Kanokwan (Kano) Tungkitkancharoen

What’ve you enjoyed most about your area of study? Was there a particular discovery, new skill or way of thinking, or insight that you found especially valuable? Please share an example from your favorite class or experience.

Studying public policy taught me how engineering solutions interact with institutions and people. In Making Public Policy (17.30), I learned frameworks for analyzing how policies actually work in practice. It changed how I approach technical problems, by not just asking whether something can be built but whether it can meaningfully impact people.

How does the knowledge from this field, or your interest in it, combine with your other major or minor studies at MIT?

My policy minor complements my mechanical engineering work in energy and sustainability. Many technologies I care about, like renewable energy systems, depend as much on policy decisions as engineering design. Studying both fields has helped me think about how innovations can scale to reach the communities that need them most.

An MIT education includes study in the scientific, technical, social science, arts, and humanities fields. How do you think that wide range of knowledge and perspectives will be valuable to you – for your career success and for your enjoyment of life?

MIT’s interdisciplinary education taught me to approach problems from multiple perspectives. Addressing climate and energy challenges requires both technical innovation and thoughtful policy, and learning across fields has prepared me to work at that intersection.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to pursue graduate study in energy systems and technology policy. I hope to work first as a policy-informed engineer and, later, an engineering-informed policymaker. My goal is to work at the intersection of engineering and policy to help expand access to clean, reliable energy.