Preparing Engineers for Global Challenges: Engaging with Chile through the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative

Megan Echevarria, Sigrid Berka

ASEE International Forum

Indianapolis

June 14, 2014

International Engineering @ URI

• 5-year Dual Degree• B.S. in an engineering field• B.A. in foreign language• Semester study abroad• 6-month paid internship abroad

Five-year Dual Degree Program

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

• Biomedical• Chemical• Civil• Computer• Electrical• Industrial• Mechanical• Ocean

Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language

Chinese

French

German

Spanish*

Italian

*Minor in Portuguese in preparation

Five-year Dual Degree Program

Senior Year:Semester Abroad at a Partner UniversityChina - Zhejiang University France - Université de Technologie de CompiègneGermany - TU-Braunschweig Mexico - ITESM Monterrey & Toluca CampusesSpain - Universidades de Zaragoza, Navarra, & CantabriaItaly – Universidad de CalabriaChile – Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

The Spanish IEP and its Chile Initiative

Director, Megan M. Echevarría

June 6, 2014

Successful Grant Proposal

100K Strong in the Americas•Over $50,000 of agency funds•One of four universities to inaugurate Obama’s initiative•Launch ceremony with Joseph Biden and John Kerry•Over $35,000 in student scholarships•Instrumental cost share from COE and CAS•Front page of Providence Journal

Engaging with Chile through the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative

• URI Goal:

Engage engineering students from the United States and Chile in international study and experiential service-learning activities.

Key activities

• Activity 1. January-August 2014 International Internship Program in Chile

• Activity 2. August-December 2014 Bilateral Academic Exchange

• Activity 3. September-December 2014 Innovations in Sustainability in Chile Spanish course

• Activity 4. January 2015 - Sustainability Project and Study Tour in Chile

Activity 1. January-August International Internship Program in Chile

Spain

•Nick Crowley: Ennera

•Michael Caneja: SAMTACK

•Preston Steele: 3P Bio

•Dana Demers: Vademecum

•Nicholas Bodell-Kudla and Michael Smith: UPGC

•Luis de Cardenas and Jason Dides: Indaber

Chile

•Kenneth Betzold and Erik Simpanen: Novacare

•Amandine Gatali: Geotecnia Ambiental

Mexico

•Chris Capuano and Kevin Drumm: Hope Global

Amandine Gatali: Geotecnia Ambiental

Geotecnia Ambiental (Valparaíso, Chile)

•Geotech company heavily involved in Chile’s mining industry

Primary project

•Recommendations and assistance for mining companies as they adapt processes in order to comply with new environmental management regulations

•Part of an environmental impact team researching methods of measuring humidity in mine tailings in order to prevent collapse and to control displacement of mine waste

Reflections on Chile

• I am working at a geotechnical and environmental company that deals primarily with mines around Chile. I have been working on a project that is dealing with a closing copper mine and how to make sure that the environment is well cared for and all environmental rules are followed and the community is around the area is care for.

• Since moving to Valparaíso as well I have taken advantage to travel and experience as much as I can of the country and of South America, within Chile I have visited Pucón, La Serena, Isla Negra, Santiago, El Cajon de Maipo and many more. I think every single travel experience I have had had been awesome, because all the places had distinct cultures, people and tradition and it was incredible having to really understand something much different than what you know and are used to.

Kenneth Betzold: NovacareNovacare (Concepción, Chile)

•Small biomedical company focused on distribution and maintenance of medical equipment

• Design and creation of an adaptable database to monitor the life of each piece of equipment sold and serviced

• Design of new processes to centralize generation of different types of documentation to maximize time and minimize errors

Primary project

•Analysis of post-sales service and support processes and needs

Erik Simpanen: NovacareShown here at the crater of Chile’s most active volcano in Pucón, Chile.

(Vulcán Villarica)

Primary project

•Part of a team of product managers providing support for all other Novacare personnel as well as clients in need of technical support and service on equipment

• Conducting market research in order to make recommendations about new products and brands

• Brand specialist for Fukuda Denshi, serving as lead technical support person for their products and as the liaison between Novacare clients and the manufacturer’s representatives in Japan and Switzerland

Reflections from Chile on internship experience

After my semester in Spain I flew to Concepción, Chile where I am currently continuing the next chapter of my abroad experience. I am working with Novacare Medical, a company that sells medical equipment to all regions of Chile, as an Imaging Specialist. We just recently started selling imaging equipment and my job involves not only understanding our equipment from an engineering standpoint but also building relationships with the manufacturers of our products all over the world.

These international relationships have me contacting companies located in Japan, China and Switzerland and conveying this information to the salesmen here in Concepción. This international, professional contacting is something I can definitely see myself doing in the future.

Here in Chile, as well as Spain, I had to adapt to the cultural norms that come with studying and working in another culture. This is not something that can be taught but

must be learned through experience. For example, a kiss on the cheek or a handshake at the beginning and the end of every workday was definitely something that at first

seemed very strange. Now, however, it is normal part of my day.

(Erik Simpanen with fellow SIEP/GIEP EE Kenneth Betzold)

Activity 2. August-December Bilateral Academic Exchange

• Six SIEP students going to PUCV Fall `14

• Internships in Spring/summer `15

• Majors in CHE, CVE, 2xMCE, OCE

• Two incoming engineering undergraduate students coming from PUCV

Activity 3. September-December Innovations in Sustainability in Chile Spanish course

– First “Grand Challenges” seminar for incoming freshman Fall `14 to be delivered in a foreign language

– Connecting language and technical area early on

– Recruit for SIEP

• A specialized three-credit Spanish course for first-year engineering students at URI during the fall 2014 semester. The course will provide students with the opportunity to continue developing their Spanish language proficiency while studying content focused on current and future innovations in sustainability in Chile.

• Student and faculty participants from the other Chile activities will also be invited to contribute to the course: students and faculty from the United States and Chile will be invited to participate in guest panels, and Spanish-speaking URI engineering faculty will give guest lectures.

Activity 4. January - Sustainability Project and Study Tour in Chile

–Service-learning research project and study tour in Chile

–J-term program

–Vinka Craver, Civil Engineering Associate Prof. is project director

–Civil engineering course credit

–Visits to local companies

Faculty specializing in Environmental Engineering from URI and PUCV will collaboratively direct a two-week research institute in Valparaiso to enable students to work together studying anaerobic energy systems. The students will create portable anaerobic models and share them with people in local rural communities in order to raise awareness about sustainability practices that could be easily implemented in their areas.

Providence, Rhode IslandNovember 6-8, 2014 

For information contact Sigrid Berka sberka@uri.edu

17th Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education

Spanish IEP Director/ Asst. Dir. IEP position

Assistant Director of the International Engineering Program (IEP)/ Spanish IEP Director

•Direct the Spanish International Engineering Program (SIEP). •In consultation with the Executive Director, coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Spanish branch of the International Engineering Program (SIEP), an innovative and interdisciplinary academic program with approximately 100 students enrolled •Manage relationship with five partner universities in Spain, Mexico and Chile. •Expand partnerships with universities and corporations in these countries as well as other countries in Latin America.

This position is full time, limited to 07-15-2015 with extension contingent on funding.

Visit the URI jobs website at: https://jobs.uri.edu to apply and view complete details for job posting

#(6001476).

Short IEP videos

• http://egr.uri.edu/maria-briones-a-quest-for-clean-water/

• http://web.uri.edu/iep/

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4J8a4L69_4&feature=youtu.be