{"id":10132,"date":"2024-12-08T15:27:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T15:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10132"},"modified":"2025-05-12T15:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:35:11","slug":"exploring-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10132","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Students and faculty pose for a photo in Barcelona before the La Sagrada Familia cathedral. As part of the international summer program through the Thomas Walter Center, students can spend four weeks in Spain and another four weeks in Germany, learning a blend of business and engineering principles for international product design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Auburn Engineering is more than attending class, earning top grades and having a successful career after graduation. It\u2019s about taking part in the best student-centered engineering experience in America. Auburn Engineering students can take that experience worldwide thanks to Engineering Global Programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Germany, Spain, Italy and South Korea are just a few of the locations that Auburn students can explore. Working in lockstep with Auburn Abroad, Engineering Global Programs is committed to ensuring Auburn students and visitors have educational and cultural experiences that enrich their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dean Hendrix, associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment, said traveling and studying internationally offers many advantages, including learning about and experiencing different cultures, building a worldwide network of contacts and learning a new language and skill set.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn Engineering Global Programs experience is truly transformative,\u201d said Hendrix, who has also served as director of Engineering Global Programs since 2022. \u201cOur students gain technical skills and develop a global perspective that makes them better students, employees and people. <\/span><\/p>\n

History of Engineering Global\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2008, Bob Karcher, then assistant dean for engineering student services, wanted Auburn Engineering students to have opportunities to go abroad and take courses that would apply to their degree tracks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A trip to Australia sparked the idea of Engineering Global Programs led Karcher to formalize a deal with the University of Western Australia for an exchange program each year. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after, Auburn Engineering began to expand its global opportunities in Germany through student and faculty exchanges. <\/span><\/p>\n

The program took a big leap when Karcher was offered to lead Auburn\u2019s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter, which he made an official chapter of the national EWB. By now, Auburn Engineering had a few exchanges and an official EWB program, but Karcher still felt the university could do more. <\/span><\/p>\n

He went to former engineering Dean Christopher Roberts, now president of Auburn University, and asked for an official role to help engineering students travel overseas. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was 100% on board with the idea and gave me his full support,\u201d Karcher said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Karcher became director of something that would soon be named Engineering Global.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was very interested in having our engineering students do something abroad in engineering,\u201d he said. \u201cThey could have gone to Auburn Abroad and studied any number of subjects, but I wanted our engineering students to have the opportunity to begin taking coursework overseas that would apply to their major and get involved with global companies that would give them real-world experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As director of Engineering Global, he worked with faculty throughout Auburn to develop concurrent degree programs in Germany, faculty-led programs in Spain and Italy and additional exchange programs in Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Karcher retired from Auburn in 2020 and handed the reins of Engineering Global to Hendrix, whom Karcher coined a \u201cchampion\u201d of the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exchange Programs\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Several students hold the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management banner for a photo in Pamplona, Spain. To the far left is John Evans, director of the Thomas Walter Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Engineering Global Programs has five active exchange programs: three in Germany, one in Italy and its newest program in Morocco. <\/span><\/p>\n

The exchange program\u2019s setup is the same for each country \u2014 students spend a semester living and studying at one of the partner universities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Partner universities include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Technical University of Applied Sciences W\u00fcrzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Germany\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Germany\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Al Akhawayn University, Morocco\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hendrix said the unparalleled level of immersion sets the exchange program apart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike other programs, an exchange offers the most comprehensive experience, immersing individuals in a different culture, school and language,\u201d he said. \u201cFor students eager to truly understand Germany, Italy or Morocco, the exchange program provides an unbeatable opportunity to dive deep into the local way of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A group of students in Pamplona, Spain, pose for a photo outside the Universidad Publican de Navarra. The students participated in a summer program through the Thomas Walter Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students can use their U.S. passports to travel throughout their host country and surrounding countries, experiencing different cultures, beliefs, languages and food. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Hendrix said the cultural experience is immeasurable because many students graduating with an Auburn Engineering degree will likely work for a company that does international work.<\/span><\/p>\n

International Engineering Summer Programs<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Thomas Walter Center offers opportunities to study abroad in Pamplona, Spain, and W\u00fcrzburg, Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jorge Valenzuela, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, leads the program in Pamplona. Students work in groups mentored by Auburn University faculty and Spanish company sponsors on projects involving problem-solving techniques, including data collection, analysis, computational modeling and design problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students work on a consulting project for a Spanish business client, supported by the Universidad Publica de Navarra (UPNA) and the Colegio de Ingenieros Tecnicos Industriales de Navarra. Students from UPNA also participate, providing a European engineering perspective. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to John Evans, director of the Thomas Walter Center, the client defines the project and student teams prepare reports and present solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Valenzuela added that students are exposed to cultural and global experiences through interactions with Spanish peers and visits to local restaurants and cultural sites, including tours to Olite, San Sebastian and Barcelona.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Germany program is part of the Thomas Walter Center\u2019s International Business-Engineering-Technology curriculum minor. This two-year minor provides education and training to develop new products, business models and plans for start-up companies. Students spend the first four weeks in Pamplona focusing on coursework and developing prototypes, then travel to W\u00fcrzburg for another four weeks. At the end of the program, students present their work to faculty and industry sponsors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Engineering in the Arts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Several students in Michael Zabala\u2019s summer course focusing on engineering in the arts stand in a courtyard in Florence, Italy. Zabala, the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council Associate Professor in mechanical engineering, says the course focuses on the Italian Renaissance and includes various lectures and tours around Italy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael Zabala, Auburn Alumni Engineering Council Associate Professor in mechanical engineering, offers a summer course in Florence, Italy. The course focuses on the Italian Renaissance and specific scientists and engineers like Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The course counts as a three-credit-hour technical elective required for all engineering students. It begins a week after finals with background instruction at Auburn and then continues for four weeks in Florence. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a faculty-led program, and students are more on the independent side of things,\u201d Zabala said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The course includes about 20 lectures, each lasting two hours in the mornings, paired with afternoon excursions related to the lecture content. Past outings included the opera in Rome and the Vatican Museum.<\/span><\/p>\n

The course is a mini-semester summer class, allowing students to return to Auburn in mid-June. <\/span><\/p>\n

Zabala noted that students who register are genuinely interested in the educational aspect and the value of an overseas experience, making it a rewarding classroom experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Weidl, \u201924 aerospace engineering, described her 2023 experience as one of the best at Auburn. She said the program in Italy taught her to love learning again and relish gaining new knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that attracted me to the course was that it is a perfect combination of engineering and experience,\u201d Weidl said. \u201cNot only did the trip reignite my passion for learning, but spending time in Florence created a new spark in me to travel and have more experiences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n