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Maeve Cantwell ’21

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Maeve Cantwell ’21, a mechanical engineering major with acoustics concentration and architectural design + technology minor, has wanted to be an acoustical engineer since she was 13. She also has an appreciation for how mechanical systems, especially things that have gears, work, so pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering was a great way for her to combine her fascination with acoustics with her love of things that move. Cantwell ultimately chose to attend UHart mainly because of the nationally recognized acoustics program.

As she heads into her final semester at UHart, Cantwell has already begun to apply to top acoustic consulting firms around the country. She did complete one internship the summer after her sophomore year at Cerami & Associates, an acoustical and technical consulting firm based in New York, N.Y. She worked in their Washington, D.C., office on tasks such as architectural drawing markups and site visits for buildings in various stages of completion. “I visited one site where they had only recently broken ground, other sites where they were soon going to be adding finishes, and still other sites that were just a week or two from opening,” she says. “It really brought home to me that acoustic consultants work on projects in every building stage, and I got to apply many of the things I had learned in my sophomore acoustics class to the work I was doing at the internship.”

I have known since I was very young that I wanted to pursue engineering, and since I’m from Virginia, I always assumed that I would attend one of the several engineering schools in my state. Once I decided to go in the direction of acoustics, though, UHart became my top choice school because this program would prepare me for the types of jobs I wanted to pursue.

Maeve Cantwell ’21, mechanical engineering with acoustics concentration

Cantwell credits her acoustical engineering and music faculty for preparing her for the job market. Professor Bob Celmer, who serves as the program director and Cantwell’s advisor, has especially guided her to work through some of the astronomical, complicated ideas she’s had. “Dr. Bob is very dedicated to ensuring that all acoustics students leave UHart as marketable employees.” Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Christopher Jasinski has also been very helpful with some of the projects she’s done. He has served as Cantwell’s advisor for her sophomore project, an independent study project, and honors thesis project.

Other faculty she has worked closely with include Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Takafumi Asaki and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ivana Milanovic, both of whom, Cantwell says, have pushed her to achieve things above and beyond what she would have expected of herself. “I also have to say that all the professors I have had here at UHart and all the professors I have interacted with outside of the classroom are all amazing people who are very dedicated to ensuring that every student is able to achieve their goals.”

Thanks to the support and guidance of many of her faculty, Cantwell has earned multiple grant awards and recognitions to explore different areas of research in her engineering discipline. She was a recipient of the CT Space Grant Undergraduate Research Fellowship for AY 20-21 to begin her research on "Nozzle noise: simulation for jet engines." She is working closely with Milanovic on this research, with the purpose of simulating a jet engine ejector nozzle to investigate possible sources of noise from it. To date, the team has conducted background research with plans to conduct the simulation during this upcoming spring semester.

Last spring, she also won a faculty/student engagement grant sponsored by CETA at UHart’s Undergraduate Research & Creativity Colloquium for the project, "Sound of the Violin." Through collaboration with fellow student Jack Breton ’21 and faculty members Milanovic and Celmer, the team was able to expand upon research conducted by former mechanical engineering student Aikaterini Stylianides ’20. Their goal was to create a 3D computer simulation of the top plate of a violin to examine its resonant frequencies. “We changed the geometry and materials of the model to try and get as close as possible to the resonances of a physical violin,” Cantwell explains. 

Cantwell’s hard work and dedication continues with tremendous momentum going into her last semester. Along with continuing her research on the projects shared above, as an honors student, she will be joining eleven of her peers to present at the Northeast Regional Honors Council (NRHC) virtual conference in April. She will be presenting on her research, “Hearing space: Modeling concert halls to achieve understanding through acoustics.”

Cantwell has been involved on campus and has served as a member of several clubs and organizations on campus. For instance, she has been involved with the Acoustical Society of America and the Society of Women Engineers since her first semester. She is currently the secretary of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, an honor society for junior and senior engineering students. She is proud to have worked with another student to establish a new club at UHart called oSTEM, a national organization for LGBTQ+ people in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Cantwell has also served as a peer tutor at the tutoring center on campus, helping in subjects like math and physics and also teaching a statics review class once a week.

When asked what advice she would pass along to incoming students, Cantwell says she recommends joining clubs early. “Look up at least two clubs you may be interested in and make a point to go to every meeting you can,” she says. Cantwell also says this is a great way to make friends during your first year and meet people with similar interests. “You can also make connections with upper class students who will likely give you advice about things like what classes to take, what times are good for studying in the library, and what meals to look forward to at Commons.” From an academic perspective, Cantwell also suggests reaching out to faculty not just for help, but also to discuss an academic area or project that may interest you. “They can let you know about relevant elective courses that may not be offered every semester so you can fit them into your schedule, or they will think about you first when looking for help on a research project.”