Dublin Core
Title
Nordica MacCarty Oral History Interview
Description
MacCarty begins her interview by talking about her experiences growing up in a small town and how those experiences shaped her desire to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering. From there, she moves on to her memories of Iowa State University, where she earned her undergraduate, masters, and PhD degrees. She notes that, during her senior year, she took a lot of core classes she had saved, which opened up her perception of the world. Those core classes, along with a research opportunity, led to her working on clean burning cookstoves, and ultimately a ten-year stint at the Aprovecho non-profit in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
MacCarty then shifts her focus to her hire by OSU in Mechanical Engineering and Humanitarian Engineering. In this, she discusses the support she received within the department and across campus, noting in particular that her cross-disciplinary work with social scientists was looked upon with approval. She then elaborates on how the Humanitarian Engineering program has evolved over the years, and comments on the adoption of similar programs at other universities. The growth of the discipline has led to the creation of an online certificate at OSU, as well as a new interdisciplinary major called Engineering Design for Society.
The interview ends with MacCarty’s advice for other women in engineering, and thoughts on aspects of engineering that she both likes and dislikes.
MacCarty then shifts her focus to her hire by OSU in Mechanical Engineering and Humanitarian Engineering. In this, she discusses the support she received within the department and across campus, noting in particular that her cross-disciplinary work with social scientists was looked upon with approval. She then elaborates on how the Humanitarian Engineering program has evolved over the years, and comments on the adoption of similar programs at other universities. The growth of the discipline has led to the creation of an online certificate at OSU, as well as a new interdisciplinary major called Engineering Design for Society.
The interview ends with MacCarty’s advice for other women in engineering, and thoughts on aspects of engineering that she both likes and dislikes.
Creator
Nordica MacCarty
Source
Voices of Oregon State University Oral History Collection (OH 009)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
February 11, 2022
Contributor
Michael Laun
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh09-maccarty-nordica-20220211
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Michael Laun
Interviewee
Nordica MacCarty
Location
Interview conducted over Zoom
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
0:50:23
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video