BSCI Students Enjoy New Experiences on Summer Trips to UK, Europe and the UAE

The UK trip featured 34 students, accompanied by Associate Professor and Service Learning Chair Alan Bugg and Associate Professor Lauren Redden. Eighteen students joined the Europe/UAE trip, led by Hunt Professor and Graduate Programs Chair Salman Azhar along with Associate Professor Keith Rahn. Richard Burt, BSCI School Head, spent time with both groups during their trips.

Two three-hour classes were offered on the UK trip, which began in Edinburgh, Scotland. The group visited several job sites in the Scottish capital as well as in nearby Glasgow. They also enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a private tour of the clubhouse at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, the birthplace of the game of golf.

The students next traveled to York, England, where they rode the famous Worth Valley Railway and visited Haworth before finishing the trip with a week in London. There, the group’s final week featured an additional construction site visit along with tours of Oxford, Stonehenge and the Roman ruins in Bath.

“The students learned a great deal about construction and building techniques in the United Kingdom,” said Bugg of the trip’s impact. “In addition, they gained a new appreciation of the importance of preserving historic buildings and places.”

“I really enjoyed seeing all the historic structures and architecture that have stood the test of time,” said Alli Ayers, who will be a senior in the BSCI this fall. “It was incredibly inspiring to see these historic facilities and works. It also was impactful to see construction is not just something we value and appreciate in our program or in America, but that the entire world is working towards bettering construction and building a brighter future.”

The Europe and UAE trip was an immersive six-week program that took students all the way from London, England, to Dubai, capital of the UAE. Over the course of their travels, the group visited eight different cities and six countries across two continents.

Their diverse experiences included visits to cultural sites, museums, ancient ruins and jobsites, as well as visits to residential developers and a 3D concrete and precast manufacturer. They also toured churches, mosques and a wide range of architectural wonders, from cold war bunkers in Switzerland’s mountains to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

“I learned valuable skills applicable to my future career in the construction industry,” said senior Thomas Kladar, who had never traveled to Europe or the Middle East previously. “The most crucial skill I learned was the value of treating every person with the highest level of respect. This investment will pay dividends to the well-being of everyone involved.

“The experience of travel fosters self-confidence, as you are almost guaranteed to encounter unusual situations,” he added. “By embracing those situations, one is able to better thrive during future challenges.”

BSCI graduate student Travys Harper offered a similar perspective on the value of study abroad.

“I learned how to interact and connect with people of different cultures, backgrounds, upbringings and ways of thinking,” he noted. “Students should put aside preconceived expectations of what they will encounter and experience.  A lot of our western ways only correlate to the U.S.—not the world. So, engage with the cultures and traditions of the countries you’re visiting. It’s that simple.”