Hallo, aangenaam! #HogsAbroad in Belgium

So today marks three days of classes in Belgium, and we have learned so much! The phrase used in the title of this post means “Hello, nice to meet you!” in Dutch, which is part of what we learned on the first day of class. We had an introduction to some basic Dutch vowel sounds and a crash course on simple communication, like how to order food and drinks (super important haha). Another part of class this week that was really interesting was learning about the fermentation science behind beer making, and then getting to try out different beers to see how the methods affected the taste of the beer. This was the perfect way to experience so many Belgian beers! We’ve also been learning about Belgian history, Belgian plants, and how they recycle their water.

In our lectures we learned that Belgium has several sustainability labels on their products, such as Animal Welfare, so shoppers here are very informed on what products they’re buying. On the raw materials side of things, we learned there’s an abundance of farm animals in the country. Therefore, Belgian farmers have used the waste produced by these animals to fertilize their fields, which has really improved the quality of the soil. Wastewater is also recycled using constructed wetlands, which is helpful because there’s currently a shortage of water due to a lack of rain this past winter and summer. This water goes towards plants like Brussels Endives, Brussels Sprouts, and Azalea Spp. Moving on to our tours, we’ve visited VIB (Flanders Institute of Biotechnology), De Oude Kaasmakerij, and Fromunion. VIB contained a lot of high tech methods for tracking plant water levels, weights, and growth so that humans didn’t have to do so much manual work. This freed up their time to work on transporting certain DNA traits, like resistance to the heat or cold, to their plants to start tracking and breeding into future generations. De Oude and Fromunion were both about cheese production, which has been transformed into a highly efficient process with the help of machines.

I’m pretty curious about how important the sustainability practices we learned in class are in the eyes of citizens and government officials in the country. From what I’ve observed, I’d say there’s a lot of money that goes into this, and it makes me wonder about how much of the country’s budget is put toward supporting the people researching or implementing them. I’m also curious about how many students choose to go into these kinds of fields compared to others. For example, do more of their students choose to study agricultural or business topics? We have a pretty good amount of students going into agriculture at Arkansas, so I’d like to find out what Belgians typically like to study.

Speaking of differences between Arkansas and Belgium, they are seen in the little things as well as the blatantly obvious things. Starting with the blatantly obvious, the architecture is the complete opposite of anything we have in Arkansas. This is because most of the buildings here are older than Arkansas itself (older than the United States actually haha). It’s like stepping back in time to the 1500s with all of these towering Cathedrals, the castle, and the cobblestone streets. Everywhere you look is full of history, and it’s like being inside a movie set. I expected this, but was still blown away by the details in the buildings that simply just aren’t seen anywhere in America. The second big difference is the multilingualism of almost everyone in Belgium, which was what we learned about prior to the trip. The country itself speaks French, Dutch, and German, and pretty much everyone can speak English. This is great for us as tourists, but makes me wish Americans had more opportunity to practice speaking other languages than English. We take Spanish or French in high school for two years in Arkansas, but then forget it all, which is a shame! Some smaller differences that I’ve experienced are the bathrooms, the food/restaurant side of things, and the transportation. To sum it up quickly, bathrooms here are the BOMB.COM (the walls go all the way from ceiling to floor with no holes between the doors, so get it together America), the stoverij, chocolate covered waffles, Belgian fries, and beer are A+, there’s no splitting the bill (bring cash and get Venmo), tipping is not a thing, and literally everyone rides their bike to get where they wanna go. There are others, but this blog post would be way longer than it already is. I guess you’ll just have to come here and experience it all yourself!

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My name is Brooke Larkin, and I’m an Industrial Engineering student at the University of Arkansas. For the next two weeks I’ll be posting about my experiences and thoughts on everything I do in Belgium. Thanks for checking in!

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Senior Industrial Engineering major Brooke Larkin is spending the May intersession 2019 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.

Read more from Brooke at https://sites.uark.edu/brlarkin/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Are We There Yet? #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Alright… here we go. Finals are almost over, and soon I’ll be in Belgium participating in the last class of my college experience! This will be my first time abroad and I have so many things I’m looking forward to seeing and doing while there. I specifically chose this study abroad because I am very interested in observing the similarities and differences in how safety, sustainability, manufacturing, and continuous improvement are approached in Europe compared to what I have experienced in my internships at Tyson and JB Hunt. Tyson in particular gave me some experience in high volume production plants within the food industry that put a big emphasis on minimizing waste and using every part of their raw materials that they could to be turned into a marketable product. As an Industrial Engineer, I get the chance to apply what I’ve learned in many different industries, and this look into food production, biofuels, and sustainability will give me insight into industries that I have yet to experience.

One of the plants we’ll be visiting on our trip is called Eco Treasures. This company takes the leftover pulp from the fruit juice industry and breaks it down into fruit seed oils and powders, which can then be used as food supplements, natural colorants, and cosmetic products. Basically, they use everything they can get out of this leftover pulp and turn it into products that can be marketed. Things that would seem like waste to people are repurposed into products that have value, and I’m very excited to see the technology used in the manufacturing process that makes all this possible. The manufacturing and ergonomics behind these sustainability processes is what I am most familiar with as an Industrial Engineer, so learning about supercritical CO2 extraction and cold pressing in the process will be very interesting to me. I’m also curious to see if the layout played a role within the design of this particular plant in order to eliminate unnecessary wastes of time or movement. Visiting all the plants/facilities on the itinerary will give me the chance to see new perspectives on how problems and processes are approached, and it will be interesting to see if these plants/facilities in Belgium operate in a similar fashion or if they are unique to their own areas.

I won’t only get new perspectives while in Belgium. There will be plenty of new foods, drinks, and architecture to experience as well! I’m definitely ready to see if all the hype about Belgian chocolate is true since I have the worst sweet tooth on the planet. In addition to that, staying in a place that looks like you’re hundreds of years in the past for two weeks is going to be surreal. Just meeting people from the university and the city will be a great source of knowledge about the culture of Belgium and I plan on taking advantage of that as much as possible. I want to learn some of the language, go to the most popular places, and be the most obvious tourist ever. So, until then, I will be packing my bags to max capacity (while still managing to forget something) and anxiously waiting for the day we fly out. Goodbye for now!

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My name is Brooke Larkin, and I’m an Industrial Engineering student at the University of Arkansas. For the next two weeks I’ll be posting about my experiences and thoughts on everything I do in Belgium. Thanks for checking in!

