SILVER
Global Perspectives
Bridging Cultural Connections across Continents
Learning about Global Engineering
Estudiantes de La Universidad de Los Andes
Students of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Global Perspectives Activity:
ENME 408 Global Engineering, Fall 2019 (3 Credits)
Learning Objectives:
Realistic Vision
I enjoyed the projects involving the design of products to improve global societies. These projects helped me maintain a realistic vision and consider multiple factors or challenges, such as climate or political unrest, which were unique to each country and its local regions.
Teamwork
I gained more experience working in teams comprising of people with various interests and from many locations in the U.S. and in Colombia. The diversity of the teams enhanced my experience working with everyone because we each brought talents that were utilized to develop thoughtful solutions.
Global Citizenship
This class helped me understand what it means to be a global engineer, a citizen of the world who can create solutions and improve others’ lives. I learned more about countries and Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, which quantifies aspects of countries so they can be compared to other countries. I also gained heightened awareness of social, political, environmental, and other issues impacting countries. For instance, in Vietnam, economic success has helped advance the country while simultaneously harming the water and air quality. After learning about the world and its challenges, I more strongly identify as a citizen of the world, who can make an impact in solving global challenges.
Cultural Awareness
Communication fostered cultural exchange with Colombian students. Before the class I knew little about the Latin American country and the people living there; I only had preconceptions about the dangers of Colombia that I had seen in movies. By talking with students at the Universidad de Los Andes and sharing about aspects of our cultures like holidays, foods, and pastimes, my views changed. I realized we do share many similarities, regardless of what is broadcasted through media.
Reflection
During the Fall 2019 semester, I participated in ENME 408 Global Engineering. Taught by Dr. Andres Leonardo Gonzalez Mancera and Dr. Marc Zupan. In this class, I learned about engineering on a global scale. I learned about professional engineers’ and scientists’ global experiences, as well as many resources such as Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory that I utilized to compare aspects of countries’ cultures. I also became more aware of cultural similarities and differences through lectures and interactions with Colombian students. We shared aspects of our local cultures, such as food, holidays, and popular sports.
This cultural exchange extended outside of class when we collaborated on projects, which involved researching countries to implement a solution in a location around the globe. For the first project, I worked with diverse students from the U.S. and Colombia to write a report detailing our company that produces a raw element in a country of our choice. The second project required us to research existing global markets and develop the concept of a tool that could be launched in a selected country. The last group project required us to design an insulating product and determine the field and location in which it could be applied.
All the projects provided great opportunities for me to work in diverse teams, maintain a realistic vision, broaden my perspective of people and lands around the world. Each project also valued sustainability; I and other teammates explored naturally derived materials and green sources of energy, like solar, and incorporated them into project designs.
Overall, this collaboration on diverse teams helped broaden my understanding of world cultures and issues, many of which we all face. This experience also helped me gain a deeper appreciation of our global diversity, including but not limited to cultural, geographical, and ideological types. I will bring the knowledge and experience gained through this course to future collaborations.
Additional Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate knowledge of history, government, and economic systems
I read about the environmental, political, historical, economical, and other topics related to countries like South Africa, Vietnam, and Australia to gain a better understanding of the cultural climate of countries.
Exhibit consciousness of the connectedness of the world and the workings of the global economy
All projects heightened my awareness of the interconnectivity of our world. Learning about the techniques to acquire and process raw materials made me more conscious of how production phases occur all around the world to create a final product.
Openness to Difference
The atmosphere of the class encouraged friendly collaboration and open-mindedness. Throughout the class, I embraced everyone’s cultural differences and sought to learn about people’s various cultural backgrounds and experiences. Doing so helped me to bridge connections with teammates in Colombia.
Working with Diverse Teams
I collaborated my classmates; although most of us were Mechanical Engineering majors, each of us brought our own unique experiences. Living in different cities, states, and countries throughout our lives and having parents born outside of the U.S. were just two of the many ways that contributed to the variety of perspectives in every team. Our diversity helped us brainstorm solutions that could benefit communities without being culturally deaf and intrusive.
