Service Learning

As part of the Mechanical Engineering Department's effort to provide all students with the opportunity to become better acquainted with the multi-cultural global workplace, the department has started a new global educational initiative.  The International Service-Learning Engineering (ISLE) program intends to send a number of students abroad each year to conduct service-oriented projects which leverage, and build on, their engineering expertise.

Through such projects, we hope to expose our students to different cultures through full immersion with local residents and volunteers.  By sending them to other parts of the world, we will provide our students with engineering opportunities and challenges that will be both eye-opening and beneficial.  Today's engineers need to be prepared to solve formidable problems in any culture or part of the world.  Such a global experience is unique and invaluable—and perfectly compliments the worldclass curriculum and research students experience here in Pittsburgh.  Recently students traveled to the Philippines and Jamaica; stories on these ISLE trips can be found in the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 issues of Carnegie Mech.

Study Abroad

For a more traditional experience abroad, undergraduate students can utilize one of the variety of exchange study abroad options.  With careful planning, any Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student in good standing may study abroad. Most programs focus on the student's junior year, however other exciting alternatives exist for study abroad in the spring of sophomore year or fall of senior year. Opportunities for an academic experience abroad may be found in schools in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  More information and perspectives from previous students that studied abroad can be found on the departmental Study Abroad information page.