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Senior Industrial Engineering major Brooke Larkin is spending the May intersession 2019 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.

Read more from Brooke at https://sites.uark.edu/brlarkin/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Dépaysement #HogsAbroad in England

Last week was the official halfway point for all my lectures! Unfortunately, it means that all my assignments are due soon. I’ve had to switch gears back to doing homework and lab reports, which means full days in the library and low daily step counts. For this reason, this week’s update will be a brief one.

Anyway, recently I’ve learned a French word, Dépaysement, which is the feeling you get when you aren’t in your home country. It can be anything from culture shock to slight disorientation, but it’s not directly translated to English. Dépaysement is the perfect word to describe how I felt last week during the midterm elections. Although I had already sent in my absentee ballot, it was an odd feeling to know that no one around me knew or cared. It was one of the first big elections I didn’t get to watch the news for, and I had to wait until the following morning to find out the results. It’s weird to feel like you have a hot topic of conversation that’s irrelevant to everyone else. However, I do have a friend here from Kansas City and we have lunch debriefs each week where we talk about the latest news and happenings back home.

Speaking of, when I woke up yesterday, I couldn’t believe everyone was saying it was snowing in Arkansas! I love the snow, and it always seems to avoid me. When I lived in Little Rock, it would snow in Fayetteville, and when I lived in Fayetteville, it would snow in Little Rock. I shouldn’t complain because that also means it’s colder back home – brrr!

In more exciting news, this weekend I trekked to my favorite place yet: Brussels! Initially, I didn’t really have a desire to go to Brussels, but it was my mother who said that Brussels is the place she’d want to go. Unfortunately, she’s recently had foot surgery and couldn’t make the trip. Don’t worry; I ate enough for both of us!

When I arrived, it was raining, but that didn’t stop me from heading straight for a real Belgian waffle (pictured below). I swear, it was the perfect amount fluffy and crispy! However, I wish I would’ve tried a plain waffle because the chocolate sauce was a bit much. That night, I had an Eat, Pray, Love experience over a pot of mussels stewed in onions and celery. I later learned that this is the best time of year to eat mussels because they have to swim against the cold water (or something like that).

On Sunday, I took a Belgian Chocolate walking tour, and I can now say that I am an official chocolate snob. We tasted so many flavors and types of chocolate that by the end of the tour I could hardly walk. I also saw the Atomium (pictured below) and the Mannequin Pis, and ate the best frites (fries).

I’ll have to go back one day to see other parts of Belgium and spend more time in Brussels because it was just that fabulous! Hopefully, I can convince my mom to come with me next time.

Wish me luck on all my assignments, and I hope you enjoy these pictures!

(Waffle Truck)

(Cinquantenaire)

(Unknown Chocolate Shop)

(Grand Place)

(Atomium)

Cheers!

Brisa B.

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Industrial Engineering major Brisa Bartczak is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.

Read more from Brisa at https://sites.uark.edu/bsbartcz/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

After the Program #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Yesterday was the last day of this program, and I already miss it. I really loved Ghent. It is definitely in my top five favorite cities. Somehow in these past two weeks, I started to feel like the hostel was my home. Besides loving the city, I really enjoyed getting to know the rest of the students, Dr. Runkle and Dr. Savin, and all the Belgians that helped with the program i.e. Hilde, Hanne, Olivier, Michelle, Yarre, etc … I might have misspelled a couple of their names… Everybody got along really well, and that really helped with the whole experience.

This program also gave me a lot of insight into sustainability, and how it is being applied in Belgium, the EU, and the rest of the world. I had already known this, but this program reinforced that many environmental issues are expected to escalate within the next few decades and that we as humans need to start increasing our efforts to move towards more sustainable living. Within Belgium, and the EU, there is a significant amount of work going into transforming their linear economy into a circular economy. Basically, this means that they are trying to reincorporate all of their waste streams back into the economy so that they can reduce their impact on the environment and the amount of raw resources that need to be added into the economy initially. As a chemical engineer, this is probably the most direct way that I could work towards solving environmental issues. Some of the major processes involved in a circular economy are recycling waste products back into their “original” forms, but also processing non-recyclable waste products into something of value. Typical career paths for chemical engineers involve working with/producing plastics and producing fuels. Within a circular economy, chemical engineers can convert plastics that are thrown away into different chemicals that can be used by society or even fuels such as gasoline and diesel. I could also work with biomass to create biocoal, fertilizers, or even biofuel. Overall, this program has really taught me that it IS possible for chemical engineers to work in sustainability.

During this program, I also learned a lot about Belgian culture. Overall, they are very similar to the United States, but there are a few differences that stuck out for me. In general, Belgians seem to have more of a concern for the environment than people in the United States. They recycle more, don’t use plastic bags at grocery stores, and many people have solar panels on their roofs. Belgians also have a different philosophy regarding how the government should work. In the United States, it seems like people have more freedoms to do whatever they want because there are fewer taxes and regulations, but in Belgium, people pay significantly more taxes so that the government can afford to give them so many opportunities that essentially, they are free to do whatever they want.

Overall, I think that there are pros and cons to how the United States runs things versus the EU, but I feel like the United States could learn a lot from the EU regarding sustainability. They have many government programs that make being sustainable more favorable, and I believe the United States needs to start doing this as well before environmental problems come back to bite us in the butt. Then again, I realize that Europeans think differently than Americans, and there has to be a change in our cultural perception of the environment before any real change can occur.

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Chemical Engineering major Harrison Dawson spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Harrison at https://sites.uark.edu/hdawson/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Reflections Back Home #HogsAbroad in Belgium

The view outside my window on the flight back to the US.

Before this study abroad program, I thought I knew what sustainability was. It’s just making sure that future generations have the same amount of resources as us. We can accomplish that through either conservation or preservation. We can develop systems that are circular in nature, with the waste generated by one part being used up by another component of the system. Simple. Cool. But now, after two weeks of lectures and excursions, I understand how grossly I had simplified sustainability. Yes, it IS all the stuff that I listed above. But it is also so much more.

Throughout this program we had lectures on topics ranging from biotechnology to plant production to food packaging. It hit me then how COMPLICATED sustainability is. I mean yes, we hear the word thrown around a lot, and it is basically the solution to all of our environmental/climatic/planetary problems, but I don’t think it’s fair to stuff so many concepts and processes into one word, you know? Maybe that’s why I had such an oversimplified view of sustainability. It needs to be changed into one of those 9-letter acronyms or something. Something that would actually be representative of the complexity. Anyways, I digress.

