About the Office of Experiential Learning
The Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) works to amplify and accelerate the practice and impact of experiential learning for MIT students—bringing the spirit of Mens et Manus to life.
Give us a shout at experientiallearning@mit.edu if you have questions, comments, or ideas to share!
Mind + Hand
Structured experiential learning opportunities enable students to effectively manage complexity and ambiguity; encounter and wrestle with authentic ethical dilemmas; understand and value different perspectives; and reflect on their purpose and aspirations in life. Experiential learning can also contribute positively to students’ future engagement at work and long-term well-being (Gallup-Purdue Index Report 2014).
OEL works to support, improve, and grow experiential learning opportunities; develop and implement new pedagogical, curricular, and advising models; and create a more intentional, integrated, and impactful ecosystem within the Institute.
In the past few years, we’ve launched a new class designed to teach ethics in real-world settings; launched another class to teach students how to make an impact on sustainability in their lives and careers; kicked off a new initiative to create more Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) focused on social impact; gave out mini-grants to support dozens of IAP activities; started a new assessment project to understand and improve access to high-quality ELOs; and created a platform called ELx to help students find ELOs. (And yeah, we coined a couple of new acronyms along the way…)
Last but definitely not least, we’re home to four awesome experiential learning centers and programs: D-Lab, the Edgerton Center, PKG Public Service Center, and UROP.
Meet Our Team
And their favorite emojis! 👋
Kate Trimble (she/her) 🥸 is MIT’s Senior Associate Dean for Experiential Learning (and also serves as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Vice Chancellor). She is fortunate to work with the amazing EL programs that make an MIT education magical. Kate lives in Providence and knows all of the best restaurants and beaches in the state of Rhode Island.
Kate Weishaar (she/her) 🧶 is the Senior Program Coordinator in OEL. She collaborates with awesome staff and students from EL programs and beyond to help students navigate and make the most of their ELOs. She is also a serial crafter who dabbles in everything from oil painting to needle felting to sewing her own clothes. She is also an MIT alum (’18) and holds an M.Ed. in Higher Ed Admin from Northeastern University.
Yana (she/her) 😎 is OEL’s Graduate Assistant for Assessment and Evaluation and a PhD Candidate in Sociology at Northeastern University. Her dissertation explores the power and influence of extra-institutional organizations, like think tanks and foundations, in the realm of public policy and democratic processes more broadly. She is originally from Central Asia and completed her undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science at the American University in Bulgaria. She is excited to join the OEL team and help them with qualitative data analysis.
EL Student Ambassadors
Want to connect with the ambassadors or invite them to speak at an event? Email katew@mit.edu to coordinate.
Carol Chen (she/her) 🦄 is a junior majoring in Computer Science (6-3) and Mathematics (18). She has UROPed with the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences department, the Digital Currency Initiative group at the Media Lab, and the Math department. Through the PKG Center, she has also worked as a Sustainability and Innovation Research Intern at the World Wildlife Fund. In her free time, she likes to cook, bake, read books, and listen to music.
Janet (she/her) 🤩 is a junior majoring in Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science (6-14) and Finance (15-3). On campus, she is involved as a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard-MIT Cooperative Society and as Co-President of MIT Women Business Leaders. Some of her favorite experiences include participating in MISTI Mexico, the MIT Entrepreneurship and Maker Skills Integrator (MEMSI) in Hong Kong, as well as Sandbox and UROPs through Sloan and the Media Lab.
Jessica Zheng (she/her) 🍓 is a sophomore majoring in Biological Engineering (20) and Business Management (15-1). She’s previously participated in a mechanical engineering and CMS UROP, and she interned at the National Institutes of Health last summer through the MIT-Washington Summer Internship Program. On campus, Jessica is involved with Student Events Board, Ring Committee, Society of Women Engineers, and also blogs for MIT Admissions. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring various art forms, baking desserts, and traveling with friends.
Megan Zhu (she/her) 😋 is a sophomore majoring in Biology (Course 7). She is researching the immune response to pancreatic cancer through her UROP in the Jacks lab. In the past year, she has also explored her interests in health policy and political science through other UROPs. Megan is involved with dynaMIT, Medlinks, and Ribotones. In her free time, she loves running, bullet journaling, and trying to find the best bagel in Boston!
