College of Engineering & Technology stresses study-abroad program

Engineering is global. A career in engineering means working with people of different nationalities or other countries. This is one of the many reasons why the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering and Technology developed a study-abroad program to introduce engineering students to the world around them.

David Allen, dean of the college, instituted the program in 2003. The greater purpose of this program, he said, is to inspire.

"The word engineer comes from the Latin word meaning ingenious," Allen said. "This has within it an implied context of creativity. There is a necessary part of that creativity missing in the classroom. This international cultural learning experience helps our students to develop the creative part of them that is essential to the well-rounded engineer."

Allen's goal is for 25 percent of UNL engineering students to possess an international educational experience by graduation. Augmenting the college's study abroad program is the new student chapter of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. The association allows engineering students to participate in internships around the world, gaining technical and professional experience, and promoting international understanding and goodwill.

Marilena Carvalho is a graduate student from northeastern Brazil who serves as the study-abroad coordinator for the college. Her responsibilities range from educating students about the programs offered by the college, to booking hotel and flight reservations and accompanying students on trips overseas.

"For an engineering student, this is probably the best study-abroad setup," Carvalho said. Students accompany a UNL engineering professor on a trip to one of four different countries, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France or Italy. While abroad, students take UNL classes from UNL professors, and therefore do not need to worry about credit transfer.

"There is no way in the world I could achieve my career goals without this," said Leslie Gutschow, a senior electrical engineering major from Elwood. Gutschow aspires to be a special technical officer for the CIA, a job that requires international experience. He went on a 4 1/2 week study abroad trip to Brazil in the summer of 2004, taking intercultural engineering and Portuguese. Having completed this program with the college, Gutschow was then eligible to participate in a six-month semester-abroad program paid for by the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education. Gutschow will depart again for Brazil in January, along with five of his UNL classmates.

International internship experience certainly stands out on a resume. And classes abroad such as Global Experiences in Engineering in Brazil or the History of Engineering in Italy are positive additions to the curriculum. But it is the international experience itself that is perhaps the most beneficial to students.

"We all have a place in history," Allen said, "and I believe this is my place in history. This is the most important and satisfying educational experience I've ever had."

For more information about the College of Engineering and Technology's study abroad program, contact Carvalho at (402) 472-4528 or by e-mail, or stop by Room 146 of the Walter Scott Engineering Center.

CONTACT: Marilena Carvalho, Engineering & Technology, (402) 472-4528