Big-picture wise, I understood just how much effort and research has to go into making an industry sustainable. Or at least more sustainable than it was. It just comes to show how much we have deviated from paying attention to the environment. Easy for me to say I guess, but if we had figured out how to make things more environmentally-friendly in the first place, as in during the inception of a certain industry, we would not have to be dealing with so many problems at once. How does the saying go? You live and you learn? Well, we have to learn and fast.

Speed brings me to my next point. I may have come to this conclusion because we’ve only been exposed to people who care about sustainability in Belgium, but I feel like Belgians are aware of both the importance and urgency of more sustainable living than Americans. Then again, I haven’t really looked into how companies in the United States are dealing with waste cycling and minimizing their carbon footprints, etc. but I just got that vibe. There are still too many people out there that don’t know or don’t care. Hopefully that will change real soon.

Anyway, I felt that all that we learned about sustainability is very applicable to the US food system too. Belgium and the US share some of the same problems (like too much animal waste for example), and the industries that we discussed are all universal, so I didn’t feel anywhere that there was no relation to the US food system.

The “Algae and Plant-Based Wastewater Treatment” was my personal favorite since it was relevant to what I want to do for my honors project. It was especially informative of how wetlands can be constructed to filter and potentially purify household and municipal wastewater. We also discussed ways to intensify the wetland so it wouldn’t take up so much space. This entire lecture was basically taking something I had some idea about (constructing wetlands) and then slightly morphing its function to address wastewater treatment instead of environmental restoration. It would be fantastic if we can figure out an effective way to use plants to recycle wastewater.

Overall, I had a great time in Belgium. This was my first time visiting Europe and it was a very unique experience. Oddly enough, when I would watch the city rolling by as we rode on the bus, I would have this déjà vu feeling. It took me a few days to pinpoint it, and I don’t really quite know what the correlation is (maybe it’s the way the buildings are laid out?) but Belgium sometimes reminded me of India. Of course, it’s much cleaner and less chaotic in Belgium, but still. I know this is weird, but it’s just a feeling I had.

I loved Belgium and hope I can visit again! Thank you so much to the faculty at the University of Gent for making our stay so pleasant and fun-filled! Srusti signing off!!

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Chemistry major Srusti Maddala spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Srusti at https://sites.uark.edu/smaddala/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Last Day of Lectures #HogsAbroad in Belgium

So, if you are reading this you might be noticing a theme. Belgium is amazing. I know I’m in a sustainability-oriented class, and that we are being taught all the great things Belgium is doing to reduce their impact on the environment, but it really seems like they’ve got it figured out… or at least they are way ahead of the United States in terms of sustainability.

One aspect of Belgian society that helps them be more sustainable than the United States is Belgians’ general attitude towards the environment. The typical Belgian consumes less in terms of water, energy, plastics, etc. Sometimes this is a conscious decision i.e. increased amounts of recycling and a dedication to the valorization of waste streams and sometimes this is caused by societal and governmental regulations. You might be thinking that the United States also recycles, but Belgium has a much more intense system. Almost every single trashcan is coupled with a recycling bin (I would say around 90% of them) and many of their bins are designated for plastics and paper (per usual) and bins for organic materials which are used in compost or biofuel. Probably the most interesting part of Belgian society is their dedication to forming a circular economy which, in a nutshell, is to repurpose or process all waste streams into new products that can be reincorporated into society. One such plant that I found interesting was a pilot plant designed to sort through most all types of municipal waste then convert each type of waste into a new product that can be used by society. Many plastics can be converted into biogas or biodiesel while some can be converted into different chemicals that society can reuse. Organic waste is sorted to be composted or turned into biofuel. There are many other processes within this waste valorization plant, but those were the ones I found most interesting. In terms of societal pressures, water is never free when at restaurants or when in any public setting, and there are rarely free refills, which encourages people to regulate their eating. All of their toilets, most of their sinks, and even some of their showers work by pushing a button, receiving water for a short amount of time, then stopping till you press the button again. Also, their government has a multitude of subsidies and programs in place that make being sustainable more favorable.

Besides their views on sustainability and environmental protection, culturally they do not seem very different. The biggest differences I’ve noticed between Belgians and Americans are clothing choices and alcohol consumption… also, they seem a little sarcastic when you first meet them, but you get a lot of that in the United States as well. In terms of clothing, they dress nicely literally all the time. Even their “comfortable” clothes look nicer than most of what Americans wear. In terms of alcohol consumption, Belgian’s tend to have a culture of sipping while Americans tend to have a culture of chugging (at least in college.)

Overall, I have really liked Belgium so far, and I am sad to say that this program is almost over. Someday I hope to incorporate what I’ve learned so far into my future career as a chemical engineer.

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Chemical Engineering major Harrison Dawson spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Harrison at https://sites.uark.edu/hdawson/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Innovative Wetlands #HogsAbroad in Belgium

The boat tour in Brugge.

On Tuesday, May 22, we had a lecture titled, “Algae and Plant-Based Wastewater Treatment.” I had been intrigued about this lecture ever since I had flipped through the tentative schedule that was given to us during our first pre-departure meeting. Though I wouldn’t be dealing with wastewater directly, my honors project is actually centered around phytoremediation, which is the use of plants to uptake nutrients. I plan to use this process to remove nitrogen from a lake that is naturally high in nitrogen. (The source of nitrogen is actually unknown). Dr. Rousseau was really cool and his lecture was very interesting. He first started off the lecture by talking about ecological engineering and how it can be used to design an ecosystem that has value to both humans and the environment. That seriously is my life goal. I love people, but we have not been amazing in our ways and have been especially thoughtless in our environmental impacts. I want to change that. I want to make it where we are living in harmony with nature. Cheesy? Yes. But true.

I also thought it was really interesting that he lectured on constructing wetlands and using them to filter wastewater. But one concern I had was that these construction projects have to be really thought-out. Like REALLY. I guess that is the case with everything we do, but the whole purpose of these wetlands is to take advantage of nature’s way of cleaning up water. So I feel that in order to do it correctly and with a much smaller impact than the current wastewater treatment methods, people really need to put in the time and effort to plan the wetlands out. The environment has to take priority over money and profits. Maybe I sound very much like an innocent, starry-eyed college student with no experience out in the real world, but it HAS to be done at some point. Or we won’t have a healthy planet left.

