Staff Study Abroad: Mechanical Engineering staff join students on international trips
Staff Study Abroad: Mechanical Engineering staff join students on international trips
“I would do it every year if I could,” said Monica Embry, senior administrative assistant who traveled to France. “The students were exceptional. It was so nice to see them evolve. After two weeks, they were completely different people and so much more confident.”
The initial idea for the program came about during the 2024 ME faculty/staff retreat. Eckhard Groll, William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering and Reilly Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, wanted to provide staff with an opportunity to grow professionally and participate in new experiences, all free of cost. They invited staff members from any ME department to apply to one of 5 ME Short Term Engineering Programs (STEP), which typically includes a faculty member, 20-30 students, and a 3-4 week trip embarking during the “Maymester” month immediately after spring semester ends.
Staff went through the same pre-travel preparations as the students — learning about their destinations, brushing up on the language and getting to know the other people in their cohort. Staff also completed intercultural competency training from Francisco Montalvo, assistant director of experiential learning. While abroad, staff members supported students by helping them with public transit, organizing activities, or communicating important information.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
The trips themselves combined industry visits, lectures, site visits, class work and cultural destinations. Each expedition was unique and explored different areas of engineering.
Additive Manufacturing and Art took place in Paris and Rouen, France, and explored the intersection between additive manufacturing and art. The trip combined visits to art museums, the Eiffel Tower, Monet’s Garden, the Louvre, and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées. Their main project was to pick a piece of art and turn it into a lithophane, a three-dimensional image that reveals itself when light shines through it.
Engineering in the Southern Cone in Argentina aimed to broaden students’ understanding of engineering practices in a global context. Purdue students had the opportunity to work side-by-side with students from the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Buenos Aires (UTN.BA) — working on projects, touring facilities, and even taking dance classes together.
In Germany, students had the opportunity to Experience German Engineering by visiting industry sites like Siemens and the BMW Motorcycle Facility, as well as universities like University of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Their main project was keeping a travel journal throughout the trip. “Reading through the journals, I could see the impact the trip had on the students,” said Miranda Baer, senior academic advisor who accompanied students to Germany.
In Italy, Energy and Motorsports exposed students to the intersection of energy technologies and the motorsports industry, in one of the most iconic places in the world for automotive innovations. They visited the Ferrari Museum, the Porsche Museum, Dallara headquarters, the Barilla facility, and a parmigiano consortium. “What an honor to travel abroad to Italy with a bright group of students,” said Christine Warnock, senior administrative assistant for the Motorsports Engineering program in Indianapolis. “The memories we all made will forever be a part of my personal growth at Purdue.”
Students were able to explore Semiconductors in Korea by touring the BIT Microfabrication Research Center and other advanced semiconductor labs. They also visited many universities including Yonsei University and Pusan University, connecting and learning alongside students there. “It was a really nice opportunity to go and experience different cultures,” said Xiaomin Qian, program admin specialist for the graduate program, who went to South Korea. “This program is very valuable.”
Seeing the World
A lot went into making these first cohorts successful. Each staff member stepped up into their new roles, ensuring students had an unforgettable experience. Their positions in Mechanical Engineering often influenced their roles in the program. As a senior administrative assistant, Monica Embry mostly took on an administrative role, helping organize documents, set up last minute travel plans, and assist with travel reports after the trip.
Jose Lopez, laboratory operations specialist at Herrick Labs, is fluent in Spanish and provided translation at restaurants, stores and between Purdue students and students at the UTN.BA. With his experience at Herrick, he was also able to assist in lectures and other hands-on projects. “Being able to help translate greatly helped the students,” said Lopez. “I could tell they were more comfortable and confident in their interactions, and I was happy to help.”
Miranda Baer, who co-taught the class Succeeding as a Woman Engineer this spring in West Lafayette, assisted in most lectures abroad while also providing advice related to degree questions. “As an academic advisor, I had a unique perspective on the student experience,” said Baer. “I was able to advise students on things like how the study abroad course would count towards their degree, how to register for their sophomore seminar course, and exploring how this study abroad experience could lead to so much more through the GEARE program.”
The Staff Study Abroad program adds a new offering to an already robust portfolio of international experiences within the School of Mechanical Engineering. More than 40% of Purdue ME students participate in international experiences (the national average for engineering students is just 5%). Programs like GEARE enable students to both study abroad and work abroad over multiple semesters. Purdue’s Global Engineering Program and Partnerships office is always available to match up students with Study Abroad opportunities. “I was delighted to help ME launch this program,” said Jill Churchill, short-term study abroad specialist, “I worked with faculty to create an itinerary and budget, recruit students, and assisted with predeparture meetings as well as helped students with applications, deposits and other required forms.”
Based on the experience of this year’s cohort, it’s safe to say that the ME Staff Study Abroad program will continue into the future. “Overall, I really enjoyed this experience and hope to be able to go on another adventure like this again soon,” said Baer.
“Everyone on the trip really bonded,” said Lopez. “On our last day it was hard for everyone to say goodbye, some tears were even shed.”
Julia King, mechanical engineering chief of staff who helped Francisco Montalvo to coordinate the trips, thanked the staff members at the end of the Maymester: “You gave students experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Interested in participating in the ME Staff Study Abroad program? Contact Julia King: juliaking@purdue.edu or Francisco Montalvo: fmontalvo@purdue.edu
Writer: Julia Davis, juliadavis@purdue.edu