- About
- Academics
- Departments
- Tufts Gordon Institute
- Academic Bulletin
- Undergraduate Programs
- Degrees and Majors
- Biomedical Engineering (BSBME)
- Chemical Engineering (BSCHE)
- Civil Engineering (BSCE)
- Environmental Engineering (BSEVE)
- Computer Science (BSCS)
- Electrical Engineering (BSEE)
- Computer Engineering (BSCPE)
- Mechanical Engineering (BSME)
- Engineering Psychology (BS)
- Engineering Physics (BSEP)
- Engineering Science (BSES)
- Engineering - Architectural Studies (BSE-CEE)
- Engineering - Environmental Health (BSE-CEE)
- Engineering - CEE (BSE)
- Engineering - CHE (BSE)
- Engineering - ECE (BSE)
- No Major (BS)
- Frequently Asked Questions for Advisors
- Minors Offered by SOE
- Associate Dean - SOE Undergraduate Academics
- Associate Dean - SOE Curriculum Development
- Undergraduate Education
- Degrees and Majors
- Graduate Programs
- Course Descriptions
- Study Abroad
- Internships
- Active Citizenship
- Summer Programs
- Research
- Faculty
- Admissions
- Student Life
- Alumni
- Industry
Megan Brachtl
An engineer who sings arias, classically-trained soprano Megan Brachtl believes in making the most of every moment and every opportunity. At Tufts, she pursued dual Master’s degrees in Environmental Engineering and International Affairs while working full-time in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at the Fletcher School. Today, she is a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC.
At the School of Engineering, this former Peace Corps volunteer worked with Professor John Durant to research emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from automobiles in Quito, Ecuador. Her work was part of an interdisciplinary study on the health effects of different environmental contaminants in Quito, the Quito Integrated Environment and Policy Study (QUIEPS), led by Dr. Jeff Griffiths in the School of Medicine. Complementing her research at the School of Engineering, Megan’s focus at the Fletcher School was in international environmental policy and sustainable development. The marriage of these two fields, Megan believes, gave her “a complete vision for the future.”
“My time at Tufts helped solidify the foundation for my career in both the environmental and international fields,” Megan says. She adds, “Being mentored by professors such as John Durant, working with faculty and students from other Tufts schools, and gaining greater exposure to international issues helped me better define what I want to do in life.”
Megan considers the mounting environmental concerns in developing countries to be one of today’s biggest issues. She says, “Some day I hope to apply the technical and policy expertise I am acquiring at EPA on a more international scale.”
One of her most cherished moment at Tufts, Megan says, was “my debut voice recital at Alumnae Hall, which in many ways represented the intersection of all the different facets of my experience at Tufts. I recall very distinctly who came to see me perform that evening: While my family and closest friends were there, so too were friends and colleagues from the School of Engineering and the Music Department, as well as faculty, staff, students, and alumni from Fletcher, including the dean and his wife!”
“I think this example demonstrates that Tufts is not just a great university because it offers a wide variety of programs of study and extracurricular activities. Tufts is also great because it offers them to all members of the Tufts community, allowing students, faculty, staff, and alumni to satisfy a range of personal and academic interests.”
Story by Sujata Tuladhar, F’08
