Hallo and welcome to my first study abroad blog!
It is less than a week until I leave for Belgium and I could not be more excited! Studying abroad has been something that I have always wanted to do while in college, and although two weeks is a short time, I hope to learn as much as I possibly can during that time!
As an engineering major, in particular an Industrial Engineering major, not many opportunities are provided to study abroad during the summer. When I heard about this study abroad program, I had little to no prior knowledge about sustainability as it is not a subject that Industrial Engineering focuses on. One of the questions that I had when I picked this program is how can these topics relate to me and help me as an industrial engineer? But then I thought, because Industrial Engineering is such a broad discipline of engineering, I believe it can be applied to sustainability in many ways, such as process improvement, production, operations research, ergonomics, and more. Some aspects of the course that I believe is relevant to Industrial Engineering is food and plant production, the circular economy, and consumer interest in sustainability. These aspects can be analyzed by Industrial Engineers to possibly improve food and plant production processes, implement ergonomic standards to improve safety, evaluate ways to reduce waste, and improve consumers interest in sustainability. Having the opportunity to learn about sustainability in another country would help me to make comparisons in the United States and possibly pin point areas that could be improved. I think that going through this course as an engineering major outside of Biological Engineering and outside of the Agricultural Food and Life Sciences departments can benefit me greatly as I would acquire a set of knowledge that the typical Industrial Engineer may not possess.
Going on this study abroad means my first time traveling to Europe! One of the things you always hear about college is the opportunity to study abroad and experience other cultures while making lots of friends along the way. I am excited to get to know all of the other students and faculty on the study abroad, because it’s not always about where you are but who you’re with! There is lots to be learned on this study abroad and I am excited to immerse myself in all that it has to offer. Some aspects of Belgium that I am interested in learning all about are the different languages, people, art, geography and historical architecture. I am eager to see how different life in the United States is from life in Belgium. I am most excited about experiencing all the food Belgium has to offer! I have always wanted to spend a portion of my life traveling and seeing as much of the world as I can, and this study abroad will be the stepping stone to making my traveling dreams come true! And soon you’ll see actual pictures of me in Belgium around this time next week!
Vaarwel,
Dasher
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My name is Dasher Smith and I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am a current junior at the University of Arkansas studying Industrial Engineering. I am one of seven children in my family and the first to study abroad!!!
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Industrial Engineering major Dasher Smith is spending the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering Study Abroad Grant.
Read more from Dasher at sites.uark.edu/ds021
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
