Mega Construction
Location of Program: China Year: 2014Program Director(s): Clifton Farnsworth
Participating Major(s): Construction Management
Summary:
This program focuses on management and procedural challenges associated with the construction of mega-structures, mega-transportation systems, and other aspects of mega-growth. More than half of the world’s tallest skyscrapers and longest bridges are in China, thus students in this program are exposed to world-class solutions concerning mega-construction. This year students visited the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River corridor, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tianjin.
Recap of the Year:
Leadership Development
Mega-construction requires leadership and teamwork. Students were given in-class projects with the purpose of providing opportunities to work together and lead one another to greater learning and understanding. They were then expected to put these skills into practice within an international situation where they met regularly and interacted with people of various backgrounds.
Global Agility
Students in this program learned how to become comfortable in an unfamiliar environment. Although they were of a different cultural background, and didn’t speak the same language, the students learned to appreciate the people around them. They were also given the opportunity to meet and speak with expatriate professionals, who helped them to see the benefits and challenges of working overseas. Many students are now more open to the possibility of working abroad.
Technical Competence
This program put learning into practice. Students’ knowledge was solidified as they actually got to see and experience the projects they had been learning about in the classroom including procedural challenges of constructing mega-structures, mega-transportation systems, and other aspects of mega-growth in China.
