Story by Morgan Levey, a graduate student at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and embedded reporter on the Global Engineering Trek in Sustainability.
Fifteen engineering students from Northwestern University before the start of their second year are traveling to Germany in September to explore first-hand how international engineers are creating sustainable solutions to energy demands and manufacturing as part of the Germany Global Engineering Trek in Sustainability program.
“We want to connect the dots between the world of ideas and practical application in the fields of clean energy and sustainability,” says Mike McMahon, one of the organizers of the trip and senior communications manager at the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University (ISEN).
“We want to connect the dots between the world of ideas and practical application in the fields of clean energy and sustainability.” — Mike McMahon, ISEN
The 11-day trip is a partnership between the McCormick School of Engineering’s Global Initiative and ISEN. It’s a new study abroad program that’s focused on forging an international mindset in young engineers.
“The trip was conceived out of recognition of a gap in the types of opportunities abroad for engineers,” says Matthew Grayson, the trip’s co-organizer and the director of Northwestern Engineering Global Initiatives. Grayson is an associate professor in the electrical engineering and computer science department at Northwestern University. The trip jump starts global experiences for undergraduate engineering students who typically wait until junior year to study abroad.
“The most enthusiastic students [are] freshmen, but they have to bottle their enthusiasm for several years before they [can] go abroad,” continued Grayson. “I would like to inspire this cohort of rising sophomores to internationalize their engineering degree at Northwestern.”
The students won’t be earning academic credit, but will be gaining an engineering career perspective with exposure to a range of sustainably-focused companies, from tech giants to small startup incubators, through daily visits to companies. The idea is to show students how other cultures and countries approach engineering problems.
“Germany is a recognized world leader in the fields of sustainability and renewable energy, so it made sense to pick that country as the playground for the first pilot of this new Northwestern engineering initiative,” says Grayson.
“Germany is a recognized world leader in the fields of sustainability and renewable energy, so it made sense to pick that country as the playground for the first pilot of this new Northwestern engineering initiative.” — Matthew Grayson, McCormick Global Initiative
Grayson and McMahon will lead students on daily trips based out of Frankfurt and Heidelberg, a city that is quickly becoming an international tech hub.
“By providing students with an inside look into the work of renowned individuals, research labs, and companies that are actively engaged in building a more sustainable future, we hope to inspire their thinking at Northwestern and beyond,” says McMahon.
Funding for the trip is provided in part by the Murphy Society, a group comprised of engineering school alumni who are advancing the engineering experience by giving grants to faculty and students. Additional funding will come from the McCormick Global Initiative and ISEN. The majority the cost will be covered for students.
