Beacons Abroad: United Kingdom
During the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to attend a 12-day Study Abroad program in the United Kingdom looking at European infrastructure. As a civil engineering major, I’m fascinated by a lot of the engineering feats completed centuries ago in the UK with limited materials, tools, and methods.
Visiting engineering landmarks such as Stonehenge, the Caen Hill Locks, the Falkirk Wheel, the Shard, and many more allowed me to see firsthand some of the creativity and adaptability that engineers undertook to develop modern solutions. In addition to seeing centuries-old infrastructure, we also incorporated modern infrastructure with the help of WSP Global, one of the world’s leading engineering firms.
John Parker, the principal structural engineer who designed the Shard in London, gave us an in-depth project overview and tour of the Shard. We also had the opportunity to meet with several WSP engineers from the Cambridge office to analyze transportation, nuclear energy, and water resources projects in the area. This addition of real-world modern engineering created a great combination of old and new to learn from.
Over the course of the 12 days, we visited London, Cambridge, Salisbury, Bath, Devizes, Ely, Edinburgh, and Falkirk. Not only did we analyze UK infrastructure, but we also visited several must-see landmarks such as the Tower of London, the Roman Baths, Edinburgh Castle, and many more. Therefore, this trip was more than highly educational — it was also so much fun and we got to do so much in such a short amount of time.
The infrastructure of England and Scotland is directly linked to their history and culture through its design, usage, and aesthetics. You can’t go to the UK without seeing the history and monumental sights that define the region. This was an opportunity to learn and indulge ourselves in engineering and everything else the UK has to offer.
Typically, it is considered nearly impossible for Valpo civil engineering majors to study abroad; however, a short course following the year’s conclusion was a tremendous opportunity for us to study abroad without putting ourselves behind the 4-year schedule. In addition, the 12-day course was perfect to fit in before I started my summer internship, which will allow me to have an extremely fulfilling summer.
I didn’t miss out on the trip and I didn’t miss out on an internship, it fit perfectly into my schedule! I have always wanted to study abroad, so when I heard from upperclassmen that this was something that wasn’t attainable if you want to graduate in four years, I was shocked and sad that I would not be able to take advantage of such an outstanding opportunity. I’m so glad that this course was offered so that engineers like myself could study abroad, just as we had hoped.
CE-494 European Infrastructure Systems was a spectacular course that I will be raving about for years to come. I highly recommend the course for civil engineering students who are looking to study abroad and graduate in four years with their peers!
Written by
Allison Yohanan
