From Experience to Insight
Earth Has a Fever UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS SCIENTIST MEASURES GLOBAL TEMPERATURE OF THE OCEANS
CREATING GLOBAL COMPETENCE
By DR. DOUG DUNSTON AND DR. BRITTANY NELSON-CHEESEMAN
How can engineers learn to navigate an interconnected work world, where differing communication and conflict styles constantly present themselves? Even within a single team, productive communication cannot be taken for granted. And when working to deliver the fruits of engineering design to clients and customers, how many of the challenges comprise communication obstacles as well as technical ones? For example, how does one decipher
what would be the best design solution for rural Andean farmers who have very different priorities than typical Americans? The international programs the School of Engineering creates for our students allow those who select them to practice both directions of communication with clients: listening as well as speaking, reading as well as writing. And they situate this practice in an intercultural context, where surprises and inadvertent missteps are highlighted for the students in Technicolor. Because it is not “business as usual,” these experiences engage their curiosity and lead them to ask how they might apply their learned lessons in the future, with their next clients. However, as is sometimes said about study abroad programs, “going is not knowing.” Simply traveling and experiencing different cultures does not automatically translate into actionable skill development toward future interactions. This is why the School of Engineering intentionally scaffolds the international programs with wraparound learning modules expressly created to build intercultural competence. In particular, students receive country-specific cultural context preparation by locals from the region before leaving and work through a comprehensive Global Competence Certificate program. This program is designed to help them increase both their awareness and skills in dealing with difference in all shapes and forms, engaging them before, during, and after their international experience. n Dr. Doug Dunston, DMA, is the KEEN program coordinator. Dr. Brittany Nelson-Cheeseman is an associate professor and director of materials science and engineering.
University of St. Thomas School of Engineering Professor Dr. John Abraham , along with 23 colleagues from 16 institutions around the world, published a climate change study Jan. 11, 2023, in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. They found that 2022 was a record year for our planet’s temperature – Earth continues to heat as global warming continues unabated. Their measurements show that the rate of warming has actually accelerated. The heat is enormous – equivalent to the energy from five Hiroshima atomic bombs being detonated every second, day and night, of every day, for the entire year. The researchers collected hundreds of thousands of temperature measurements made around the world’s oceans, from the surface to 2,000 meters (more than a mile) of depth. Very sophisticated thermometers were used; some were attached to robots that automatically moved through the ocean waters. Why measure the oceans? It turns out that the oceans hold almost all the excess heat on planet Earth. In fact, more than 90% of global warming heat ends up in the oceans. So, to understand what is happening to our planet, look to the oceans, because global warming is really ocean warming.
Abraham said not to
Increasing heat in the world’s ocean
become too discouraged. The U.S. and other countries are starting to take action to handle climate change. Costs for wind and solar energy
have fallen so rapidly that we can now power our homes and other buildings more cheaply with renewable energy than with fossil fuels. Electric cars are increasing as people witness their excellent performance and very low cost of operation. And St. Thomas is training future scientists and engineers to bring clean energy solutions to our communities. “We are entering a time period where we have real solutions to this problem,” Abraham said. “Now you can save money and the environment at the same time. Who can be against that? The clean energy economy also requires a highly skilled workforce. St. Thomas is training that workforce today, for the jobs of the future.” n
In the Global Summers program, student design teams travel to Peru (above) or Jordan and live in homestays for seven to eight weeks. There, they dive into better understanding the context and background around their engineering project with the local community and begin working toward possible solutions. In the engineering and German dual degree program, students build a robust repertoire of international experiences, including a semester studying abroad in Germany and two separate internships in the U.S. and Germany for a German company.
