Mexico Engineering (MESA)

Study Abroad Winter 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.

Mexico

The rapid advancement of information technologies have caused the world in which we live and work to “shrink” as never before. This is especially true in scientific-related fields such as engineering. As a result, the engineer of tomorrow must not only be equipped with a strong technical foundation, but additionally must develop leadership skills, multicultural experiences, high ethical standards, and an ability to innovate and keep learning. The objective of this program is to provide students with opportunities to expand on the technical foundation learned through traditional classroom experiences and curriculum in order to develop the skills that will be necessary to practice and compete in a global environment. This will be accomplished by providing students with a collaborative opportunity to apply what they have learned in the area of water resources to solve problems of real consequence in Central Mexico.

Semester        Dates
Winter            March 2010

Program Details

• Students will become partners with fellow BYU undergraduate and graduate students and students and faculty from Mexico (Zacatecas or Veracruz) in applying methods and technologies learned to critical water resources problems faced there.
• Course will focus on distance collaboration with partners in Mexico to develop an approach to the specific project assigned.
  

Course Requirements

Prerequisites

• CEEN 332 Fluid Mechanics, CEEN 431 Hydrology, or CEEN 433 (can be concurrent)
• Concurrent enrollment in CEEN 531 Hydrology Modeling (or previously taken)
• Spanish-language skills are helpful, but not required. English is the primary technical language in the international arena, and, as such, most of our Mexican counterparts can communicate in English. However, the overall experience will be enhanced for students who can read/write in Spanish, as they will learn the technical vocabulary in the second language (we will make presentations and develop reports in Spanish as much as possible).
  

Curriculum

• Students will register for the three-credit-hour course CEEN 539 MESA winter semester 2010, which counts as a technical elective for undergraduates. A major part of the credit associated with this class is the visit itself, but the class will meet weekly and have assignments associated with the collaborative projects in Mexico and preparations for our visit. There will be a strong focus on team building skills and project management in a global, multi-cultural setting.
• The initial weeks of the course will focus on distance collaboration as we work together with our partners in Mexico to develop an approach to the specific project assigned. During this time data collection and model formulation will occur as groups from both sides work together through e-mail and phone conversation. The course will culminate with a visit to Mexico in late March where we will work closely together and make site visits while resolving any critical issues identified in the preliminary weeks. We will also provide presentations to students, faculty, and other interested city/state/federal leaders who may be sponsoring the projects.
  

Where Do Students Live?

• Students will use hotel accommodations.

Preparation for Study Abroad

• Pictures and a sampling of projects from previous years may be found at http://www.et.byu.edu/groups/cemexico.

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

• Complete the ISP online application at https://kennedy.byu.edu/isp/online/app/home.php.
• Application deadline is Tuesday, 1 December 2009.
• Early applications are encouraged.
• Contact the directors for an initial interview once your application is complete. 
• 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 $1,500–2,000 (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 $500–1,000 per student.
• Does not cover personal expenses, some meals, or meals on excursions.
  

Interested Students Should Contact:

Jim Nelson has taught and conducted research in applied hydrology and developed the widely used Watershed Modeling System (WMS). The WMS is used in more than one hundred countries worldwide, and Nelson has conducted similar collaborative studies in Chile, Mexico, and Egypt. He speaks fluent Spanish and has co-authored technical articles and taught short courses in Spanish in Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

Rollin Hotchkiss has conducted and published research in river and culvert hydraulics for more than fifteen years with applications in sediment transport and fish passage. Hotchkiss’ research results are found in the widely used HY-8 and BCAP computer programs. He has also developed and taught short courses on culvert hydraulics in more than twenty-five states to hundreds of practicing professionals and has taught in Spanish to our colleagues in Mexico.

Jim Nelson
242-K CB
(801) 422-7632
jimn@byu.edu

Rollin Hotchkiss
242-J CB
(801) 422-6324
rhh@byu.edu

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

Fulton College of Engineering | Department of Civil Engineering