A feature on our recent international study programs across engineering disciplines.
INTERNATIONAL WATER RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABILITY
The Netherlands, Scotland, Belgium | April 27-May 14
This program, led by Dr. Dan Ames of the Civil & Construction Engineering department, took students on a tour of the Netherlands' top water management installations.
The Netherlands is the world's leading example for water resource engineering. The program was designed for civil engineering students who were interested in a water resources discipline.
"One of the big things that the Netherlands tries to do, is it tries to use the water that's already there, and it tries to use the system that nature already has in place and to work with it instead of just building big barriers and blocking everything off," said Lucas Toro, a civil engineering student from the program.
Ames referred to the practice as "working with nature, not against nature."
Each student had a specific project that they studied in depth during their Winter semester preparation class— Toro's was the Maeslant Barrier in the Netherlands. Each student got to see their engineering project up close in their tour of the Netherlands.
Ames commented that his favorite experience from the trip was "seeing the students light up" as they visited dozens of magnificent structures.
GLOBAL ENGINEERING OUTREACH
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru | April 29-May 17
This highly selective program allows students to travel to developing countries and apply their engineering knowledge to make a positive impact on the community.
This year, students in the program focused on three different projects. In Ecuador, they worked on prosthetic projects. In Peru, they worked on click-stop sensors for glucose monitoring. In Bolivia, they worked on quinoa washing machines.
Nursing and Sociology students accompanied the team on their study abroad. Randy Lewis, the program's faculty advisor, said that the students go through eight months of preparation for their international adventure.
"It's fun doing something where the students just get super excited. They feel like they're making a contribution, they feel like they're learning. And to me, that's the greatest part of it all," Lewis said.
This project was unique in that it included students in non-engineering disciplines such as Sociology and Nursing.
"It was cool to see, throughout the class, just the experience of working in a team with people who are not all your same major...and see the different things that each team member brings to the table," said Carolina Wright, a mechanical engineering student from the program. Wright's work focused on communication with their contacts in Bolivia for the quinoa washers.
"We had a stellar group of students who [all] had that desire and were there because we wanted to be involved in humanitarian work and in engineering, which just brings out the brightest people," Wright concluded.
The human aspect was another standout feature of the program. Noelani Mason, the TA for the class, fell in love with the people throughout her travels in South America. She shared tidbits of her experiences that included traditional dances, church involvement, and surpassing language barriers.
"They're just so humble and kind. They were so excited to have us there and give to us when they had struggles of their own. It's just cool to learn from them and see their love and humility and kindness," Mason said.
The experience prompted Mason and Wright to consider humanitarian-based careers in engineering, particularly with poverty alleviation.
GLOBAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Poland | April 30-May 19
The goal of this study abroad trip was to visit twenty-five different companies to learn about their manufacturing process over the course of two weeks.
While visiting each company, students have an opportunity to network with fellow engineers and get a firsthand look at companies' manufacturing processes that they wouldn't be able to outside of a student setting.
"You just can't underestimate how powerful it is," said Chris Mattson, faculty advisor.
This study abroad opportunity is a little different from other ones because of its quick turnaround— over the course of two weeks the students visited countries all over eastern Europe.
"Our job here is to give you exposure to a bunch of things, and then after visiting all these places, you can start to have a better feel for what you want to do in your career," Mattson said.
"The students who have taken these classes, they're all doing great careers right now- many of them working for the same companies that we went to," he added.
An unexpected benefit of a study abroad program such as this is the opportunity to get to know professors. The students spend all of their time in their group with their professor, so they are bound to get to know each other.
"I think that any time a student can feel like a professor is a real person and interact with them and not be afraid to talk to them and that kind of stuff, it's really good. On a study abroad, you have no choice but to accept that," said Mattson.
SOUTHEAST ASIA INFRASTRUCTURE AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore | mid-May to early June
This experience was created for Civil and Construction Engineering students to tour ancient and modern civil engineering projects.
Students visited famed sites such as Angkor Wat, Penang, the Port of Singapore, and more.
Matthew Christensen, a Civil Engineering student, said of the program: "I loved the opportunity to go, and I know it’s something I’ll never forget, it was worth every penny that it cost (which wasn’t a ton thanks to BYU)."
Through the experience, students were exposed to the wide variety of problems that civil engineering can solve. With the combination of ancient and modern infrastructure, they could apply lessons from both to future projects.
In addition to educational benefits, like other study abroads, the experience was described by students as culturally enriching.
"I think I learned a lot about how people around the world are more similar than they are different, I learned to appreciate different cultures and got to experience them firsthand," said Christensen.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden | April 30-May 21
This program, mentored by Dr. Daniel Maynes, took students on a tour of renewable energy sources throughout Europe and Utah.
"They learned that the energy system is far bigger and more complex than they ever thought that it was, and that as we transition to a new and clean renewable nergy future, there's not one path, but there are many paths. And we're going to have to follow all of them," said Dr. Maynes.
Each country visited had a specific focus for the students; Spain was solar energy, Italy was combustion and municipal waster, Denmark was wind energy and waste wood, and Sweden was hydroelectric power and carbon capture storage.
In addition to valuable career experience, students commented that the class expanded their world views and encouraged lasting friendships as they had cultural experiences in each location. The students were able to join the local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"I was able to go there and not only grow my knowledge of engineering and my experience in that realm, but as well I grew my faith in Jesus Christ," said Kenny Smith, a mechanical engineering student.
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Singapore | May 13-June 2
This program, open to all engineering students, unites with students from Penn State and National University of Singapore to create a design and manufacture a prototype as a team in Singapore.
The students select a problem to solve when they arrive in Singapore, and are placed into small groups with students from each school. Over the course of three weeks they work together on the design process to create a working prototype.
"We had a lot of younger students this year, which was a lot of fun because [they're] creative. They don't have to do any of these advanced engineering classes to be good designers," said Mark Colton, the faculty advisor for the program.
Cassidy Oakes, a junior in mechanical engineering, said that the most valuable lesson was "learning how to deal with people. [It's] really important for engineers to communicate and work with other engineers well."
Her team's prototype was a stabilizing seatbelt for the public transportation in Singapore. She enjoyed seeing other people's perspectives who were from other schools and levels in engineering.
BUILD AND RIDE A BIKE IN EUROPE
England, Netherlands, France, Switzerland | May 24-June 19
This program is a part of the Technology and Engineering Studies major, led by professor Geoff Wright. Students fly to London and build their own custom bikes under the guidance of a local bike shop owner in small groups of five for individualized instruction.
"We started out with a pile of tubes, and that was it," said Samantha Everitt, a Technology and Engineering Studies student.
Once the students have created their bikes, they travel to locations in Europe and put their bikes to the test. The traveling involves cultural appreciation as well as bike maintenance.
One highlight for students was learning how to make bread, which Wright dubbed "bread manufacturing" for engineering students. The students biked hundreds of miles over the course of the trip and even got to take their bikes home with them. Everitt said some days they would bike up to fifty miles.
"It pushed me in so many ways I didn't know I could be pushed...It was just crazy, mind-blowing that I built this bike in five days and so surreal biking around London," she said.
The trip taught students not just how to build a bike, but how to endure and persevere.
"Anybody can do anything if you put your mind to it...even if something looks terrifying to you, just try it," said Everitt.
Scholarships are available to all students in these programs through the Weidman Center.