Egg Drop Prepares University of Cincinnati Students For Overseas Trip

Students in a UC College of Business study abroad course put their teamwork skills to the test during an egg transport team-building exercise Feb. 20 in Lindner Hall. The egg exercise was meant to prepare a group of 12 students for their work over spring break on a Habitat for Humanity home in Costa Rica.  UC's spring break begins after winter-quarter finals end on Friday, March 19.

The students in a class on management effectiveness were given materials to make their own contraptions, meant to keep their egg from breaking during the final egg drop.

“By involving students in a smaller construction activity, they will be able to examine the dynamics of the team and the roles they play when working with others on an interdependent task,” said Elaine Hollensbe, UC assistant professor of management.

For additional preparation, the students will spend two days volunteering with the University of Cincinnati/Habitat for Humanity project before their spring break trip to Costa Rica March 19-28.

Hollensbe says the UC Study Abroad trip will give students the opportunity to:

• Become part of an international experience through a one-week immersion in another country
• Learn the language, culture, politics, social issues, economy and other aspects of Costa Rica
• Offer service in providing new housing in Costa Rica
• Work as a team on a service project in a foreign setting

Hollensbe and Lee Armstrong, UC assistant director of international programs for the College of Business, will be serving alongside the students on the Habitat for Humanity Global Village project in Costa Rica. Armstrong formerly lived in Costa Rica for five years, coordinating study-abroad programs for non-profit organizations. “When our group traveled to Costa Rica last year, we dug the foundation of the home by hand,” Armstrong said. “The houses there are built differently. We worked on a cement-block house, digging the foundation with shovels and pick axes, and we began to lay the cement blocks.”

Supported by $7,500 from the University of Cincinnati Institute for Global Studies and Affairs and $1,400 from the College of Business to pay for airfare, the remaining cost of the trip runs $1,000 per student. That breaks down into a $450 donation to the Habitat for Humanity Global Village; $350 room and board; and $200 spending money. The students have been raising money for their trip by selling pizza during the lunch periods at the College of Business. Also, Armstrong says that some of students’ employers are contributing toward the trip.