My most favorite part of the lecture was the “Innovative Wetlands” section. Dr. Rousseau showed us pictures of houseboats which were completely closed cycles (no inputs or outputs) and he also showed us green walls. I had never thought or heard about green walls and I thought it was a really clever way to take advantage of vertical space. Like what if we built all of our buildings with green walls? That would be amazing. Ideas like those make me happy that even though humans are really destructive sometimes (ok, well most of the time), we still have our creativity and our problem-solving skills. If we really set our minds to it as a species, we wouldn’t have ANY environmental problems. A bit optimistic, but I truly believe that. So overall, this lecture made me happy.

Now, onto the cultural differences. I felt so accomplished when I came to this conclusion (and I hope I’m not wrong because that would make me feel bad), but I think it’s customary for Belgians to blow their noses really hard. It almost sounds like the honking of a goose. I mean, we are all taught to make the least noise as possible when coughing, because it is the polite thing to do in the US, so I thought that was really interesting. Like I have known people who would go out into the hallway to blow their noses because they didn’t like people hearing them. So, it was a bit strange to all of us when we hear people blowing their noses really loudly. Also, they carry around handkerchiefs too, which they use to blow their noses. That’s just adorable. All in all, this program in Belgium has been a great educational AND cultural experience. Srusti signing off!!

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Chemistry major Srusti Maddala spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Srusti at https://sites.uark.edu/smaddala/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Sustainability #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Sustainability is such an important word/concept. I once read (in Out of the Earth, which by the way is an excellent book) that pollution has always been present, ever since the times of the earliest humans. There just weren’t enough humans back then (or concentrated in a small area) to really show their impact on the environment. But that’s definitely not the case now. And the rate of change just seemed to rapidly increase with the industrial revolution and all the various technologies that subsequently arose. So pollution is not a new thing we’re trying to combat here. (Apparently humans have always been awful with no care for our planet too, but that’s besides the point.) And maybe this is really optimistic of me, but I believe that there has been a tremendous amount of awareness about environmental issues lately. There still needs to be more, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction. And everything has to start somewhere right?

Some of the excursions we went on in the past few days really opened my eyes to how much people care about sustainability and having a lower impact on the environment. There are whole companies (like Ardo) which are dedicated to recycling and reusing the waste they produce, and have figured out pretty innovative ideas for how to reduce their carbon and energy footprints. I thought that was really cool, but I don’t know if there are companies like that in the US or if there are and I just don’t know about them, which is highly likely.

There are some cultural similarities between the US and Belgium, but there are some (really) surprising differences. First of all (and probably everyone in our group probably wrote about this in their blog post):

Water is not free and there are literally 0 water fountains! I think we Americans really value our hydration, but Belgians are definitely not the same. Water fountains cannot be found anywhere, so we all just drink tap water, which sounds pretty gross but it’s not that bad. The problem is though, Belgians find it rude if you bring in your own water bottle to a restaurant, so you have to buy it there. And when you do buy it, they just give you a tiny 330 mL water bottle so it basically disappears in one gulp.

Second:

Smile and say hi to strangers and you get seriously judged. Initially there were some pretty startled reactions to our polite smiles and waves on the street. You know when you’re walking down the street and lock eyes with a sweet old lady walking towards you, and smile or nod politely? Well don’t do it in Belgium! They think it’s weird! They only greet people they know. I personally faced this when I was ordering food at a Dutch (fast-food?) restaurant, and I was smiling and asking questions about what would come on the burger and the man taking my order had literally no expression on his face. At. All.

Third:

College is free! Ok, I think there may be like a 1,000 euro basic tuition fee or something, but that’s it! And according to a speaker at one of our lectures he got more scholarships for going to a school farther from this hometown. That is the complete opposite of what it is like in the US!

Anyway, these were some of the major cultural differences I noticed between Belgium and the good ol’ US of A. Interesting ey? Srusti signing off!

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Chemistry major Srusti Maddala spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Srusti at https://sites.uark.edu/smaddala/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Week One Thoughts #HogsAbroad in Belgium

First off, I have got to say that I love Ghent. All the buildings are extremely old (many of them being older than the United States) and they all are gorgeous. During the walking tour, we were told some interesting stories about the different guild houses, belfries, and cathedrals all within a few blocks of the hostel… turns out, Belgians, more specifically people from Ghent, tend to be at the forefront of many rebellions and movements throughout history. One of my favorite things about Ghent so far is that because there are so many cathedrals in such a small area that the citizens have repurposed many of them into restaurants, post offices, flea markets, etc. We were told they did this because there has been a sharp decline in the number of weekly churchgoers, and instead of letting the cathedrals fall apart, they’ve turned them into something the city can use.

So, today is our third full day and the jet lag is just now starting to wear off. Besides that, I have really enjoyed the classes. The first day included an introduction of Belgian culture, and the most interesting thing about that class that I remember is that they are heavily influenced by all the countries that have occupied them. We also discussed the possible uses for lipids in industry that would otherwise be thrown out as waste. Oils from many fruits, nuts, and animals can be extracted and refined into biofuels, green diesel, cosmetics, and many more products. This lecture was of extreme interest to me because I could easily see how this topic could be related to chemical engineering in the United States. There is starting to be more of a push for sustainability in the United States, and reusing lipids is something that many industries could take advantage of.

The second day of classes was more oriented towards plants and sustainability issues related to plants. The most fascinating lecture from this day discussed GMO’s and how they’re treated differently in Europe vs the United States. Before this lecture, I didn’t quite know how I felt about GMO’s and this lecture helped clear things up for me. We were taught that most of the negative opinions on GMO’s stemmed from political issues and advertising rather than scientific fact. Massive amounts of research have been released on the GMO’s already present in society, and only a handful of them suggest GMO’s are harmful… and even these papers’ were based on sloppy techniques and data interpretation.

Today has been the most impressive so far. In the morning we visited a company called Ardo and in the afternoon, we visited a public research institution called INAGRO. Ardo is one of the largest distributors of frozen vegetables in Europe, and one of their most impressive features was their commitment to sustainability. They conducted a lot of research focusing on sustainable agriculture and they converted a lot of their waste products into biofuel which they then used to power half of the power their factories needed. INAGRO was especially unique because it was an extremely nice research institution that only existed to serve the public. They conducted many projects in the field of agriculture more specifically with insect farming, aquaculture, aquaponics, mushroom farming and organic farming. It was super interesting to see a government funded institution focusing just on sustainability and educating the public.

