For as long as I can remember, my dream trip has been to go to Iceland to see the northern lights and explore the glaciers and waterfalls. Originally, I always assumed I would go after college graduation but then I saw this program and knew I had to take advantage. To be able to explore Iceland while I am still in school is an incredible opportunity and I am so excited!!
Everything about this trip sounds so fun but I am really looking forward to a chance to see the northern lights. I love a pretty sky, and I am always the person who stops to take a picture of a sunset, sunrise, or just gorgeous clouds. The northern lights are such a cool and unique phenomenon especially to someone who has never seen them before (ahem me). Along with this, I am curious to learn about any folklore that stems from the northern lights because the way different cultures have explained natural phenomena is always so fascinating. Even further, I am curious to learn how the changing amount of daylight has affected Icelandic culture as well. To go from almost a full day of sun in the summer to only a few hours in the winter seems very jarring to me. So, I wonder how Icelandic people adapt to this.
Another thing I am personally very excited to see is their knitting culture. I have been knitting since I was about 10 years old and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen more and more about Icelandic yarn and Icelandic sweaters. Icelandic wool is very special because it is known to be very resilient and warm but still be very soft. There is also a traditional sweater called a lopapeysa and I want to be able to see these in real life. (and maybe pick up some Icelandic wool along the way)
As an undergraduate student at Pitt, this trip will allow me to expand my horizons and experience engineering from a different perspective. As a student, I am studying mechanical engineering, but I am also working towards an electrical engineering minor. I am also part of the coop program where I am working at a company that works heavily with power. These tie in very well with the geothermal power plant and sustainable energy so I am looking forward to seeing these in action.
The summer after my freshman year, I was a part of the Plus3 trip to the Netherlands. That trip also had a heavy focus on sustainable engineering but a very different perspective. Dutch efforts focus more on flooding prevention and sustainable shipping and travel. So, I am excited to see how Iceland approaches power and energy with sustainability in mind. In the Netherlands, we also visited a floating dairy farm which is another unique take on innovative food production. So, I am also interested in comparing that with the hydroponic farm and geothermal bakery as well! Like Iceland, the Netherlands also has very heavy winds, so we were able to visit one of their wind farms. I am curious to see if Iceland has something similar and to what scale. All in all, comparing the two countries and their approaches to sustainability will be very rewarding for me.
Two weeks out from this trip and I am very excited! I am looking forward to all the new sights and sounds and food and experiences of Iceland!!
Swanson School of Engineering 