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Northwestern University

Making a Difference from Day One: How a First-Year Design Course Reshaped This Engineer's Path

In this Q&A, Matt Hosemann ('27) shares how his experience in Segal's Design Thinking & Communication course shifted his view of engineering from pure technical skills to meaningful impact.

When Matt Hosemann (BS ’27) started his first year in mechanical engineering, he thought the field was all numbers and equations. But after taking Northwestern's Design Thinking and Communication (DTC) course, where he helped create sensory tools for adults with disabilities, he discovered that engineering is also about something deeper: understanding people and solving problems that matter.  

In this Q&A, Hosemann shares how the experience shifted his view of engineering from pure technical skills to meaningful impact. 

 

 

Q: What made you choose to major in mechanical engineering? 

I spent most of my life tinkering and building things in my workshop at home. I liked math, physics, and building things. My adviser and I were initially deciding between biomedical and mechanical engineering, but we ultimately decided on mechanical engineering.  

 

Q: What project did you work on in DTC?  

We worked with a nonprofit called Misericordia, which has housing facilities in Chicago for adults with developmental disabilities. We created sensory stimulation tools for their residents who are prone to overstimulation. When that happens, the residents can go to a sensory room where they can use tools to help them calm down. We designed two items: an hourglass made from reusable water bottles and a "bubble tube" with lighting inside that creates bubbles when squeezed. These were meant to be more durable and less expensive alternatives to their existing equipment. 

 

Q: What was your most meaningful moment during the project? 

When the residents came to test our products, there was this nonverbal woman who got to build her own hourglass by choosing the sand color and assembling it herself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone happier in my life. She was absolutely ecstatic, jumping around and wanting pictures taken. She even asked through sign language if she could make one for her mom. It made me realize how something as simple as letting someone choose their sand color and assemble it themselves could make such a huge difference in their life. 

 

Q: How did DTC change your view of engineering? 

Before DTC, I thought engineering was mostly about numbers, math, and science. After DTC, I realized it's also about empathy, group work, and putting yourself in the user's shoes. The technical skills are just a means to get to a greater goal. It's really about figuring out how to work with a group to make something that's actually useful and helps people. 

 

Q: What were your biggest takeaways from the course?  

The key concepts I learned were organization and communication, especially since I hadn't done much engineering in groups before. It made me feel better about engineering overall – if you don't do well on a math test or chemistry test, that's not going to dictate your success as an engineer. It's your ability to work with other people that matters most. 

 

Q: How has this experience influenced your future plans? 

I've always told my parents I want to build things that are actually useful and helpful to the world. Getting to do that as a freshman is pretty rare and cool. The experience didn't end with the class either – I'm planning to organize a work day with my fraternity to build more of these devices for Misericordia. It's exciting to see how something that started in DTC can continue to make a difference. 

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