So far, I have been impressed with the overall Belgian experience. The cities we’ve visited were very clean and all of the Belgians we’ve met so far have been nice and extremely helpful in regards to navigating the city and immersing us in the culture.

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Chemical Engineering major Harrison Dawson spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Harrison at https://sites.uark.edu/hdawson/blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Reflecting #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Goodbye Gent!

Bonjour blog readers and welcome back!

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

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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/

Made my Mark on Belgium #HogsAbroad

My time in Ghent has come to a close. While I am excited to go back home, I am really going to miss this charming city. We learned so much about sustainability, the food system, and the culture of Belgium.

The overarching sustainability theme was waste valorization. This means turning waste into something useful, instead of just disposing of it. We observed this in class and at several of our site visits. At EcoTreasures, they obtain the waste of the fruit juice industry, such as fruit skins and seeds. They press the oils from the seeds to use in cosmetics or dietary supplements. Currently, the skins are turned into animal feed, but they are looking for more profitable options. In the US food system, production systems often sell their organic matter waste as animal feed. On my first industry field trip with the Biological Engineering department, we toured the Skippy peanut butter plant in central Arkansas. When asked how they disposed of the peanut shells, they also said that they were sent to animal feeds. Overall, I think Belgium has a better grasp on waste valorization, but the US is starting to get there too.

Overall, I loved Belgium, as well as their views on sustainability. All of the cities we visited were very clean, and it was so easy to get around. Nearly everything I put in my mouth was incredibly delicious, such as Belgian waffles, chocolate, beer, fries, croissants, strawberries, shrimp croquettes, moussaka… the list goes on. Since Belgium is a small country, they don’t have much room to spare and are very sustainably minded. They offer recycling for many types of plastics, drink boxes, papers, and cardboards. At the university, they also had a bin for organic waste, such as an apple core or peelings from an orange. Much of their waste goes to incinerators to produce electricity for the city.

This class helped me dive deeper into my discipline of Biological Engineering through many of the lectures and excursions. One that was very interesting to me was our lecture on food packaging. I have not taken a foods class yet, but I am enrolled for it in the fall! I am also very interested in this topic because I am trying to reduce the waste I produce and the amount of food in packaging that I buy. The lecture was all about sustainability of packaging and how it can be made better in the future. There is a fine line when looking at sustainability of food packaging. On one hand, a recyclable plastic package could be used, but it would have to be denser to obtain the preservative qualities needed. Most likely, the container is not 100% recyclable. If a package made from several plastics was used, it could be made much thinner, but it wouldn’t be able to be recycled. Often, the second situation will result in less plastic going to the landfill. It’s a very interesting question, and I hope to learn more about it soon!

Getting to learn about the Belgian culture was a blast, especially seeing the differences between it and my American culture. One of the biggest differences is history. All of the buildings are much older in Ghent, and it adds an element that is not found in most parts of the United States. Our hostel’s foundation was laid nearly 10 centuries ago, and after several renovations, it still stands in the same location by the canal. There is also Christian influence everywhere, such as large Catholic churches and Cathedrals, or “hidden Mary’s” around the town. As much as I loved it all, I am ready to get back to my tall trees, cheese dip, and bed in Fayetteville.

Attempting a jumping picture in the middle of Graffiti Street – a street where people can freely paint and express their artistic talents. or say there were here, in my case.

St. Nicholas’ Church in Ghent

St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent

View of the city from the Belfry

One of the many “Hidden Mary’s” in Ghent

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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!

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Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner 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 Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

May 24 #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Hello blog readers and welcome back to another look-into my Belgian adventure!

While I am having the time of my life here in Belgium, the days are winding down and the trip will soon be over. I’ve learned a lot about sustainability through lectures and field trips.

Since my last blog post, I have learned about Biocatalysis, Algae and Plant based Waste Water Treatment Systems, Waste Water Management, the economics of sustainability and finally, packaging. As an industrial much of it can be hard to understand but many of the aspects pertaining to the lessons could benefit from the use of an industrial engineer. Of the last few lessons that we learned, the economics and packaging aspects were my favorite. I felt most comfortable during those lessons because I was able to use what I’ve learned previously as an industrial engineer and apply it to aspects of sustainability, such as finding the optimal size of a waste water system based on the net present value of the system. I also learned about ways that packaging is developed and how we can reduce the amounts of unrecyclable plastics to make a more circular economy. Of the field trips we have gone on, the cacao lab and the delirium brewery were my favorites. The processing of making chocolate from start to finish is so interesting and the end product is quite amazing also! The brewery we visited was my absolute favorite most of all though. The brewery is still family owed and contained many aspects relating to sustainability and industrial engineering. The whole plant contained parts for which the beer, fermentation, bottling, and storage. The bottling factory contained multiple conveyor lines for which the bottles were processed such as filling, capping, labeling, and storing. Through the conveyor lines, many parts contained sensors could pick out bottles that were not labeled correctly. For each bottle that was detected to be mislabeled, the bottle was kicked out to another conveyor. A worker would come by those rejected bottles and some bottles would be put back on the line and the wrongly labeled ones were taken somewhere else. An industrial engineer using signal detection theory could be used to find the probability that the bottle actually had a problem since most had nothing wrong with them but were still rejected. The robot used to produce the kegs was also an aspect that is applicable to industrial engineers as we are trying to reduce non value-added movements to produce more efficient processes. The sustainable aspects of the brewery included wind and solar energy sources to run the brewery and the reuse of waste water in the brewery. The left over draft was also re-used to serve as feed for cattle. Overall, the brewery incorporated many aspects that all production facilities should also try to adapt.

Delirium Brewery

Bottling

In addition to the many educational lessons about sustainability, I have also learned so much about the culture here in Gent. Many of the people are reserved and on the shy side. A small smile or wave is usually always returned with a confused look and that is the only response. I have only seen one water fountain here and the beer is cheaper than water. The bathrooms are also a bit strange, but very sustainable. Each bathroom is in one room with a stall for each gender and the sink is shared. This was a little strange for me and honestly, I am not sure if I will ever be able to get used to it. Overall, the weather has been a bit colder than I would have thought, but this past week has been amazing. The top of the belfry was gorgeous and put into perspective just how big the city really is. Although the people of Gent may be a little shy, I have loved getting to know all of my classmates and their interests.

