Passions sparked and strengthened through seven MISTIs

Graduating in 2021, Richard Colwell, a materials science and engineering major and environment sustainability minor, spoke with MISTI to share about the seven MISTI programs across six countries on four continents. He shares his love and passion for teaching and the environment on campus and abroad! He has also received the MISTI Excellence Awards back in 2021.  

Amanda Soh: Thank you for your time! Could you share a bit about yourself?

Richard D Colwell: My name is Richard Colwell. I graduated in 2021 with my degree in material, science and engineering. I believe my first one [MISTI] was my freshman summer. I did MISTI France, an internship in Paris. I guess that gave me the MISTI bug then the following IAP, I did Global Teaching Labs [GTL] in Israel. Then, that following summer, I did MISTI India, an internship in Ahmedabad, India. Then the following IAP, I did GTL South Africa.

Richard in front the Radcliffe Camera, which is a building at the University of Oxford, England, when he studied abroad back in 2020.

Richard in between two other MIT students in front of the Taj Mahal.

Outside of that I also did a couple of other different study abroad programs, including my freshman IAP. I went to Spain with the Global Incubator program. I also was on study abroad, right when Covid happened at Oxford in the UK. Upon graduation, I  went to participate in MEET (Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow), which is a program that has historically had a connection to MISTI and MIT.

Amanda Soh: That's great, you've done seven MISTI programs in your 4-year journey at MIT.

Richard D Colwell: I've been inspired by MISTI to seek out these other connected opportunities.

Amanda Soh: Where are you currently located and what do you do?

Richard D Colwell: I am currently based in Seattle, Washington, I just started my PhD this fall in material science and engineering. I'm in a group that focuses on sustainable use of biomatter. For example, taking algae and turning that into plastics that are biodegradable and more sustainable than contemporary petroleum based plastics.

I think early on, coming into MIT, I had a sense that I did want to work on things that were somehow environmentally or sustainability-related in engineering. For example, the work I did during my summer in India definitely was geared towards sustainable development. So I was working on making roofing materials out of recycled materials there and kind of working on the engineering side to understand the properties of that material.

That was kind of a fun opportunity to both explore a new culture in a new location while also trying to understand: What is it like to actually work in a company that's trying to tackle something from a sustainability angle? So I think, very early on, I did have a sense that that was something I was interested in.

I think a lot of interests and passions had been brought out during my different MISTI internships and teaching experiences. I guess particularly, I really love teaching and mentorship. That's something that was really reinforced through my GTL experiences.

Amanda Soh: You've done multiple MISTI programs and I would like to highlight your first MISTI internship after your freshman year. Did you learn French in high school and what led you to do a MISTI program?

Richard D Colwell: Before I even got into MIT, during my senior year of high school, I visited MIT for Campus Preview Weekend. I was really excited to see the campus. I think I had built MIT up to be this amazing place, and I thought, Well, if I'm going to put all my eggs in this basket and say I really want to go, I should check it out and make sure this is the place. Turns out, it was.

I'm really thankful that I ended up getting in because I have a hard time envisioning a better fit for myself. I remember that when I did this visit, I scheduled a meeting with the director of the MIT-France program at the time because MISTI was actually one of the big things that I was really excited about and looking forward to when I thought about the prospect of going to MIT.

I studied French all throughout high school, and in addition to being really into science and math, I also loved and still love language learning. I kind of hop around on Duolingo to a whole bunch of languages. Kind of depends on the month, and what I'll be learning. But I loved learning French, and I tried to get my dad to let me go to France in high school over the summer. He wasn't really a big fan of the idea.

I knew when I got to MIT that I wanted to take advantage of MISTI and really seize that opportunity. I guess going to France was my first MISTI experience, and I felt excited to do it because it was an opportunity to actually make use of the French that I had been so studiously learning for four years throughout high school. That experience sparked a greater interest in exploring new cultures, meeting new people, and having these new experiences.

Amanda Soh: You graduated with a bachelor's in material science and engineering with a minor in environmental sustainability. How did you decide on your major and was MISTI a part of your decision?

Richard D Colwell: My interest in sustainability definitely was present when I applied to MIT. I knew that I wanted to apply engineering skills to big problems that we see in the world around us, and I feel like for a while, I've been very drawn particularly to sustainability-driven challenges. 

There were a couple of things that really helped to solidify that vision I had. One of them was my Intro to Chemistry class, 3.091 - Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry, offered through the material science and engineering department. Professor Jeffrey Grossman did a great job—I don't think he teaches it anymore— but at the time he did a fantastic job motivating why we should care about these chemical principles, and how they can be applied to real-world problems. 

A second piece was my involvement in Terrascope, which is a first-year learning community that has a lot of focus on not just sustainability, but also the interdisciplinary nature of problems. So not just thinking about how can we build the best technology. But also, how do we think about the people that are affected by these solutions and the systems they have to be integrated in. What is the policy? What are the economics behind these problems? That for me, I thought, was a really eye-opening experience to deepen the way that I was thinking about these different problems. 

The third was some of my different MISTI experiences where I actually got to go and see—not what is the concept taught in the classroom, but when I'm actually at a company in the real world what are the different trade-offs. What are the ways we're thinking about trying to make a solution that will actually potentially impact people out in the world?

So those are the three different pieces I would identify as having helped to push me down that path that I still am on, now that I'm pursuing my PhD.

Amanda Soh: What were some of the benefits you gained from your MISTI experiences? 

Richard D Colwell: When we think about climate change, for example, we understand that this is a global problem. It's not something that one country is going to solve and it's not something that one country is responsible for.

