“Throughout the six weeks, I was able to discuss aqueduct architecture with a
native of Segovia, raise doubts about the supposed remains of Christopher Columbus
at the Cathedral in Seville, have an interesting conversion with a local professional
about the aeronautical industry in Spain, and bargain with local vendors. Engineering
today is not just based on science and mathematics. It is a much more diverse
and well-rounded field that requires genuine cultural understanding.”
Gustavo is in his third year majoring in Aerospace Engineering. His post-graduate plans
include pursuing a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering at USC, and working
for a Los Angeles-based aerospace company.
“Upon arriving in Spain, I was set up in a small apartment with two of my classmates.
As we made a first inspection of our new home, we quickly began to realize that
we were completely baffled by the majority of our appliances. Even after half
an hour with a Spanish-English dictionary, we remained mystified by the different
cycles of our washing machine. Knobs weren’t where we were used to, and we argued
for ten minutes whether pushing a button in turned the ‘econo-cycle’ on, or off.
It was then that we realized just how tough of a time we would have. However,
the longer we spent in Spain, the more adept we became at figuring out not just
the country’s appliances, but the way things work in general. What I began to
understand was that every culture has it’s own unspoken rules and standards for
how things should work. These rules are the reason why your hand may go straight
for the proper button on a radio of a car you have never been in, or are able
to use a computer program you have never seen. This ‘cultural intuition’ can be
found in every culture, and is the result of the unique experiences of every day
life in a particular society. These are the rules that govern how our world is
engineered, and I had never before realized how culture specific these rules could
be. Whether a knob should turn clockwise, or counterclockwise, or which light
switches should be timed or not are not things one can learn in a classroom. These
small cultural nuances need to be felt and experienced in order to be understood,
and it should go without saying that they need to be understood before they can
be applied.”
Rand Voorhies is a sophomore computer engineering student from New Orleans, La. He enjoys
playing music, and doing a few other non-engineering types of activities. He hopes
to one day be his own boss.
“I develop as an engineer in the classroom everyday at USC from fall until spring.
While learning in those settings will leave me prepared and extremely qualified
for the engineering-related problems I might encounter in the future, that is
not all of the preparation that matters. The Engineering Overseas Program gave
me an opportunity to shake myself free of all comfortable boundaries, place myself
in the middle of unfamiliar territory, and undergo personal development as I gathered
experiences that I will not soon forget. I would not know any reference point
to judge culture, experiences, and life against had I always remained within my
own society.”
Jeff Dralla is a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering while also seeking a sailing vessel
Captain’s license at USC. Jeff fills his little free time with his passion of
following Formula One racing, playing on USC’s ice hockey team, and cooking gourmet
food.
“The importance of engineers respecting and understanding other cultures tends to be overlooked not only by engineers themselves but society as well. Therefore, an abroad program creates an environment not normally included in an engineer's education and leads to the development of a more well rounded individual. The world is growing smaller and causing more cross-cultural contact in everyday life, especially in the technological and business sectors. Companies from different countries are now participating in joint projects that require communication between at least two different cultures with their own languages and engineering practices. In order for engineers to be able to work smoothly in such situations, they would need to have developed skills in dealing with other cultures.
“What intrigued me the most, being an electrical engineer, was how energy efficient
all the appliances and light fixtures were. For example, every light within the
common areas of my apartment complex was timed and sensored. Such practices of
efficiency are due to the fact that electricity is much more expensive for Spaniards
than for Americans, thus requiring engineers to design products that compensate
for the increased prices. The constant technical questions that were asked by
students during the trip were also due to the emphasis of the program's classes
on topics relating to each individual's respective engineering major.”
Melissa Lorenzen is a junior majoring in electrical engineering and a member of the Pi Beta Phi
Sorority. She participated in the Madrid program this past summer and hopes to
one day retire in Europe
“As an environmental engineering major, I found the attitude of Madrileños, and
Europeans in general, towards efficiency and conservation to be very interesting.
The entire city of Madrid has been designed to save energy and increase efficiency
wherever it is possible. For example, lights in hallways and other common areas
in building are set to timers so that lights are not left on to waste electricity.”
Jennifer McLean is majoring in environmental engineering, and is currently in her last year
at USC.
“While these experiences will help us become global engineers, equally important
were the marvels of chemical, structural, and electrical engineering in Spain.
Everything from light switches with automatic shut-offs to non-refrigerated milk
to aqueducts has been designed to save as much energy as possible. These models
of efficiency have left lasting impressions and will make us all better engineers
because we have seen what the rest of the world is doing about the same problems
that face us in the United States.”
