Tag!

Gutten Tag everyone!

My name is Cody Bird, and I'm a sophomore studying Computer Science Engineering at the University of Michigan. This summer, I'm going to be studying abroad in Berlin, Germany as a part of the International Engineering Summer School program held at the Technische Universitat Berlin (or more affectionately known as the TUB Summer Program).

The program itself starts on June 8th, but I'm going to be leaving on the 5th to give myself time to fly over and make the June 6th orientation so I can get familiar with my new surroundings. The program itself is 5 weeks long, lasting until July 17th, and it's broken into two sections. The first two weeks are pretty intensive language training, and the last three weeks are spent in labs at the Berlin University of Technology, where we will be working in small groups with German students on different projects. The project I'm going to be working on, as a Computer Science Engineering student, involves signal controllers, but there are also projects involving renewable energy and automotive turbocharging.

Admittedly, I know nothing about the German language (I've never taken a day of German in my life), and I've never done anything involving signal controllers, but the great part about this program to me is that it doesn't revolve around past experience. While I'm sure the entire trip is going to be much more of a challenge and more of an adventure with my total lack of background, the adventure is what the whole study abroad experience is about anyway, right?

After the program in Germany ends, I also plan to spend a week in Rome with a few people that I've met through the program. Extra travel in Europe wasn't in my initial plans, but I don't think I can pass up the chance to see such an interesting part of the world with so much history and culture, and I'll be sure to keep everyone here posted on my time in Italy even after my Germany blogs end.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, between exams, moving back home, and getting prepped for my program in Germany. However, I've gotten a chance to meet Volker Sick, the professor heading the program in Germany from America, and almost all of the International Programs in Engineering office staff. Professor Sick, a native of Germany, started this program with Professor Frank Behrendt, a chemist at TUB and college buddy, and they provide most of the course direction and assignments for the program. Additionally, Kristina Bognar is our liason in Germany, helping us adjust to German life and making sure that we are kept up to date with the program schedule. While the IPE staff won't be travelling to Berlin with us, they are and have been a great resource for information on the program, and I would strongly suggest stopping in and visiting their office if you have any questions about studying abroad, or at least checking our their website here or facebook here.

For now though, I'm getting my flight tickets together, making plans for financing my trip, and getting everything packed and ready. I'll be putting up new posts as leaving day draws near, and more posts as I'm studying in Berlin, so keep checking back!