Minding the gap by land, van, and pixel

Serendipity. It’s not a term you would typically associate with the rigors of engineering. Nevertheless, the word bubbled up many times during the presentation for the collaborative design course ES-96, a longstanding rite of passage for junior engineering sciences students pursuing the S.B. degree.

Fifteen undergraduates reported on “Bridging the Gap: Connecting Harvard’s Allston and Cambridge Communities.” Their semester-long mission: devising a plan to keep the campus together even as it expands across the Charles River, while finding a way to preserve what they viewed as the essential characteristic of everyday student life — serendipity. In other words, those accidental interactions (the shout-outs, the bear hugs, or the shared shrug about the weird weather) that occur during the daily circuit from dorm room to classroom to dining hall.

Read the full Harvard Gazette article