were exposed to history and many variations of the Spanish language.
SpringHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Sustainable DesignENGS 44 teaches the basics of sustainable building design. Throughout the course we designed tiny homes for varying applications and went on several field trips around the Upper Valley, including a visit to a straw-bale insulated home in Vermont.
SummerHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Architecture IMy class designed a range of installations for the Dartmouth Organic Farm, including small buildings, amphitheaters, and comprehensive pathway systems. We went on a site visit to the Organic Farm and had weekly lessons for the software Rhino 3D.
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FallHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Introduction to Environmental EngineeringENGS 37 is a chill engineering class that covers diverse technologies for water and air treatment, risk assessment, design for the environment, life-cycle assessment of a product, and other related topics. We also had one week of field trips during class!
WinterTucson, AZ
I spent my winter off-term enjoying the Arizona weather at home and working remotely for a FinTech startup based in New York. It was nice to have some time to reflect on my Dartmouth experience thus far and refocus for the future.
SpringHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Structural AnalysisI took ENGS 71 with Vicki May, one of my favorite Thayer professors. The course covers modeling and approximation of structural systems, for example calculating the type, dimension, and layout of beams to properly support a roof with certain applied loads.
SummerBeverly, MA
This summer I worked for Build Health International, a non-profit that designs, builds, and equips healthcare infrastructure in low-resource settings. I worked on initial design for a hospital in Rwanda and researched germicidal UV lamps at hospitals in Haiti.
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FallHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Sacred Architecture of AsiaIn ARTH 38.01 we learned about Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic architecture as well as Asian funerary architecture. Professor Hockley taught us the basics of religious thought and introduced us to many fabulous structures.
WinterHanover, NH
Favorite Class: Modern ArchitectureModern Architecture, taught by Professor Heck, starts in the mid-18th century with Neoclassicism and ends with the expansion of the 'International Style' post WWII.
SpringTucson, AZ
I am taking Glaciology, Reproductive Ethics, and Machos & Malinches (Gender and Sexual Identities in Latin/x American Literature and Culture) remotely this spring term.
A Hidden Gem
I've encountered graduating seniors who didn't know that Dartmouth has a greenhouse.
3D Design & Digital Fabrication
Sometimes I get asked about the legacy I think I'll leave at Dartmouth. My answer always begins with one thing: the pineapple.
Harfest // In Defense of "Wasting Time"
It makes sense that our priority is homework, because we came to college to get an education, but I like to say that sometimes “you just have to live a little.”
One year ago...
My Spanish LSA+ (advanced language study abroad) in Peru came up for what seems to be the millionth time at a recent club swim dinner. One of our new team members, a veteran in the class of ’22, inquired about my trip.
- No. 1
I grew so much as a Spanish speaker
My reading and listening comprehension improved exponentially, I confronted some of my common grammar mistakes through writing essays, and I became less afraid to speak to others with less-than-perfect Spanish. I feel like a huge part of the world has opened up to me now that I understand Spanish, and that is incredibly exciting.
- No. 2
I realized how Eurocentric education is in the U.S.
The Incans were geniuses. Traditional social structures of Andean living even before that (look up "ayllu") functioned so well that it's amazing that I'd never heard of them before. But of course, the class that everyone has to take in high school is AP European History, not "AP Peruvian History."
- No. 3
Peruvian literature is amazing
We were lucky enough to have a Peruvian literature class with a well-known local author, and he introduced us to texts that helped us to understand past and present-day Peru. I highly suggest Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa. Finishing Rosa Cuchillo by Óscar Colchado has been on my bucket list since I read selected chapters for class while on break in the Amazon.
What do a Mountain and a Sweater Have in Common?
Getting outside at Dartmouth has always done wonders for my happiness, and this time was no exception.
How to Do Tradition Right 101: Join the Marching Band
And now… the only band in the Ivy League that stores its freshmen in a pouch…
The Dartmouth College Marsupial Band!