It’s finally beginning to set in that this trip is less than two weeks out, I need to start getting my wool socks and long johns ready.
Iceland has been a bucket list destination for me since I gained a conscience as a child. Growing up around the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, I was raised to have a deep appreciation for nature and its beauty. I spent a lot of my childhood camping across the Blueridge, which has instilled in me a deep-rooted admiration for landscapes of all kinds across the world. I love how no two are alike and all have their own unique beauty. The Smoky Mountains in NC are different from the Rockys in Utah which are different from the rocky coast of Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and yet all have the same awe inducing effect. The small country of Iceland has an incredibly unique and diverse terrain, with gorgeous maintain ranges, black sand beaches, glaciers, and waterfalls. I saw pictures and heard of these when I was a kid, which made Iceland jump to the top of my bucket list. I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to explore this landscape and experience the seemingly endless natural beauty that is in Iceland.
Aside from the sites, the engineer in me is excited learn about the unique and cutting-edge engineering techniques that are used all around Iceland. Specifically, the Fridheimar’s Stud Farm and Greenhouse Cultivation Center which is a large-scale tomato farm that hydroponically grows all their crops. I am in the Hydroponics Club at Pitt and manage my own system; I find the potential of hydroponics in sustainable and assessable farming to be fascinating. I can’t wait to see a large-scale and successful business that runs purely off hydroponically produced crops.
I look forward to both the academic and personal growth that will come from this trip. Learning about Iceland’s engineering feats in clean energy and power will provide a way for me to apply things that I have learned in my classes, which is one of the best ways to really understand those topics. Personally, I am beyond excited to be immersed Iceland’s beauty and culture. I can’t wait for what’s to come.
Swanson School of Engineering 