 |
| Goodbye Gent! |
I am currently stranded in a train station in France writing this blog that will tell you all about my Belgium adventure!! Fun times.. but here I go.
Throughout these last two weeks, I have learned so much about sustainability that I had I didn’t know before. I never realized how important sustainability was until this class where I learned all about the circular economy, water conservation, waste water management and treatment, plant and animal production, valorization, aquaculture, packaging and the economics of sustainability. I think that the big picture of sustainability relates back to the circular economy and the goal is to optimize processes to reduce and reuse waste. An although a process may be more sustainable, cost remains an important factor for the Belgium population. A lot of research is being done in Belgium to create a more sustainable environment in the Agro Food Chain. Through field trips, I have noticed that Belgium’s production facilities are quite similar to the United States’ but most on a smaller scale. The overall processes used in the U.S. food production are comparable to the Belgium Agro food chain. The idea of optimizing processes with the use of conveyors and production plants are prevalent in both countries. However, some production facilities in Belgium do push for more green energy sources with the use of solar power panels and wind turbines, which you can see all over the country on houses and in fields. I also noticed that Belgium has done a lot of research and has taken many initiatives to ensure a more sustainable and conservative environment. Throughout the last two weeks, I noticed that the two food systems are mostly similar, but cultural behavior plays a factor in the differences between the two countries. Although I had no prior knowledge about sustainability, experiencing the lectures and field trips has allowed me to apply my industrial engineering skills in a different setting. One lecture that I was particularly fond of was the economic aspects of sustainability. Through this lecture, I was able to understand and apply my knowledge to sustainability using statistics, optimization, and engineering economics. Industrial engineering is such a broad subject and the idea of applying it to sustainability had never occurred to me, but in reality, all disciplines of engineering are required to make a whole system run. The Delirium Brewery was a field trip that I believed to be the most beneficial. In regular industrial engineering classes, we always talk about production facilities and plants but I had never gotten to experience one in real life. Being able to see and know what we have talked about in class has made me able to connect all the pieces together. The bottling production lines and the industrial robots in the brewery resembled aspects of industrial engineering the most as we try to increase efficiency in those areas with the use of industrial robots.
Spending time here in Belgium learning about sustainability and production systems has been a blessing, along with all the cultural experiences that I have gotten to witness. Overall, I believe that Belgium is beautiful. The city of Gent has been my favorite city in Belgium by far. The city has so much history and character that I think most places in America have lost. While America still has a lot of history, the Belgians take pride in their city by keeping the architectural integrity of all its buildings. I love new places and meeting new people, and I find Belgium so refreshing. I could just sit in silence and stare at any view of Gent all day. The city is quiet giving it a peaceful atmosphere and in America we are often too busy to stop and enjoy ourselves. Although the people of Gent are pretty reserved, the environment speaks for itself. Compared to America, and talking to the local Belgians, I notice that most things are not taken for granted and we sometimes do in America. For example, the infinite amounts of water, drinking and transportation to name a few. Although, as much as I love Belgium, America is a pretty great place too. The experiences I have had while being here are irreplaceable. I have made many friendships here both from Belgium and from Arkansas. The students and faculty that I have gotten to know over the past two weeks are smart, talented, and personable people. I have always dreamed of studying abroad and getting the educational and cultural experiences along with making lifelong friendships. This trip has been everything and more and I have had the time of my life.
Signing off for the last time!
#DashedToBelgium
--
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!!!
--
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/
Throughout these last two weeks, I have learned so much about sustainability that I had I didn’t know before. I never realized how important sustainability was until this class where I learned all about the circular economy, water conservation, waste water management and treatment, plant and animal production, valorization, aquaculture, packaging and the economics of sustainability. I think that the big picture of sustainability relates back to the circular economy and the goal is to optimize processes to reduce and reuse waste. An although a process may be more sustainable, cost remains an important factor for the Belgium population. A lot of research is being done in Belgium to create a more sustainable environment in the Agro Food Chain. Through field trips, I have noticed that Belgium’s production facilities are quite similar to the United States’ but most on a smaller scale. The overall processes used in the U.S. food production are comparable to the Belgium Agro food chain. The idea of optimizing processes with the use of conveyors and production plants are prevalent in both countries. However, some production facilities in Belgium do push for more green energy sources with the use of solar power panels and wind turbines, which you can see all over the country on houses and in fields. I also noticed that Belgium has done a lot of research and has taken many initiatives to ensure a more sustainable and conservative environment. Throughout the last two weeks, I noticed that the two food systems are mostly similar, but cultural behavior plays a factor in the differences between the two countries. Although I had no prior knowledge about sustainability, experiencing the lectures and field trips has allowed me to apply my industrial engineering skills in a different setting. One lecture that I was particularly fond of was the economic aspects of sustainability. Through this lecture, I was able to understand and apply my knowledge to sustainability using statistics, optimization, and engineering economics. Industrial engineering is such a broad subject and the idea of applying it to sustainability had never occurred to me, but in reality, all disciplines of engineering are required to make a whole system run. The Delirium Brewery was a field trip that I believed to be the most beneficial. In regular industrial engineering classes, we always talk about production facilities and plants but I had never gotten to experience one in real life. Being able to see and know what we have talked about in class has made me able to connect all the pieces together. The bottling production lines and the industrial robots in the brewery resembled aspects of industrial engineering the most as we try to increase efficiency in those areas with the use of industrial robots.
Spending time here in Belgium learning about sustainability and production systems has been a blessing, along with all the cultural experiences that I have gotten to witness. Overall, I believe that Belgium is beautiful. The city of Gent has been my favorite city in Belgium by far. The city has so much history and character that I think most places in America have lost. While America still has a lot of history, the Belgians take pride in their city by keeping the architectural integrity of all its buildings. I love new places and meeting new people, and I find Belgium so refreshing. I could just sit in silence and stare at any view of Gent all day. The city is quiet giving it a peaceful atmosphere and in America we are often too busy to stop and enjoy ourselves. Although the people of Gent are pretty reserved, the environment speaks for itself. Compared to America, and talking to the local Belgians, I notice that most things are not taken for granted and we sometimes do in America. For example, the infinite amounts of water, drinking and transportation to name a few. Although, as much as I love Belgium, America is a pretty great place too. The experiences I have had while being here are irreplaceable. I have made many friendships here both from Belgium and from Arkansas. The students and faculty that I have gotten to know over the past two weeks are smart, talented, and personable people. I have always dreamed of studying abroad and getting the educational and cultural experiences along with making lifelong friendships. This trip has been everything and more and I have had the time of my life.
Signing off for the last time!
#DashedToBelgium
--
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!!!
--
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/