Through a lot of my experiences, I think I've built this perspective, that international cooperation and understanding are going to be key for us to most effectively drive forward solutions that can tackle these problems. I think being able to understand what are the different perspectives, and the different angles of attack that people have on problems, observing how do people come together around different challenges is really helpful when it comes to trying to address on a global scale these issues.

That's not to say that I'm able to magically snap my fingers and now everyone around the world wants to listen to me. But I think there's something really amiss when people are strictly thinking about it in the US—what problems do we have and what problems can we solve? Particularly when it comes to things like climate change, plastic waste, and all these big issues.

I think cooperation really is going to be a powerful tool in the 21st century as we try to tackle these problems, and MISTI, I think, definitely gave me kind of an edge up in understanding—again, not fully—but beginning to understand how these pieces fit together. It's not just the US problem, and it certainly won't just be the US efforts and solutions that will carry us across the finish line.

Amanda Soh: You were part of different groups on campus. What would your advice be to students to have a meaningful time at MIT, and should they do a MISTI?

Richard D Colwell: Do I think students should do a MISTI? I would say 100%, yes. I guess the fact that I did so many is definitely a shining recommendation from me. I think it's very easy, considering the prestige of MIT as one of the top universities in the US and in the world. It's very easy to get caught up in the game of doing whatever feels like the most prestigious thing, like getting an internship at the top tech company, for example, and there's nothing wrong with doing that. I don't want to disparage anyone who decides they want to get an internship at a big tech company.

But I also think there are lots of opportunities, and I think MISTI is one of these great opportunities that MIT offers that are not impossible to have upon graduation. But it's much harder when you're out in the world, and you're working full time. Being able to travel to different countries around the world and meet people and work on important problems is not easily accessible. The fact that MIT has this program in MISTI, really curates and gives you the opportunity to interact with people around the world, see problems from a new perspective, and gain awareness of what’s going on outside the United States. 

It made me think: You know what if I did something that's a little bit less conventional? What if I took advantage of this cool opportunity that would be really hard to do outside of any time other than right now at MIT?

Amanda Soh: What were some of your most memorable experiences, professionally and personally, during your MISTI experiences?

Richard D Colwell: I was thinking about this one, and it's tough because I kind of want to give for each of the different MISTIs I did, but that list is very, very long. Professionally, I would call out two moments that, I think were pretty influential for me. One of the more lasting experiences I've had began during my sophomore IAP when I taught Global Teaching Labs in Israel, and that was followed up by my summer in France. I felt very comfortable in France because I did speak French and still speak it. I think after that I was looking for more of a challenge for myself and something to feel like I'm growing from. 

We taught in four different schools during January of that year and so three of the schools we taught in were Jewish schools, and one was a Bedouin school. Just seeing the different tensions that there were culturally and also some of the economic disparities between the schools we taught was really eye opening to me. Certainly, I wouldn't say that I'm an expert on political or socio-economic issues in Israel and Palestine. I would not say I'm an expert, but I think that experience opened my eyes to some of the differences that can exist in the region.

That actually drove me to participate in the Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET). During the summer after I graduated that really kickstarted, what would be a many-year-long involvement with that organization.

MEET is a program that brings together Israeli and Palestinian high schoolers over the course of multiple years to learn computer science and entrepreneurship as well as start to tackle some of the larger narratives around what the organization calls the region. It tries to get students from different backgrounds to talk to each other and ultimately work together in teams to build startups together. So that's a program that I was involved in for several years. That, I think, is one of the most meaningful things I've actually had the opportunity to work on just in terms of feeling like there's a direct impact to the work I'm doing.

Of course the situation over the past couple of years in the region has been very tumultuous—a lot of really horrific events happening. I think there’s a lot of sadness and grief on both sides of the conflict. At times that can make things feel very hopeless but organizations like MEET do make me feel hopeful. The kids that I was teaching were so passionate and so willing to actually cross that bridge and interact with each other.It gives me some hope for the future. I don't think there's going to be a solution overnight, but I really genuinely believe that at some point in the future—maybe an end to the conflict.

Personally, I would actually also look back on some of the summers I did with MEET as well. The days were very, very long—waking up early, and teaching a lot of long sessions, but all of the sessions really were so much fun. The students are so lively.

They always kept me on my toes, you know —really hard questions. They don't let you get away with anything, they're always there with a really sharp question. After the days were done, there would be activities called complementary, which were kind of fun activities in the evenings that were optional. But an opportunity to get to play different games, or teach a skill to students that's totally unrelated to the program. I think that really helped me to deepen my connection with my students and also with my fellow instructors. 

Even though many of those days I felt like my energy was really tapped out by the time I finished teaching, making the decision to stay for a couple more hours even, and to continue to build relationships is something that I look back on very fondly.

Amanda Soh: Why should someone give to MISTI?

Richard D Colwell: I came to MIT as a first-generation, low-income student, and MIT, in general, is really great at supporting students from that background. I would say for me, as evidenced by the many different MISTIs that I did. I feel like I really gained a lot from those experiences, and that's something that funding MISTI really helps to give the opportunity for, especially for students who otherwise would not have a pathway to have these experiences to get to travel, experience new cultures, meet new people around the world and really gain that international perspective and experience. For anyone considering donating money to MISTI, I would say, the dollars are very well spent. They really do help give students a once in a lifetime experience. So I would give two thumbs up to the MISTI program.

Amanda Soh: What's one word to describe your MISTI experiences?

Richard D Colwell: This one was the hardest question because I don't know if there's one single word, I think back to the different experiences, and I guess I'll just throw out a couple of individual words, I want to do like hyphenation. Growth-inducing, I was pushed to grow a lot in a lot of my MISTI experiences. Life-changing sounds a bit dramatic, but my life definitely has been changed through these different experiences. I've had eye-opening as well. I could keep going on. I don't think there's just one word.