When Gwendolyn Minogue arrived at Cornell University, she didn’t fit the typical mold of a chemical engineering student.

A graduate of College of the Holy Cross, Minogue double-majored in chemistry and political science, exploring a wide range of interests while still uncertain about her long-term path. What she did know was that she wanted an interdisciplinary experience, one that would allow her to combine technical problem-solving with broader perspectives.

“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do,” she said. “I just knew I didn’t want to put myself in a box.”

At Cornell, she found exactly that flexibility in the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program in chemical engineering. Over the course of a year, Minogue not only deepened her technical knowledge but also ventured into entirely new areas, including data science, artificial intelligence and finance.

Tackling sustainability through real-world engineering

A centerpiece of the M.Eng. experience is the capstone project, where students work in teams to solve applied engineering challenges. For Minogue, that meant contributing to Cornell’s ambitious campus sustainability goals.

Her team’s project, part of the Cornell Net Zero initiative, explored alternative methods to meet peak heating demand using renewable resources. The group investigated how campus waste streams, including food waste, manure and used cooking oil, could be converted into renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion.

“We were trying to find ways to use waste that already exists on campus to create energy,” Minogue said. “It really changed how I look at everything – from dining halls to energy systems.”

The project required both creativity and technical rigor. With limited available data, the team developed a Python-based model that estimates food waste by pulling nutritional data from campus menus in real time.

“That was one of the biggest challenges,” she said. “There wasn’t a consistent way to measure food waste, so we had to create our own system.”

Despite entering the program without prior coding experience, Minogue quickly adapted. She credits the program’s supportive structure, and responsible use of AI tools, for helping her gain confidence in programming and data analysis.

Expanding the definition of chemical engineering

Minogue’s coursework pushed her beyond traditional engineering boundaries. One particularly influential class focused on financial markets, introducing her to concepts like stock valuation and market incentives.

“It completely changed how I think about engineering,” she said. “I started to see how the math and modeling we use connect to finance and real-world decision-making.”

That interdisciplinary foundation proved valuable during Minogue’s job search process. Through coursework, career services and extensive interview preparation, Minogue developed skills she once found daunting.

“I used to say I was a bad interviewer,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that anymore.”

Her next step reflects the breadth of the experience she gained at Cornell. After graduation she will move to New York City to begin a career in executive compensation consulting, a path she hadn’t initially imagined.

Growth beyond the classroom

Beyond academics, Minogue found a strong sense of community within the program’s small, close-knit cohort of around 25 students. She noted that this was especially evident when the group gathered at a professor’s home to celebrate a few December graduates, a meaningful way to close out the term with games and a shared meal.

Teaching cycling classes was another extracurricular activity that was fun for her and had the added benefit of helping her build confidence and skills in public speaking.

“It’s helped my confidence and public speaking,” she said. “And it’s a lot of fun.”

Faculty mentorship also played a critical role. Minogue highlighted the guidance of professors, including Brian Bauer, Eda Celik, Jeffrey Varner and Jeff Tester, who supported her transition into engineering and encouraged her to embrace unfamiliar challenges.

“I came in without an engineering background, and I never felt held back because of that,” she said.

Embracing the unknown

Looking back, Minogue sees the year as personally and professionally transformative.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is not to be afraid of doing something new,” she said. “You don’t have to know everything. You just have to be willing to try.”

That mindset now shapes how she approaches both her career and future opportunities.

Her advice to prospective students echoes that philosophy: pursue what interests you, even if it feels unfamiliar.

“Don’t be afraid to take courses outside your comfort zone,” she said. “That’s where you grow the most.”

For Minogue, stepping into the unknown led to a year of discovery, one that redefined her understanding of engineering and opened doors she hadn’t anticipated.