MIT Professors on Success and What Really Matters | Cullen Buie & Desireé Plata

In today's episode, two MIT professors reflect on this question: In an academic culture obsessed with making a name for yourself, what does it look like to care about something bigger than your own success?

You'll hear from Desireé Plata, an environmental engineering professor at MIT, and Cullen Buie, a mechanical engineering professor at MIT. In this conversation moderated by Mia Chung, they discuss where ambition crosses into ego, how they order their priorities between faith, family, and work, and what sustains them through personal loss and professional pressures.

This forum was held at MIT in March, 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

• Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.