The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/456562
14 Winter 2015 W π global opportunity Five seniors will intern on Panama Canal project T HANKS TO A RECENT $248,000 GRANT from the National Science Foundation's Inter- national Research Experience for Students program, fve senior women will embark on a 15-week internship next July to combine summer research and an MQP on the $5.2 billion Panama Canal Expansion Project. Working with the Panama Canal Authority (Autoridad del Canal de Panamá, or ACP), the students will delve into civil and environmen- tal engineering issues surrounding the canal's addition of a third lock including erosion, dredging, design, construction, energy, and alternative energy while also immersing themselves in a foreign culture. The opportunity to work on the 100-year old canal is signifcant for its historic value and for the project's massive scope, which will trigger a global shift in transportation of goods. "It's a unique facility," says WPI's Panama City Project Center co-director, civil engineering pro- fessor and department head Tahar El-Korchi, who was awarded the grant with assistant CEE professor Aaron Sakulich. "There's no other canal like it in the world. The students will be exposed to this magnifcent civil engineering marvel, and they can learn so much." The grant also funds participation, research, and lesson plan development by a local K–12 educator. Continuing the fve-year history of work at this project center, the undertaking will strengthen WPI's collaboration and re- search with ACP. Eventually, El-Korchi, who lauds Panama's active alumni, hopes to sup- port IQP work in Panama and possibly develop a hub there. "This is a multidisciplinary project with chal- lenges in scale, size, and technical issues," says El-Korchi, and offers students tremendous op- portunity for personal growth. "We want them to get out and experience the culture and trav- el, too," he says. "They grow and mature and get out of their cocoons. It's transformative." The students gain essential professional skills, as well. "We are teaching them to be global engineers and global citizens," says El- Korchi. "As the world gets smaller, we want to make sure our students are equipped with that experience and are able to compete globally." —Julia Quinn-Szcisuil