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updated September 24, 2009
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Semester At Sea: Professor Helps Educate Future Engineers
on Global Perspectives
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Rick Stamper, head of Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology's Department of Engineering Management and associate professor of
mechanical engineering, spent this summer as an instructor on the Semester
at Sea educational program, teaching two courses while on a ship that sailed
throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Here is an account of
his experiences.
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Carrying Rose-Hulman Banner: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
department head and professor Rick Stamper proudly displays a
college banner near the base of the Egyptian pyramids during this
summer's Semester At Sea educational adventure. Stamper is also a
1985 Rose-Hulman alumnus. |
This summer, several members of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
community engaged the world beyond the borders of the United States. These
experiences featured internships with international companies, research
projects with colleagues in Germany, and retracing famous pilgrimages. I
spent 72 days on a ship as it sailed from Canada to Spain, Italy, Croatia,
Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, Morocco and then back to the U.S. through
the Semester at Sea program. Joining me and my family on the voyage were 720
college students and 30 other professors from a variety of American
colleges.
Semester at Sea is a non-profit organization that has taught university
classes onboard ships since 1963. The program is designed to create an
academic village with everyone onboard engaged in the educational mission.
Our ship was the 592-foot-long MV Explorer. I taught two classes during each
day at sea: Engineering in Community Settings, which examined notable
engineering achievements and failures in the regions we visited along with
the how design processes vary around the world; and Intellectual Property,
Engineering and Society, which explored the interactions between patent
systems, engineers and innovation within a society.
In addition to teaching classes, I led small group discussions, and arranged
field trips and field exercises to supplement classroom experiences. Port
calls were typically four to five days in length. The students participated
in the trips and exercises that were arranged for their courses. They were
also free to travel independently or join other general interest trips
arranged by the Semester at Sea program.
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World Traveler: Istanbul, Turkey, was among many places that Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology's Rick Stamper visited during this summer's Semester
At Sea educational program. |
Some of the highlights of my voyage included seeing the grand Egyptian
pyramids, visiting a remote Bedouin Village in the Sinai, visiting the
library at St. Catherine’s Monastery (near Mount Sinai) that houses what
they believe is the oldest complete manuscript of the New Testament,
watching my sons play soccer with kids in a Croatian orphanage, observing
Spain's renewable energy infrastructure, having my students discuss European
patent law issues with a managing partner at the top-rated intellectual
property law firm in Greece, and exploring the aqueducts beneath Naples,
Italy.
Also, we got to sail through the Bosphorus that separates Europe and Asia in
Turkey, tour World War I battleground sites, experience the immense size and
chaos of Cairo, gain a greater understanding of Islam as we met people in
Istanbul and toured Mosques, sail past the Azores in the middle of the
Atlantic, visit a variety of ancient sites, compete with dolphins, whales
and sea sickness for the attention of my students, have my sons experience
being “the outsider”, live and work with very talented students and
colleagues, and experience the thrill of seeing the U.S. flag as we pulled
into Norfolk, Va.
It was a wonderful summer that reinforced the notion that we live in an
interconnected world. It also demonstrated to me that as educators of
engineers, mathematicians and scientists at Rose-Hulman, it’s important that
we provide our students with an education that will enable them to be
comfortable and effective while working in cultures other than their own.
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Visiting Native Lands: Bedouin villagers prepare bread and tea
-- a daily ritual in one of the many countries visited through the Semester
At Sea educational program. |
Many of the challenges that engineers are facing (energy production and
distribution, water management, sustainable development, communication
systems, internet security and transportation infrastructure) have global
aspects. The engineers and organizations addressing these challenges are
distributed around the world.
Once leaving Rose-Hulman, many of our graduates will be asked by their
employers to collaborate with others from around the world to design
products and systems to satisfy needs that may originate far from Indiana.
I’m pleased that Rose-Hulman has several initiatives that will help our
students prepare for these situations. These areas include the recent
addition of an international studies second major academic program,
international collaborations in design classes, and participation in
international design competitions.
In addition, each summer several members of the Rose-Hulman community leave
the country to gain experiences that will help them prepare our students for
the global environment that the students are about to enter. They do things
like work for international companies, conduct research in foreign lands and
-- in my case -- live for 72 days on a ship as it sails around the Atlantic
and Mediterranean.
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