Kaelyn Dunnell

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.

Literature reminds me to be alive. I love that it’s interdisciplinary, that it’s diverse, and that it’s widened my mind in ways I didn’t know existed. I often have felt at the outset of my literature classes that I’ve obtained a new way to look at and experience living, like the foundational role women play in radical Indigenous movements, or the many shapes and forms and functions of love (no matter how ugly) in Toni Morrison’s “Love Trilogy.” One of my favorite experiences: personifying a character in Sula and debating with classmates the method of living (thank you, Prof. Alexandre and your Morrison seminar).

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

My other major is Nuclear Science and Engineering, where I work on fusion energy as a solution to climate change. I’ve found that the issues I explore in my Literature degree are intricately linked to the issues that fusion attempts to solve, as climate change intersects with racism, environmentalism, classism, etc. My studies in Literature keep me grounded in the purpose of my fusion research, in directing the implications of my research.

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?

A wide range of knowledge is the foundation through which we innovate. To be a good reader, you have to contextualize the words on the page and the environment in which you read. To be a good scientist, you have to think critically about the socio-political impacts of your research.  But most importantly, being exposed to a diverse range of experiences and perspectives reminds us why we are alive.  

What are your plans for the future?

Currently, I’m planning to obtain my Masters of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering through MIT’s 5th year master’s program. After that, we’ll see!