ELDM - International Capstone Alternative
An International Capstone Alternative for Students in the Engineering Leadership Development Minor (ELDM)
ENGR 497 – Global Engineering Business Seminar
(1-Credit in Fall)
ENGR 497 – Leadership, Innovation and Global Water Resource Challenges
(2-Credits in Spring)
Abstract
This course sequence brings together university students from the United States (Penn State) and Morocco (Ecole Mohammadia d'Ingénieurs) to study leadership and innovation in the context of water resource management and engineering. Penn State students prepare for their spring break trip to Morocco by studying spoken Moroccan Arabic (Darija), the history of science and engineering in Islam, the history and culture of Morocco, and the relationship between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The trip is supported in part by industry (Roberts Filter Group) and student travel costs are significantly deferred.
While in Morocco, students learn about historic trans-border water issues, current technology for water treatment and future trends, and future global water resource challenges. Approximately half the academic day is spent in lectures, the other half on field trips or field challenges (students working in multicultural teams to solve challenging water-related tasks).
The course sequence focuses on promoting intercultural understanding, raising global awareness, and developing leadership skills and innovative thinking with respect to engineering design in order to better meet the water resource challenges of the 21st century. Emphasis is placed on critical reading, reflective analysis, field trips, and oral and written presentations.
Upon return from Morocco, students are required to (i) collaborate with students from Morocco on a Mondialogo engineering design project (ii) give oral presentations on their experiences in Morocco to groups across the university.
Students interested in this capstone option would register in fall for ENGR 497 (1-credit, Global Engineering Business Seminar) and then in spring for ENGR 497 (2-credit, Leadership, Innovation and Global Resource Challenges).
If you are interested in this capstone option please contact Dr. Rick Schuhmann (rxs34@psu.edu) as registration for the class is restricted.