Fima Macheret is a sophomore Chemical Engineering major from Cincinnati, OH. He is fluent in
Spanish and Russian, enjoys a game of tennis or volleyball, and prefers no-pulp
orange juice.
“One of my favorite experiences was on a train between Madrid and Barcelona.
I stayed up all night with five Spaniards discussing the differences and similarities
between the cultures of Spain and the United States. We compared everything from
food to politics, and I learned much from the way they thought and acted.”
Jonathan Watkins is a junior majoring in electrical engineering and pursuing a minor in music
recording. He enjoys studying a variety of musical styles and plays the electric
bass.
“Students gained a unique understanding of Spanish culture while living and studying
in Madrid. Through this program students visited famous art museums, like the
Prado and the Reina Sofia, tried traditional Spanish cuisine, like tapas and paella,
and saw traditional Spanish entertainment, like flamenco and zarzuela. These new
experiences that came with the new culture, such as figuring out how to interpret
the symbols on washing machines, ordering fruit in terms of kilos, and handling
impatient waiters, removed students from their comfort zones and familiar routines.
The new situations I experienced during this program have left me with more confidence
in my ability to be self-sufficient and handle unfamiliar situations.”
Veronica Loete is a senior majoring in Environmental Engineering. She is from Reno, Nevada
and is currently the President of USC’s student section of the Society of Women
Engineers.
“At first, I couldn’t understand what was going on. We had asked the man at the
store for some milk, but instead of the large plastic container that we expected
he just handed us a box. It wasn’t even refrigerated. We looked at it for a while.
It looked like an oversized box of juice that we might have had when we were kids.
Finally, when we decided that it really was milk, we paid the man and brought
the box home. The next day we learned that, in order to conserve power, milk in
Spain comes in special aseptic boxes that don’t have to be refrigerated. The European
movement towards conservation is just one of the practical things that, as engineers,
we were exposed to during the USC engineering summer abroad program. Future engineers
learning about foreign issues is just one of the reasons why this program is such
a successful one.”
Nels Beckman is a junior computer science major at the University of Southern California.
His interests include playing guitar and reading novels as well as making silkscreen
T-shirts. He hopes to continue studying computer science after college and would
like to one day acquire a Ph.D. in the field.
“Engineering is a “global profession” and, ultimately, a means of serving humanity.
While studying and traveling in Spain, we were able to recognize and appreciate
the significance that engineering has had on the country’s many landmarks. While
on our visit to Segovia, we saw how advanced engineering had been in Europe 2,000
years ago. Those engineers were able to successfully construct an enormous aqueduct
to transport water to the city. In Grenada, we discussed the engineering behind
the many fountains in the beautiful gardens of the Alhambra. Seeing the prevalence
of engineering in all aspects of Spanish culture we were able to make that global
connection between our lives in America with the lives of those in another country.”
Krupa Savalia, originally from West Orange, New Jersey, is a sophomore at the University of
Southern California’s School of Engineering. She is an honors student studying
Biomedical/Biochemical Engineering with a pre-medicine emphasis.
“Studying abroad in Spain has been a rich, cultural experience that has encompassed
all aspects of academics, history, art, architecture, food and entertainment.
I experienced rigorous schoolwork, enlightening museums, ancient castles and churches,
flamenco dancing and bull fighting, taxi cabs, metro stops and sturdy walking
shoes, daily trips to the local fruit, fish and meat stands, salami and provolone
sandwiches for lunch followed by decadent flan for dessert. Studying abroad has
not only been the experience of living in another country, taking a few classes,
shooting six rolls of film and squeezing in three museum visits in one day, it
has been about the challenges faced once completely immersed in another culture.
Studying abroad is all about the frustration of miscommunication, it is about
the need to play charades when attempting to buy nail polish remover, it is about
pointing at fruit you don’t know the name of, it is about the 4 AM study craze
and the six hours of sleeping time on a good night.”
Christine Keushguerian is a senior Environmental Engineering student at USC. She enjoys long walks on
the beach, reading romance novels, singing in the shower and one day hopes to
be the lead singer in a country music band.
“Despite the accelerated class schedule, the study abroad program allowed for
great relationship building between the students and faculty. The professors teaching
these classes were also from USC and going through all the same experiences that
we students were. We fought through the same language and custom barriers, went
on the same trips, and participated in the same outside-the-classroom activities.
Couple these experiences with the increased time in the classroom together and
it is easy to see how this program could allow for building better student-faculty
relationships.”
Jason Chan is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. He photographs sports for the
Daily Trojan, lifts weights and plans on attending law school upon completing
his engineering degree.