Engineering students learn importance of global connections

Students traveled to Germany through the Global Technical Workforce course

At the University of Cincinnati, students can enroll in the Global Technical Workforce course to gain professional skills that complement their technical engineering skills. Through the course, students are equipped with tools to contribute to the increasingly global and diverse work environment.

Students are taught how to work in global teams and communicate interculturally and at the end of the course get the opportunity to put these skills into practice through a short study abroad trip. This year, two groups of students traveled to Germany and Ghana over spring break.

A group of students traveled to Germany for a study abroad experience through the Global Technical Workforce course. Photo/Provided

"I thought it would be a great experience to travel abroad for 10 days," said Siddique Korakottil, a mechanical engineering student. "Because the trip was engineering focused, it was a great opportunity in terms of my degree and as a cultural excursion."

The group spent 10 days in Germany, five in Munich and the rest in the Ruhr region. Student were led by Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering faculty Aimee Frame and Eric Payton, the latter of whom completed two postdoctoral fellowships in Germany.

UC group in orange safety vests stands in front of a large bent pipe at pipe-bending plant in Germany

The group was able to tour one of the world's only large-scale pipe bending plants, Salzgitter-Mannesmann Grobblech through Eric Payton's postdoctoral connections. Photo/Provided

"Some of the tours and visits the students went on during this trip were due to my existing connections," Payton said. "For instance, the tour of Salzgitter-Mannesmann Grobblech, a largescale pipe-bending plant, was arranged because Dr. Shenja Dziaszyk, who I worked with as a postdoc, now works there. I wanted the students to see the way that international connections can be beneficial."

During the trip, students took facility tours of different mechanical and materials engineering companies, including Siemens, which has a longstanding partnership with UC. Another student traveler, Olivia Sieger, an architectural engineering major, shared that the Siemens visit was a highlight of the trip for her.

The UC group was led through a day tour of the global tech company's headquarters in Munich, which included presentations about the business and an introduction for students on the variations across cultures.

The group also visited Eickhoff Gruppe, a wind turbine gear manufacturer, Ingpuls GmbH, a shape memory alloy manufacturer, and universities including Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, and the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Gelsenkirchen.

International experiences are important for students because the earlier they can start recognizing how interconnected global economies are, the more they can participate and advance in their areas

Eric Payton Associate professor

Olivia Sieger in front of a mountain range in Germany

Olivia Sieger, architectural engineering student, has family from Germany and was able to experience the country in a new way during this trip. Photo/Provided

"At the university in Gelsenkirchen, we were able to sit in on a presentation for their global working class, and realized we were learning the same things," Sieger said. "We were able to talk to and connect with the students, seeing they have similar campus experiences even though the structure of schooling in Germany is different than it is here."

"Talking to students there was the most fun part for me," Korakottil said. "It was cool because we were able to exchange different ideas about engineering and cultures and connect with each other."

Along with the university and industry visits, the students were able to experience German culture in other ways. Both Payton and Korakottil shared about the time spent watching the Dortmund soccer match. Some of the group walked around the city with locals and watched the game next to the stadium. It was one of the most memorable moments of the trip for Korakottil.

Part of the UC group poses outside of the stadium at the Dortmund soccer match

Eric Payton (right) and Siddique Korakottil (second from right) outside of the stadium at the Dortmund soccer match. Photo/Provided

Each year, the University of Cincinnati sends hundreds of students to countries around the world for different study abroad experiences. The Global Technical Workforce study abroad trip is unique in the way that it is catered towards students in STEM fields. Over the last decade, students have traveled to 14 countries on nearly a dozen study tours. The course is open to students of all disciplines and majors, although most are from engineering programs or select the course as part of the UC Honors Program. On one of the trips to Ghana, several students were from UC's Lindner College of Business.

"International experiences are important for students because I think the earlier they can start recognizing how interconnected global economies are, the more they can participate and advance in their areas," Payton said.

Sieger and Korakottil said they had been abroad before — Sieger specifically to Germany — but neither before had benefited from an international experience in this professional, academic way. They appreciate what this trip gave them, they said.

"I would definitely recommend this course and advise anyone who is interested to go in with an open mind because that is how you will get the most out of it," Korakottil said.

Featured image at top: UC group at their visit to Westfälische Hochschule in Germany. Photo/Provided

Engineering students learn importance of global connections

Students traveled to Germany through the Global Technical Workforce course

Related Stories