Alumni Spotlight: Dorothy Thompson, Engr ’23 (MSE)
Dorothy Thomspon, Engr ’23 (MSE), is an engineer at EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc.
Meet Dorothy Thompson, Engr ’23 (MSE)
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Current city: Boston, Mass.
Fun fact: I do aerial silks! (like in the circus)
Dorothy Thomspon, Engr ’23 (MSE), is an engineer at She works across two divisions: the Facilities, Compliance, and Engineering division, and the Technology division. She works on landfill and leachate design, waste management design projections, and water line distribution analysis, as well as asset management. At EA, she has had the opportunity to do fieldwork in city planning in Boston.
How did your degree from EHE prepare you for your current career path?
The degree of multitasking required to succeed at JHU, in general, and in an interdisciplinary major like EHE, specifically prepared me for the multifaceted role of an environmental engineer. Communicating with advisers and teachers also prepared me to form professional relationships with career mentors and coworkers.
Additionally, the sustainable and future-oriented lens that was used in most of my classes allowed me to understand how the fundamentals we learned are susceptible to impacts from a changing climate, changing regulations, and emerging pressures on the infrastructure systems that we depend on. The ability to use the flexible boundaries of course requirements for the major and take relevant classes outside my major increased the depth of my understanding of EHE topics. I took humanities classes that discussed environmental justice, climate change regulations, energy policy, and sustainable design.
What was your favorite thing about living in Baltimore?
I loved living in Baltimore for five years, and I hope to return at some point. A highlight for me was the communities I joined: the JHU Outdoors Club and Experiential Education community, our tight-knit EHE class of eight people, JHU's aerial circus club, and being a member of WTMD radio in Towson. Getting involved in and just getting out in the city was immensely impactful, and I wish more JHU students spent time in Baltimore, outside of the usual tourist and business areas. I think this is changing though. I see more students following local news sources like Baltimore Banner, and I hope that continues and students' awareness of the city's history and progress increases. I also love . I think participating in my freshman Halloween Bike Party was when I first felt like I belonged in Baltimore.
What do you do for fun?
Biking around my new city, dancing in the aerial silks in my apartment and in classes at my gym, visiting museums and galleries, paddle boarding on local waterways, hiking, going to concerts, and listening to the local public radio stations.
Environmental Health and Engineering is a cross-divisional department spanning the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering. This hybrid department is uniquely designed to lead pioneering research and prepare the next generation of scholars to solve critical and complex issues at the interface of public health and engineering. Learn more about our programs.