First International Engineering Summer School a Success
The first International Engineering Summer School (IESS) at Technische Universität Berlin took place over a six-week period in June and July 2006. The program was developed by ME Professor Volker Sick at U-M and Professor Frank Behrendt of TU Berlin. The initial three years of the program are supported by DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service.
Eleven first and second-year undergraduate students from U-M's College of Engineering and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts participated, almost half of whom were from the ME department. Four TU Berlin faculty and their assistants coordinated lab-based research projects for small groups of students. When not in the lab or in language training, students participated in numerous excursions, including visits to navy and aerospace museums, a BMW motorcycle factory and public viewing areas of World Cup soccer games.
The program was tremendously successful, according to Sick. The goals he and Behrendt had set for the students -- learning basic German, gaining insight into German history, culture and politics, conducting engineering project work, making contact with companies for future internships abroad -- were all accomplished. Some of the students are already planning to continue their German studies and return to Berlin for internships or research projects.
Associate Dean for Graduate Education Stella Pang and Associate Director of International Programs Amy Conger also supported the IESS project. Pang and Conger visited TU Berlin to meet with students, get first-hand impressions about the program and discuss long-term plans for the partnership. Stacie Edington, International Programs advisor, was also instrumental in recruiting and advising prospective students on a wide range of topics, including credit transfer to their U-M degree program. A delegation from the DAAD international advisory board, which oversees ten U.S.-Germany summer school partnerships, visited the IESS and was "favorably impressed," Sick said.
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"I would recommend highly this program to any freshman or sophomore student. I would say to a potential recruit: Do not be tentative about entering a completely different environment. There are lots of people involved to make this a pleasurable experience. Europeans are friendly and enjoy talking with you. You get some hands on engineering experience you won't get in the states until later in education. It is a great way to see other countries, too. I now have 4 European nations checked off, just from this trip! And want to see more. And finally, how many American undergrads can say they studied in Germany?! Recruiters love it." "The IESS program in Berlin, Germany, was one of the best experiences of my life. In a short amount of time I learned enough German to be able to get around the city and ask questions if I had any. My engineering course, Performance and Efficiency of an SI Engine, was both interesting and informative. I enjoyed it enough that I wished we were not done with the course when we were. Not only did I learn a lot in Germany, I made |
Conger says she's particularly excited that the program is open to first- and second-year students. "It's an extremely well-organized program that gives students a taste of overseas study early in their U-M careers and allows time to incorporate another semester or internship abroad before they graduate. Upon return, students can take additional German courses while earning their engineering degree. It's one of those innovative programs that breaks the mold of the traditional 'junior year abroad.'"
The IESS program is the highlight of a long-standing partnership with TU Berlin. Sick has worked with professors at TU Berlin to co-supervise graduate theses and overseas research internships for students enrolled in both institutions.
Sick believes that the true, full value of the IESS will continue to reveal itself for years to come, "as students recognize how much this early experience with international education, engineering and friendship determines the course of their life and career."
Second-year ME major Lindsay Klick is already appreciating the experience. "I loved the summer school at TU Berlin," she said. "The German class was great because we learned some basic phrases to get around the city. The engineering labs were really interesting, too. It was fun getting to know other students from school and exploring Berlin together and just experiencing the city. The little group excursions that we were taken on to BMW, Volkswagen and the Baltic Sea were probably my favorite part of the program. It was all-around an amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat."
