FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — This summer, six students in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas will gain a unique perspective by studying engineering in India. The International Center for Management and India Studies in Bangalore, India, will host the students and a professor for a six-week summer pilot program.

“This is an opportunity for students to begin to understand what globalization is all about,” said Dean Ashok Saxena.

This will be the first study abroad program that the University of Arkansas has done in India.

Participating students are Catherine Erickson, Marcus Hopkins, Stephen McCall, Jonathan “Cole” Penick, Grace Richardson and Jiashou “Jimmy” Xu.

The students will be taking one engineering course, Air Pollution Control, and one humanities course, Culture and Civilization: Field Studies in India. Findlay Edwards, associate professor of civil engineering, will join with professors from the host institution to offer these classes.

“I am interested in environmental engineering, and working on the air and water supplies in developing countries,” said Grace Richardson, a sophomore biological engineering student. “I really want to work abroad or with international companies. This summer will help me build my skills in global understanding and communication.”

In addition to time in the classroom, the students will travel around India, visiting Agra, Jaipu, Delhi and Bangalore. They will engage in both cultural and academic experiences, and they will spend time taking field trips to different industries.

“I want to go there with a completely open mind and just take it all in,” Richardson said.  “The sights, the smells - just see what is there.”

The program, which will be July 3 to Aug. 13, was developed to address the changes in technology and engineering that are taking place as more and more jobs are sent abroad.

“More engineers will work for international companies, will have co-workers from other countries and may have managers or direct reports from other countries,” Saxena said. “As educators, we have to make sure our graduates are visionaries and possess the necessary skills to execute that vision. That means ensuring they develop communication skills that transcend cultural backgrounds and that they are prepared to travel and work effectively in other countries.”

The students are each receiving a $5,500 scholarship from the College of Engineering.  Additional financial assistance is being provided by the Honors College study abroad grants, and in one instance the department of civil engineering.

Engineering students have had the opportunity to study abroad in the past.  However, this program is unique in that it allows the students to complete six hours of course work that will specifically count as credit toward their degree.

“Already we have companies who want to know more about this program and how they can access these students after they graduate,” said Carol Gattis, director of recruitment, retention and minority affairs. “As these students graduate and enter the workplace with this international experience, they will have a definite advantage over their competition.”

After they return home, the students will share information about the program and what they learned.

“They will be the ones to help reshape the program into something successful on a larger scale,” Gattis said. 

A full program is planned to begin in the summer of 2007 and will be open to all UA students as well as students from other universities in the Southeastern Conference.

“Projects such as these will provide our students with a unique opportunity to gain valuable research experience while simultaneously learning about international culture,” Saxena said. “This will prepare them to effectively work in a global economy.”