International Product Development & Design

Location of Program: Singapore      Year: 2015
Program Director(s): Mark Colton
Participating Major(s): Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, and BYU-I

Summary:

Students learned and experienced product development in a unique, fast-paced setting. They traveled to one of the top ten engineering universities in the world, the National University of Singapore, and produced prototypes within a week! BYU students worked on teams with local students and Penn State students. The creative process was enhanced by visits to world renowned design and production companies such as IDEO, ABB, XentiQ, and Makino. 

Recap of the Year:

Leadership Development

This intercultural learning opportunity helped students build communication skills and critical thinking as they took on real world issues with a global team. They got a taste of how to function in the global world of engineering before being submerged in a career setting.

Global Agility

The most valuable experience that students took from this program was the international cultural experience.  Each student learned confidence in his or her leadership skills as they worked through cultural barriers and reached mutual understanding on the team level. This program empowered students with the experiences they needed to step into the global field and confidently create products that will benefit people everywhere.

Technical Competence

Students worked with an international team to identify needs of a customer and designed products accordingly. Students learned and experienced the design process from observations to a final product. Facilities were provided for a variety of rapid prototyping needs including CNC machining, 3D printing and laser cutting. Students this year designed and produced products for sustainable cleaning of public spaces. Students left with a better understanding of what it takes to turn an idea into a tangible product that will make a difference in the world.

Student Experiences

"I appreciated that this program allowed me to actually apply what I learn every day in class and see how it will make a difference in my career." 
-Michael Boyd

"This was a unique cultural experience that taught me more than I ever thought I'd learn.  I feel my capacity to excel has been dramatically increased."
-Noah Smith