View from the Hostel

I don’t ever want to leave!!!

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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/

Week Two #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Hello again! I am halfway through my second week in Belgium, and I am still loving being here. We had a free day at the end of last week, and I headed to Antwerp, Belgium with a few friends. It was so cheap and easy to hop on a train and head across the country. Antwerp is known for its shopping, which we did a bit of. We walked around the mall area, the old book stores, an art museum, and the historic city center. I even got to go to an English mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady! It was a great time and fun to travel outside of Ghent.

In class, we learned about wetlands as wastewater treatment systems. This was new to me, because in America, we mainly have standard concrete settling ponds and chemical treatment. In this system, it was all natural, and the plants and microorganisms worked to clean the water. They could even take up heavy metals that passed through! One of the main problems with this system is it takes up a lot of land. At the University of Ghent, they are researching how they could make a more intensive wetland, either putting it on a rooftop or on a vertical wall. As the world’s population increases, there will be an increase in wastewater produced. I am curious to see how these technologies could be implemented in a living city.

As I have been seeing more of Belgium, I have continued to notice cultural differences. Between Arkansas and Belgium, the usage of plastic bags is very different. In Arkansas, the use of plastic bags is prevalent at grocery stores as well as clothing and goods stores. At grocery stores, bringing your own bag is common. At clothing stores, it is a bit odder to bring your own. I have received a few strange looks when offering my own bag instead of the store’s plastic one. In Belgium, the grocery store has a few plastic bags, but they are €0.50 each. At clothing stores, you’re asked if you would like a bag or not. On average, it is assumed that you will bring your own bag.

Nearly every weekend, students studying at the university head home. Many live close by, where they are only a short train or car ride away. This is much different than Arkansas, where students might go home once a month.

When eating at restaurants, the portion sizes are about the same as in Arkansas. I assumed that they would be smaller, since Belgians take pride in their food and you’re assumed to eat all or most of the food served to you. Several meals have been a ton of food, more than I could eat in one sitting. We’re never asked if we would like a to-go box, but they will box your food for you if you request it.

We have a few more tours on Friday, and then, sadly, we’ll be leaving Ghent. I am so thankful that I was able to have this experience and learn about so many new things! I am excited to bring this knowledge back to the states and implement it in my life and studies. Until the next blog, happy summer and thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!

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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!

--
Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner 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 Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Weekend Trips #HogsAbroad in Belgium

This weekend, we took a trip to multiple cities in Northern Belgium. We went west to Heuvelland and Ypres, then headed north to Ostend and Bruges.

Our first stop on our tour was in Heuvelland to visit the Wijngoeg Monteberg winery. It was family owned and much smaller than a typical American winery. Their property was only about 25 acres and was the biggest in the area. For comparison, the average Californian vineyard is about 5,000 acres. Their family does all of the farm and winemaking work themselves, occasionally hiring a person or two to help prune the vines or pick the grapes. Because of the winery’s size and Belgium’s high export taxes, the wine they produce stays in Belgium. We were able to taste several of their wines, including a sparkling blend of chardonnay and pinot gris, a pinot noir, and a rosé. They showed us all of their production equipment, talked about their grape growing methods, and taught us how sparkling wines are made. At the conclusion of the tour, we were treated to a picnic in the vineyard that overlooked the countryside.

Fresh food is readily available in many places. At the winery, since they are surrounded by farms, our picnic was comprised of entirely locally sourced foods. Fresh markets are available in several cities. In Gent, there are fresh markets set up every Sunday selling breads, cheeses, meats, fruits, and veggies. In Ostend, there was a fish market near the sea that sold the morning’s catch.

At the picnic, several meat spreads/salads were available. These were similar to tuna salad but made with pork or beef. I made sure to try some since similar products are not available in the United States, and they were very good.

This excursion let us see a few more cultures present in Belgium. During our time in Ostend, the main language I heard was French, and many of the restaurants on the pier had French names, such as “Toi, Moi, et la Mer” and “Le Chevailer.” There were many children on the beach as well, something that we haven’t seen a lot of in Gent. Ostend was a more casual place, since it was near and beach and so many different people come to stay. I also noticed that there were more runners and people exercising. In Gent, I have seen one person running in athletic gear. Either they get up earlier than I do, or they work out mainly in a gym or not at all. It was more similar to Arkansas, seeing people as they walk/run the trails.

In Bruges, there were many tourists. The city is very tourist-driven on a normal day, but even more so this weekend. There were many groups celebrating the final game of the FA Football Cup. The entire town square was filled with people wearing their blue jerseys and scarves celebrating their team’s win. The tourist crowd was a little more friendly than the normal European crowd. When we went on a boat tour, we waved at many people along the canal, most of whom waved back. This is not a common occurrence in Gent, but more so in Arkansas.

Overall, this weekend was wonderful! It was great to get out and see more of Belgium. As always, thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers sent my way!

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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!

--
Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner 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 Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Half Way #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Hello blog readers and welcome back!

It’s officially been one week since I arrived in Belgium and so far, I have been having the time of my life. Belgium is a gorgeous place to be and it’s crazy how fast it’s gone by already; but hey, time flies when you’re having fun!

Bruges, Belgium

In the past, week, we have learned a lot about sustainability including the circular economy, aquaculture, environmental technology, local Food Teams and more. We also visited many places including Ardo, INAGRO and ILVO. In our presentation about the local Food Teams here in Belgium, we learned about the business model used to connect farmers with consumers to promote sustainability and healthier eating habits for customer models. The business model includes a group of farmers who produce and deliver food, crops, dairy and more to a kitchen from which members of a local food team can pick up their groceries. The business model is very like models in the United States, one in which is offered in Tulsa, OK, except the goods are delivered directly to the consumer. Many of the food systems in Belgium are comparable to the food systems in the United States in which large acres of land are used to plant and harvest crops for their consumers. Many large production facilities are use downstream processes to clean, cut, and package the products after the food has been harvested. These production facilities maybe a bit smaller in size compared to the U.S., the efficiency and logic of each facility are comparable. Just like in Arkansas, the amount of poultry being produced in Belgium is also increasing, while the amount of beef and pork being produced is steadily declining. In class, the aquaculture was my favorite as it was very interesting to learn about the process and reasons for the need of aquaculture. While aquaculture may not be largely known, or used in America, the use of fish farms is still prevalent in the U.S. However, being here in Belgium isn’t only about the technical education but also about the cultural experiences.

