My Potential Major

I want to study Urban Technology at the University of Michigan because the school is built on a philosophy of creating, communicating, preserving, and applying knowledge by providing a Taubman visualization lab, a new urban technology studio, and the freedom to select a minor. I want to combine the knowledge that I will gain in the major of urban technology with the robust computer science and opportunities for hands-on learning with the Michigan Economic Development Corps to figure out better ways to predict the unpredictable on a city-wide scale and develop the smart sensors and technology to prevent more catastrophes like what happened in Seoul. On August 8, 2022, South Korea’s capital city Seoul was completely submerged, affecting more than 100,000 victims. I also want to use technology to seek ways to optimize. Where should a park be or even just planting a tree that will maximize the stability and greenification it brings to a dry, dusty city like Nairobi, which definitely needs more green spaces?

The Urban Technology program will help me to achieve my dream career, which is to build an eco-friendly city that combines sustainability with technology. In order to achieve my dream, I have to know how the city works and what components are needed in the city. I also have to think about the realistic part of my dream, the economic part of it, and try to find an efficient way to solve this problem. To do this, I need to study how technologies can collaborate with the city and play a role in building a smarter, safer, and more sustainable city.

Professor Larissa Larsen’s research is related to urban environmental problems like extreme heat and floods, which are all connected to climate change. I am curious if the eco-friendly city can prevent some of these challenges that the earth is currently facing. For extreme heat and floods, I have experienced both situations and felt the need for proper functioning and planning in a city. I experienced both extreme heat and floods in South Korea and here in Kenya. The fact that they are far apart from each other, but experiencing similar things is important. From these experiences, I learned that preparing for these kinds of situations is crucial for the safety of all citizens. Since climate change is a serious problem for us, I thought I should learn more about the correlation between climate change and urban planning.

In addition to the 2022 Korea flood, from March 2024 to May, there was also a major flood in Kenya, affecting 63,000 households across 42 counties. In both cases, many people died, and even more were affected, leading to significant aftermath. Going through these harsh situations made me think about the processes and solutions for such climate issues. I believe technology provides a solution for this kind of situation. Better flood warning systems, and more effective street irrigation tools. Since Professor Larsen deals with these kinds of environmental problems, and the major urban technology provides good opportunities for students, I would like to learn more about the factors that matter when building cities and the ways to collaborate technology to prevent these types of situations.