Cali Hendricks

Hi! My name’s Cali, I am an incoming sophomore at MIT studying MechanicalEngineering with a concentration in controls, instrumentation, and robotics (think EE),and probably minoring in econ. In my first year at school, I took a mix between MechE,EE, andecon classes, which I think reflects my interests pretty well, and has been useful.The engineering classes have provided a lot of analytical skills while the econ classeshave given perspective for current real word problems and how to utilize research toapproach them.Right now I’m interested in mechatronics, which is the intersection between MechE andEE. Last semester I worked in the Biomechatronics which was really exciting, and I washelping to build a prosthetic ankle. I’m hoping to continue thiswork next semester, andfurther on into my career as well.I didn’t expect to go into the medical applications ofengineering at all, or even be interested in them, but I’ve found I really love the idea ofmaking an impact for everyday people, which I think draws me to the Lemelson-MITprogram as well.Finally, my two main hobbies are piano, which I’ve been doing for around 13 years, androck climbing, which I’ve done on and off for about 8. Additionally, during the schoolyear, I do MIT motorsports, whereI was a part of the drivetrain subteam last year, andnext year I will do work on the battery team. I love applying engineering knowledge inreal-world applications.