Antwerp, Belgium

This past weekend, we had a few days to travel around and see different cities in Belgium. Friday afternoon, we spent the afternoon in Gent; Saturday I took a day trip to Antwerp, and Saturday and Monday, we visited Ypres, Oostende, and Bruges. Each city is similar yet different from each other. The city of Gent brings many college students to the city, so it feels like the atmosphere is geared more toward the younger crowd. While the city of Gent is very large, the town has a smaller feeling to it since most places are relatively close to each other, much like the feeling of the campus of the University of Arkansas. Antwerp was much larger and although many places and attractions were also relatively close together, the area still felt much more spread out resulting in many miles walked that day (almost 9 miles!!). Antwerp definitely had many more tourists than in Gent, but the general culture did not differ from Gent. To me, the atmosphere reminded me of New York where there are many crowds with a fast-paced environment. Sunday morning, in Ypres, we visited a World War I museum and the Tyne Cot Cemetery, both very eye opening and an honor to have visited. Afterwards, we made our way to Oostende to see the coast which was much colder due to the North Sea. Oostende was also much larger with some tourists but not as many crowds as Antwerp, and the cultural behaviors remained the same where strangers were strangers, only those strangers had lots of dogs (big ones too!). Lastly, Monday (today) we went to Bruges, the most beautiful place I’ve seen so far! The canal is gorgeous and the architecture is amazing! This town, while resembling Gent a lot in my opinion, felt like it was a scene geared less toward the younger crowds. There were many tourists, but a lot of locals also enjoying the win of the local soccer team. The people in Bruges seemed a bit friendlier with the waves and smiles of passing strangers. Bruges looked like scenes from movies and seemed to have a romantic and peaceful environment. Every place we visited had beautiful architecture each with its own clock tower and many conservative people, and my favorite place visited was Bruges because of its peacefulness and beauty, but Gent will always be my most favorite.

Monteberg Vineyard

More to come later!

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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/

First Thoughts #HogsAbroad in Belgium

I’ve only been in Belgium for 3 days, but I am slowly falling in love with this little city. Okay, it’s not that little, since the population is higher than the biggest city in Arkansas. I have tried several types of Belgian chocolate, and well as a Belgian waffle with strawberries, Nutella, and ice cream. Jet lag has been real, and coffee hasn’t helped much. I won’t deny that I have nearly dozed off in half of my lectures so far…

One of our first lectures was all about beer. While it had little to do with sustainability, it had everything to do with Belgian culture. We learned about the history of beer, the different types, and the characteristics of beers that gave them their unique flavors, plus we were able to try some of each kind. I am not a beer drinker, so a few were lost on me, but there were several that I did enjoy. One was Lindemans Kriek, which is a sour cherry beer. I never knew that there were fruit flavored beers! It tasted more like a Moscato than a beer. I also enjoyed a white Hoegaarden. It was an unfiltered, light beer that was mild in flavor. We all left the classroom feeling very happy at the end of the day.

On Tuesday, we learned about the significance of animal agriculture in Belgium. In the 1800s, the country had a shift in the type of agricultural products it produced. Belgian farmers could no longer compete with the cheap cereal crops produced in the United States, so they started raising livestock as a main agricultural product. We talked about difference between types of livestock and the sustainability of each one. Monogastric animals like pigs and chickens make up a significant percentage of the Belgian animal crop, in addition to cattle. Cows produce more methane and take up more room per head, and they are generally considered less sustainable than pigs and chickens. The latter are more efficient at converting feed to muscle mass. The big question arises when one considers that the monogastric animals eat feed that could also be used for human consumption, while only 14% of a cow’s diet is digestible by humans. Cows are a way of converting inedible fibers into nutrient-rich meat. The question is posed: would we rather have a meat source that is taking away human food and causing less of an environmental impact, or a meat source that is converting inedible material to edible, but has a higher impact on the environment? There is also the question if we should even eat meat at all? Although it would benefit environmental sustainability and animal welfare, it would devastate the economic sustainability of many areas. And cheeseburger lovers would be sad. I will save that discussion for another day.

Some aspects of sustainability that I have noticed outside of the classroom include: Bathrooms and transportation. Many toilets are low-flow and have different water use settings based on what you need to flush. The showers and sinks are the push-button type, where they only stay on for 10-30 seconds. This did help me drastically reduce my water consumption while in the shower, because 1. It turned off, and 2. It made me stop and think about how many times I kept having the press the button. Transportation is mostly by bike and public transportation, such as buses and trams.

There are very significant culture differences between Belgium and Arkansas. The biggest difference is the transportation. Among students, very few have a car and get around solely by bike and foot. Currently, our group is traveling by foot. It’s working out well, but I must remember that I no longer have priority at crosswalks, unlike on campus in Fayetteville. When crossing the street, I have to make sure there are no trams, buses, cars, or bikes coming. We get rental bikes tomorrow evening. Part of me is very excited to be able to bike around town and explore further, but I am also terrified because I don’t bike much (thanks Fayettehills) and there is a lot of traffic.

A group of my friends and I went out for a walk yesterday evening, and for a while we sat and people watched. About half of the people who passed by were on bikes. We saw Uber Eats delivers driving on bikes, and pizza delivery guys riding their mopeds (or motorized bikes as the Belgians call them). Everyone dresses well. We saw no sweatpants or gym shorts, and no t-shirts. Everyone just had classy, non-branded outfits. The city is very compact, which makes it very easy to walk everywhere. The city center, where our hostel is located, is a strictly pedestrian portion of the city, excluding the occasional taxi, tram, or bus. This is very different from Fayetteville and other places in the US, where cities are built around automotive transportation. Although, this compaction comes with very little green space. There are trees around, but very few lawns or flowerbeds. That is one thing I miss about Arkansas.

A random culture difference that I have noticed is that most classrooms and restaurants have coat racks. People hang their rain jackets, windbreakers, and cardigans there. There are very few places around Arkansas that have coat racks available.

Thanks again for reading my blog today! I hope summer is going well for all of you as well. As always, I really appreciate all of the prayers and thoughts sent my way! Please enjoy some pictures that I have taken so far during my trip:

The view from my daily breakfast table in the hostel

Menin Gate: a World War I memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.

The beautiful waffle I shared with friends on a warm afternoon

The canal at dusk

Our group in front of a plant research facility at the University of Gent

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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!

--
Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner 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 Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Week 1 in Gent #HogsAbroad in Belgium

Bonjour!

