COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- For the ninth year in a row, mechanical engineering students from Texas A&M University and the University of Guanajuato in Salamanca, Mexico, are learning more about each other's schools, cultures and industries thanks in part to a $1,500 grant from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Fifteen Aggies traveled to Salamanca for eight days in May to participate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering's student exchange program with the University of Guanajuato. In September, the department will host 12 to 15 students from the University of Guanajuato for nine days.

The program was initiated by Dr. Abel Hernandez of the University of Guanajuato as he was nearing the end of a two-year term as a visiting professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M.

Dr. Harry Hogan, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the exchange program, said that he was excited to watch the students learn and discuss ideas with their host students and faculty.

"One of the most gratifying aspects of the program is to see the two groups of students interact, form friendships, and learn directly from one another about the other's customs and way of life," Hogan said. "The host students and families in Salamanca are extremely generous and welcoming to the Aggies. Stereotypes are replaced by first-hand experiences as students realize the many similarities shared by engineering students in both countries."

Dr. Obdulia Ley, who joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in September 2004, also accompanied the students to Mexico. Ley grew up in Mexico and offered a unique perspective to the students on life and culture in Mexico, Hogan said.

The exchange program received an ASME Diversity Action Grant to continue focusing on the significance of the global marketplace and international understanding in business and engineering. The money will be used in various aspects of the program, but specifically will be applied to surveying participants to get their opinions on how to continue to make the program intellectually and culturally beneficial to them.

In addition to the ASME grant, the exchange program is supported by the Plank Endowment for International Awareness in Mechanical Engineering, given by Michael (Class of '83) and Susan Plank. The Plank Endowment supports international awareness for students in mechanical engineering, provides scholarships and covers various costs of the program.

The exchange program provides the foundations for students to become active leaders while expanding their cultural, socioeconomic and professional understandings. Hogan said he hopes this will allow students to note important similarities and differences in engineering education and business.

In Mexico, the Texas A&M students lived with host families and had opportunities to tour the campus, regional cities, museums and historical sites. The students also had the opportunity to visit local shopping areas and participate in recreational sporting competitions.

In September, the University of Guanajuato students will be living with Aggies in apartments or dorm rooms. The group plans to take trips to Houston and Austin to visit such companies as BP, ExxonMobil, Motorola and National Instruments. The Mexican students will also have the opportunity to attend an Astros game in Houston and tour the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham.

C.J. Walthall, a senior mechanical engineering major, said she felt the program was "amazing and a blessing to participate in." The students found visiting some of the sites cleared misconceptions about the country and the people of Mexico.

The department is challenging students to find new ways to share the benefits and experience gained with other Aggies who are not able to make the trip, Hogan said.

Students in the program have the opportunity to receive a one-hour credit for a seminar class (MEEN 381). They are responsible for planning and leading activities, journaling, and preparing a presentation on the success of the trip. By offering the program for credit, the department hopes to enhance students' leadership skills, as well as develop more awareness and publicity about the program and its benefits.

For more information, contact

Source: Dr. Harry Hogan
hhogan@tamu.edu

Reporter: Adam Dziedzic
teeswriter1@tamu.edu

News Story 1180, June 16, 2005

Direct page link:
http://engineeringnews.tamu.edu/news/1180

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