China Megastructures/Megacities

Study Abroad Spring 2010

What is Study Abroad?

One of the main benefits of studying abroad is the opportunity of working closely with BYU professors. As a result of small class sizes and students/professor interaction, you will get to know your professors well. Furthermore, each course features learning experiences designed to actively involve you with the people, history, arts, attitudes, and traditions of your host country.

While studying abroad, an important part of your educational experience will include visiting sites related to your course work. Visits to cultural sites as well as other field trips such as museums, cathedrals, monuments, and theatres related to your course work will be enhanced by studying about the places before and discussing them after your visits.

China

China is one-fifth of humanity, has the world’s fastest growing economy, is the world’s largest carbon emitter, and is experiencing the largest mass migration in human history as people move from rural areas to the factories in the megacities. The profession of civil engineering is on center stage as China grapples with these mega-problems. Think of China as civil engineering on steroids.

Semester        Dates
Spring            27 April–14 June 2010

Program Details

• More than half of the world’s tallest skyscrapers and longest bridges are in China, and most of these have been built in the last two decades. Many creative and iconic “green” buildings are being built in China and showcased to the world.
  
• World-class solutions are being considered for China’s transportation problems, including the fastest trains in the world. Consider the fact that much of what you are wearing and much of what is in the room in which you are now sitting was manufactured in the Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou and Shenzhen), the Yangtze River corridor, or the Beijing area of China—and passed through the ports of Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Tianjin. Coordinating the transportation of goods and people throughout these megacities is a staggering task indeed.
  
• The recently completed Three Gorges Dam was the largest construction project undertaken by modern man, and, by most measures, is the largest dam on the planet. The human and environmental impact of this dam was immense as over a million people had to be relocated, and the beautiful gorges and wildlife of the Yangtze river were affected.
• Students who enroll in the China Megastructures course will each be assigned a skyscraper, a bridge, and a complex (arena, terminal, etc.) to study.
• Students who enroll in the China Megacities course will be assigned a transportation project (planning, design, safety, etc.) to study. 
• Students in both courses will go on a two-week trip to China (20 May–6 June) visiting the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, as well as the Three Gorges Dam. The structures and projects assigned to each student will be visited during the trip. 
• Students will make oral presentations to the rest of the class on their assigned structures and projects prior to the trip and submit final written reports after the trip. 
• Students will meet with engineers, professors, and students in China, and will tour construction sites.
  

The educational outcomes of this study abroad program are:

• An awareness of the culture, politics, and economics of China.
• An exposure to numerous innovative designs.
• An ability to communicate and interact with fellow students, professors, and design professionals.
• A case-study-based understanding of the design, analysis, and construction of mega-structures/projects.
• A moral responsibility toward the human and environmental impact of engineering projects.
• A collection of unforgettable and influential experiences.
  

Course Requirements

• Students will be required to enroll in the three-credit-hour China Megastructures course and/or the three-credit-hour China Megacities course during spring 2010. Students may enroll in either or both courses. 
• Both are 500-level courses and may count as undergraduate technical electives or as graduate electives. 
• CEEN 321 and either CEEN 421 or 424 are the pre-requisites for China Megastructures.
• CEEN 361 is the pre-requisite for China Megacities.

Where do Students Live?

• During the two-week trip to China, students will stay in double-occupancy hotel rooms.

Preparation for Study Abroad

• All students who are accepted into the program are expected to register for a half credit, pre-departure preparation class held Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 P.M. during the second block of winter semester 2010.
• Part-time BYU and non-BYU students will need to pay an additional tuition fee of approximately $220.
  

What Funding Sources are Available?

• Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to Study Abroad Programs
• Student who submit the financial aid section of the International Study Programs (ISP) application, and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid office (A 41 ASB), will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.
  

Application Process

• Application deadline is Friday, 27 November 2009.
• Contact the directors for an initial interview once your application is complete. Early applications are encouraged.
• ISP’s Study Abroad reserves the right to cancel this program, revise it offerings, or to make any adjustments to the preliminary cost estimates due to conditions beyond its control.
  

How Much Does This Cost?

• Approximately $4,000–4,400 (this does not include College of Engineering or Department of Civil Engineering subsidies).
• Thanks to college and department subsidies, the program cost for the past two years has been $2,500 per student.
• Includes LDS, undergraduate tuition (increased cost for graduate and non-LDS students), airfare and transportation, entrance fees, hotels, and most meals.
• Does not include personal expenses.
  

Interested Students Should Contact:

Richard Balling
368G CB
(801) 422-2648
balling@byu.edu

Grant Schultz
368S CB
(801) 422-6332
gschultz@byu.edu

ISP
101 HRCB
(801) 422 3686
isp@byu.edu

College of Engineering | Department of Civil Engineering