Machu Picchu rainbow

Isabel Burgess

Class of 2020
Isabel holding Dartmouth pennant

About 

Hey there! I'm Isabel, a '20 from the sunny town of Tucson, Arizona. I spend most of my time at the Thayer School of Engineering, but you can also spot me hanging out with plants and my twin brother in the greenhouse, snapping photos of picturesque Hanover, or drinking iced coffee even during the winter (Arizona habits die hard). I'm an undergraduate advisor for the North Park housing community as well as a member of the marching band, Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineers, and Club Swim.

Academic Program 

Engineering, Studio Art, Spanish

Favorite Thing Right Now 

My new houseplant: Gerald the cactus

Hometown 

Tucson, Arizona

Pronouns 

she/her/hers

You are here

Isabel's D-Plan

What's a D-Plan?

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: 3D Design & Digital Fabrication

      This 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

      Favorite Class: Expository Writing: The View from the Balcony: Learning How You Learn

      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 Computing

      ENGS 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.

    • FallCusco, Peru

      Favorite Class: Introduction to Hispanic Studies III: 20th - 21st Centuries

      The 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 Liniers

      My 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 Design

      ENGS 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 I

      My 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.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Introduction to Environmental Engineering

      ENGS 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 Analysis

      I 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.

    • FallHanover, NH

      Favorite Class: Sacred Architecture of Asia

      In 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 Architecture

      Modern 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.

Advice from a Senior

I've been reflecting on the lovely past four years of my life, and I came up with this list of seven things to help you succeed and thrive at Dartmouth.

  1. No. 1

    Study Abroad / Go on Domestic Programs

    Rainbow Mountain in Peru

    Dartmouth is known for its study abroad and domestic programs, and for good reason. I went to Peru my sophomore fall for the Spanish Advanced Language Study Abroad program (LSA+). It was incredible. Check out more study abroad programs here.

  2. No. 2

    Make Friends by Asking People for Homework Help

    Isabel and Ellen '20

    I met a number of good friends through Math 11 freshman fall. I met Ellen ‘20, pictured above, in the library because I saw her working on a long assignment and I asked her for help. It’s as simple as saying, “Hey, I think you’re also in [insert class name here]! Mind if I get your number so we can work on the homework together later?” Works every time.

  3. No. 3

    Join a Club or Intramural Sport

    Club Swim group picture

    One of the best choices I made freshman year was joining Club Swim during winter term. I met a ton of fantastic people and I worked out more because I had social pressure to do so, which made me a healthier and happier person. You can also get PE credit for most club sports!

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Posted 06/22/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts

5 Study Spots I'm Missing Right Now

I am currently missing my favorite study spaces on campus where I could sit for hours and get work done, so I figured I would share them with you all!

  1. No. 1

    Rauner Special Collections Library

    Rauner Library

    Rauner by far is the best place for natural light due to its large windows. The building used to be an auditorium before it was redone to hold Dartmouth’s special collections, giving the space a unique architectural feel. 

  2. No. 2

    Sanborn Library

    Sanborn

    The Sanborn reading room is hands down the prettiest room on campus. When I hosted prospective students my freshman and sophomore years, I made sure that they went to Sanborn. The low lighting and dark wood makes the space very cozy in the winter. Sanborn is an excellent space to write an essay, or just to sit and feel fancy. Tea is served in Sanborn at 4 pm on weekdays—check out my blog post about it here.

  3. No. 3

    Tower Room

    Tower room

    The Tower Room is probably the second most beautiful room on campus. For some reason the air temperature is always very warm, so I avoid the space if I have a thick sweater. However, I do most of my work in the Tower Room. I may be struggling for hours on an engineering problem set but at least the ambiance of the Tower Room makes me feel like a sophisticated scholar.

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Posted 05/28/2020 at 9:00 AMAll List Posts
Band at Pond Party
Sugar on snow at Pond Party
Skating at Pond Party
Band at Pond Party

Pond Party: The Cutest Winter Event

Pond Party is a family-friendly Winter Carnival tradition, hosted by the town of Hanover. It takes place at Occom, a pond set within a residential area south of the Dartmouth golf course and north of the main campus.

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Posted 03/11/2020 at 9:00 AMAll Photo Posts

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