January 2nd - 17th 2018

International Winter University (IWU) Study Abroad program 

University of Kassel (Kassel, Germany)

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A few older U.M.B.C. mechanical engineering students who had participated in the IWU program knew I was interested in opportunities to study abroad and strongly encouraged me to apply for the same program because they had a great experience. The IWU program is a short winter study abroad program hosted by the University of Kassel in Kassel, Germany, where I completed an environmental engineering course and beginner level German language course. In the environmental engineering course, I learned about the existing renewable energy resources from all over the world. This included studying low energy housing that is especially well known in Germany. I lived with a homestay family for the duration of my time in Germany and participated in numerous activities that ranged from company tours to excursions that allowed me to be fully immersed in the culture and language in Germany.  This study abroad experience broadened my perspective of the world in a foreign country where I did not speak the language. I saw how different the urban infrastrucutre in Europe was compared to other cities in Asia and in North America.  

Silver Experience (~135 hours)

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I had always wanted to study abroad at some point in my college career. When this IWU program was introduced to me, I was eager to learn more about it. I was especially interested in this program in Germany because I had never traveled to Europe before and was intrigued to learn about technological development in that part of the world. In the environmental engineering course, I not only learned about various renewable energy resources similar to off-shore wind turbines and low energy housing prominent throughout the large cities in Europe but also studied how people from across the globe were approaching these challenges so differently. In Germany, I saw a mixture of the technology from the United States and Taiwan in the transportation and heating systems, which allowed me to recognize varying problems that arise depending on existing transportation in other regions across the globe. This experience allowed me to interact with students from all over the world and learn about varying concerns in different parts of the world. My perspective and knowledge of the world was broadened greatly and allowed me to be more culturally aware. In the world we live in today, I  will need to work with people from all parts of the globe, especially as a graduate student in research. Communication is the biggest takeaway from this experience as it has and will continue to assist me in expressing my ideas and thoughts more clearly and concisely with international scholars as well as understand the diverse challenges related to restoring and improving urban infrastructure.  

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Learning Objectives:

• Realistic Vision

• Flexibility

• Interpersonal Communication

• Be aware of cultural differences relating to product design, manufacture, and use.