Meet Dr. Horenstein, Professor of our Graduate Degree in Mechanical Engineering Programs

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Hi, my name is Rachel Horenstein, I'm a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering.

So I'm excited to join the Ritchie School because of the emphasis on the student experience, as well as you know, interdisciplinary work that goes on here. I would say, you know, DU brought me here, but one of the perks is being in Colorado, so you're surrounded by such beautiful nature, being outdoors. So the hiking, the backpacking, it's definitely a bonus.

Don't lose sight of why you chose engineering, and why you're passionate about it. When you're going through classes. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in, you know, the textbook problem or, you know, kind of the background. But for me, it's important that you never lose sight of the application. So why are you learning what you're learning? Why is it important? How does it relate to why you wanted to be an engineer, what you see in the world around you?

When I was younger, I was always fascinated by the way things worked. When I was a little girl, I actually, one of my quotes is that if we had no bones, we would just be a big puddle of skin. And so things about the body and everything always fascinated me. So that's why I originally pursued biomedical engineering at BU and did that for an undergrad and then pursued a master's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California. And then was fortunate enough to go to Northeastern University back in Boston, where I switched over to mechanical engineering and deciding, you know, I really wanted that strong mechanical background in addition to the strong biomedical engineering background. So I was fortunate enough to get this fusion of engineering that let me pursue and look at biomechanics and how specifically bones adapt to loading and the human body. So I looked at how participation in elite level sports during adolescence really impacts the development of the hip. For me that interdisciplinary connection of different engineering is really my passion.