"Growing up I was always interested in bridge and super structures shows and I knew I wanted to be a civil engineer,” says Blair Johnson, a junior in the Department of Civil Engineering. “Now I’m focusing on coastal engineering in the lab of Professor Tony Dalrymple, studying ground conditions under seas and the way waves move over mud.” The long term application of such research is of interest to the military, which could use satellite imagery to examine the wave behavior on the surface of water. Depending on the behavior of the wave, engineers could determine the ground conditions below and, hopefully, detect mines on the coasts of other countries.
As an undergraduate here at Hopkins, Blair has the chance to perform one on one research with graduate students and professors. This inclusion into their projects also enables Blair to interact with engineers from some of the top peer institutions from around the world, including MIT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Boston College, and the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
“When I was applying for college,” Blair recalls, “I thought Hopkins would be too competitive and the students would have a cut-throat attitude. But, when I got here I realized that you have to study with others and do group projects, which makes it really friendly and cooperative. The professors are really approachable and supportive. Now, I just love it here.”
Beyond her engineering studies, Blair is pursuing a music minor at the Peabody Institute in piano, is the president of her sorority, plays in the Hopkins Jazz Ensemble, and is the president of Hopkins’ student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.