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St. Thomas Engineer 2023 Page 27
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"Kutoka kwa uzoefu hadi ufahamu: ""Dunia ina homa"" - Chuo Kikuu cha St. Thomas, Marekani - ""Kupima joto la bahari duniani, kuunda uwezo wa kimataifa"" - Doug Dunston, PhD, na Brittany Nelson-Cheeseman, PhD, PhD, Chuo Kikuu cha St. Thomas, Marekani - ""Jinsi gani wahandisi wanaweza kujifunza kuendesha ulimwengu wa kazi uliounganishwa, ambapo mawasiliano na migogoro tofauti daima hujipanga?" Hata ndani ya timu moja, mawasiliano yenye matokeo hayawezi kuchukuliwa kuwa jambo la kawaida. Wakati wa kuandaa na kuandaa bidhaa kwa wateja, ni nini kinachohusika katika changamoto za mawasiliano? Kwa mfano, mtu anawezaje kugundua ni nini kitakuwa suluhisho bora la kubuni kwa wakulima wa vijijini wa Andes ambao wana vipaumbele tofauti sana na Wamarekani wa kawaida? Programu za kimataifa ambazo Shule ya Uhandisi huunda kwa wanafunzi wetu huwawezesha wale wanaowachagua kufanya mazoezi ya mwelekeo wote wa mawasiliano na wateja: kusikiliza na kuzungumza, kusoma na kuandika. Na wao kuweka mazoezi haya katika muktadha wa kitamaduni, ambapo mshangao na makosa ya kukosa ni highlighted kwa wanafunzi katika Technicolor. Kwa sababu si "biashara kama kawaida", uzoefu huu huvutia udadisi wao na kuwaongoza kuuliza jinsi wanaweza kutumia masomo yao yaliyojifunza katika siku zijazo, na wateja wao wa pili. Hata hivyo, kama wakati mwingine ni alisema kuhusu masomo nje ya nchi mipango, <unk>kuenda si kujua.<unk> Tu kusafiri na uzoefu tamaduni tofauti haina moja kwa moja kutafsiri katika maendeleo ya ujuzi actionable kuelekea maingiliano ya baadaye. Hii ni kwa nini Shule ya Uhandisi makusudi scaffolds mipango ya kimataifa na wrap-round kujifunza modules wazi iliyoundwa kujenga uwezo wa utamaduni. Wanafunzi hupokea maandalizi maalum ya mazingira ya kitamaduni ya nchi na wenyeji kutoka mkoa kabla ya kuondoka na kufanya kazi kupitia programu ya vyeti vya uwezo wa kimataifa. Programu hii imekusudiwa kuwasaidia kuongeza ufahamu wao na ujuzi katika kushughulika na tofauti katika maumbo na aina zote, kuwahusisha kabla, wakati, na baada ya uzoefu wao wa kimataifa. Doug Dunston, DMA, ni mratibu wa programu ya KEEN. Daktari Brittany Nelson-Cheeseman ni profesa msaidizi na mkurugenzi wa sayansi ya vifaa na uhandisi. Profesa John Abraham, pamoja na wenzake 23 kutoka taasisi 16 duniani kote, walichapisha utafiti wa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa Januari 11, 2023 katika Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. Mwaka 2022 ni mwaka wa rekodi kwa joto la sayari yetu, na dunia inaendelea kuongezeka kwa joto. Uchunguzi wao unaonyesha kwamba kiwango cha ongezeko la joto kimeharakisha. Joto hilo ni kubwa sana - sawa na nishati ya mabomu matano ya atomu ya Hiroshima yanayolipuka kila sekunde, mchana na usiku, kila siku, kwa mwaka mzima. Watafiti hao walikusanya vipimo vya joto vya bahari za dunia, kuanzia juu hadi kina cha mita 2,000. Vipimo vya joto vilivyotengenezwa kwa ustadi sana vilitumiwa; baadhi ya vipimo hivyo vilitumiwa kuunganisha vifaa vya roboti vilivyoweza kusonga moja kwa moja katika maji ya bahari. Kwa nini tupime bahari? Inasemekana kwamba bahari huhifadhi karibu joto lote la ziada kwenye sayari ya Dunia. Zaidi ya 90% ya joto la joto la dunia huishia baharini. Ili kuelewa nini kinachotokea kwa sayari yetu, angalia bahari, kwa sababu joto la dunia ni joto la bahari. Abrahamu alisema si kwa kuongezeka kwa joto katika bahari ya dunia kuwa pia kukata tamaa. Marekani na nchi nyingine zinaanza kuchukua hatua za kukabiliana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Gharama za nishati ya upepo na jua zimepungua kwa kasi sana hivi kwamba sasa tunaweza kuendesha nyumba zetu na majengo mengine kwa gharama nafuu na nishati mbadala kuliko na mafuta ya mafuta. Magari ya umeme yanaongezeka kwa kuwa watu wanashuhudia utendaji wao bora na gharama ya chini sana ya uendeshaji. St. Thomas inaandaa mafunzo ya wataalamu wa teknolojia na uhandisi wa siku zijazo ili kuleta suluhisho safi za nishati kwa jamii zetu. "Tunaingia katika kipindi cha wakati ambapo tuna suluhisho halisi kwa tatizo hili", Abraham alisema. <unk>Sasa unaweza kuokoa pesa na mazingira kwa wakati mmoja. Ni nani awezaye kupinga jambo hilo? Uchumi wa nishati safi pia unahitaji wafanyakazi wenye ujuzi wa hali ya juu. St. Thomas inaandaa wafanyakazi wa leo kwa ajili ya kazi za siku zijazo. <unk> <unk> Katika programu ya Global Summers, timu za kubuni wanafunzi husafiri kwenda Peru (juu) au Jordan na kuishi katika makazi ya familia kwa wiki saba hadi nane. Huko, wanazungumza na jamii ya eneo hilo ili kuelewa vizuri mazingira na historia ya mradi wao wa uhandisi na kuanza kufanya kazi kwa njia ya suluhisho zinazowezekana. Katika programu ya digrii mbili ya uhandisi na Kijerumani, wanafunzi hujenga repertoire thabiti ya uzoefu wa kimataifa, ikiwa ni pamoja na semesters kusoma nje ya nchi nchini Ujerumani na mafunzo mawili tofauti nchini Marekani na Ujerumani kwa kampuni ya Kijerumani. "Mfano wa ""St Thomas Engineer"" ni ""St Thomas Engineer"" wa mwaka wa 2023 na ""St Thomas Engineer"" wa mwaka wa 2023."