Today is the third day in Gent, Belgium and it is absolutely beautiful here! We are staying at the top floor of the hostel and the view is unreal. I mean look at it:

In the past two days, we have already had 7 lectures on topics of sustainability such as Sustainable Agriculture, Plant Production, Animal Production, Beer Fermentation and more. Being an Industrial Engineer, I had no background of most of the topics being lectured, so at first it was a little hard to keep up. However, much of the topics always relate back to the politics and economics of the city or country, which can relate to everyone. Most of it comes down to whether or not the agriculture or production is cost efficient. In class, we have learned about the current dietary needs of the population and what the dietary needs of the population should be and based on these trends, farmers are able to figure our which crops are needed to be grown in order to meet demand and based on the current diet of the population, agriculture sustainability is trying to promote a more healthy lifestyle within the country. I also learned about the biological economy which included food, lipids, and oleochemicals. Many oils are produced from different elements and serve different purposes by producing different nutrients. Much of industrial engineering skills can be applied to sustainability in ways that can improve the processes used in sustainable agriculture. In class, we also learned about the fermentation of beer and the processes that are involved with producing the famous Belgian drink. Through the lecture and tasting the beer, I have learned that the sweeter the beer/ the more sugar, the higher alcohol content the beer is. Each beer produced will differ upon which process is used to make the beer. Types of beers include: pilsner, pale ale, Indian pale ale, trappiste, dubbel, triple and much more. On the third day, we took a whole day to tour different companies that dabble in the sustainable agriculture field. We toured Ardo, one of the largest frozen food packaging plants in the world. This has been my favorite thus far, because inside the production plant, I saw many aspects that deal with industrial engineering topics learned in Schoo. I saw conveyors, machines and automation and saw things that could benefit an industrial engineer. Much of the processes in Ardo production plants featured automation, which is what Industrial Engineers use as part of function allocation in production plants. However, I still saw room for improvement within the facility, such as finding a way to automate the filling of boxes onto the box building conveyor. Scheduling of the production plants to minimize idle time in order to maximize production time could also be improved. The fact that one machine, only available to one vegetable for 6 weeks out of the year could also be improved to maximize the utilization of the machine. Much of the topics learned thus far could benefit from the use of an industrial engineer to optimize time and prevent further waste.

VIB

Ardo

While here, I have noticed many differences between Belgium and Arkansas. I have noticed that many of the people in Gent are a bit more shy than many in Arkansas. On the first day, while walking around the city, I would wave or smile while walking past a local and receive no response. While talking to a person from the University, I was told that people in Gent don’t normally wave or make small conversation with people that they do not know, and that makes it hard for people to get to know each other around this city. Most people in Arkansas would return the wave or smile while walking past a stranger. I have also noticed the difference in architecture and roads. In the city center of Gent, there Is a lot of old architecture and churches and much of the roads are made from cobble stones. The architecture is beautiful and really captures the historic presence of the city of Gent. The cobble stones, while adding to the historic aesthetic is difficult to walk on and I bet difficult to ride a bike on, too. I have also noticed that taxes are including in the prices here in Gent. When the price says 10 euros, the price is really 10 euros (I bought a waffle for 10 euros and it was worth it, delicious!) and you don’t have to tip while out at restaurants, because the waiters get paid better and do not expect it. I have noticed that the meals in Belgium are very different. For breakfast, it is normal to have a crescent or roll with some salami or meat and cheese and juice or coffee for breakfast. Whereas, breakfast in Arkansas is usually cereal, oatmeal, or eggs and bacon. Lunches in Belgium are also the biggest meal of the day. The lunch portions at the University are always big and good, too. Then for dinner, the portions are a bit smaller. At home in the U.S., dinner is always usually the biggest meal for me, so it’s different to see that here in Belgium, the biggest meal is lunch. I won’t lie, the jet lag has been a bit of a struggle, but the more time I spend here, the better it will get.



Au revoir!

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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/

Peace Out, Fayetteville: Getting Ready #HogsAbroad in Belgium

One more final. That is all that stands in between me and my study abroad. Oh, and a lot of packing.

Hello, everyone! If you didn’t know already, I will soon be heading to Ghent, Belgium on the U of A’s Sustainability in the Agro-Food Chain study abroad trip. I am beyond excited for this experience, and I can’t wait to share this journey with you!

The reason that I selected this study abroad trip was because it fit so closely with my major, Biological Engineering. We study food, water, and energy, and how they can be managed to be more sustainable. During this study abroad course, we will be learning about plant and animal production, biogas, aquaculture, the circular economy, environmental biotechnology, sustainable water management, and some Belgian staples: chocolate and beer. I hope to work with water in the future, so I am especially looking forward to learning about water management, as well as aquaculture. The topic of the circular economy also is a great interest. In today’s culture, we have a very linear economy, meaning we use items once and throw them away. I am very interested in learning more about the building blocks of a circular economy, so that I can apply those ideas to my life and future job. Lastly, learning about the science of chocolate and how it is made will be so fun. I have always been a fan of learning more about food: how it is made, where it comes from, and the social significance behind it. Getting to eat the food afterwards is always a plus, too.

Besides learning, I am ready to dive into another culture, eat new foods, and find my way around a new city. During these two weeks, I hope I can be open minded and become Belgian for a short time. The city is very bikeable (something I can’t quite say about the hills of Fayetteville) and many people get around that way. We get to rent bikes that we can take to and from school each day. Within 2 blocks of our hostel, there are TWO Catholic Churches, and many more throughout the city. I’ve already checked out the Mass times and open visiting hours. I’m a little excited, to say the least. The cultural aspect I am most ready to learn about though, is food. I have never been one to shy away from food (except for the occasional casserole), and I am excited to try all of the flavors that Belgium has to offer. Some tips that I have heard from past travelers include: try the coffee, waffles, and chocolates, as well as cultural dishes like moules et frites (mussels and fries) and carbonnade flamande (a Flemish stew).

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog! I will be posting new updates about twice a week, so make sure to come back to hear more about my trip. I would love to let you know about everything that I am learning, seeing, and doing! As always, thank you for any thoughts or prayers you send my way, they are greatly appreciated.

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My name is Maddie, and I am a 4th year engineering student. This May, I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium to learn about Sustainability in the Euro Food System. I can't wait to learn more about green practices and share them with you all!

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Biological Engineering major Maddie Oxner 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 Maddie at at sites.uark.edu/mjoxner

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/