The first half of my study abroad program was spent in a quaint city called São Leopoldo in the Southern half of Brazil. The city was small and mostly quiet during the week, but full of life as the weekend came around. I had the pleasure of expanding my academic knowledge and cultural knowledge while in the city. Across the street from our hotel was the partner university Unisinos, where we were able to bond with their professors, students, and learn about the programs partnered with Unisinos.
The visits to different Unisinos branches like NUTRIFOR and ittChip were very educational and helped show me how an electrical engineering degree can be used in a wide variety of ways. NUTRIFOR showed how current and voltage could be created from chemical reactions in the body and could alert sensor when a tumor is present might be present. I knew that electrical engineering and biomedical devices go hand and hand, but seeing an example in real-life helped me understand more the importance of an electrical engineering background is in biomedical devices. Even if I do not have the biomedical background, I have the background to implement the device with the help of a biomedical engineer. Additionally, we toured other companies that had a variety of focuses like semiconductor, power distribution, pump design, but all had a main focus in sustainability. Whether it was using water in their motors instead of oil, or replacing invasive tree species with native ones, all the companies strived to be sustainable in the work they do to protect their community, but also to serve their clients to the best of their abilities. These site visits helped show how what I am learning in the classroom is relevant to the real-world. For example, one company called Certaja Energy discussed not only power distribution, but the important controls and feedback systems that are needed to monitor the system. All of this related back to my class from last semester, which I found to be really cool and help with my understanding of the material that was taught.
Outside of company visits and presentations, we had free time to indulge in the culture that São Leopoldo had to offer. A good portion of our time was spent enjoying the amazing foods that Brazilian culture had. We visited an arrange of buffets that offered fresh fruits, the best cooked steaks, and of course delicious desserts! This trip was my first time every trying flan and its safe to say I will be having it again. A fun thing we did as a group was visit a McDonalds in Brazil to see how their menu differed from ours in the United States. Although pretty similar, they had a cilantro lime sauce that I would go back for in a second! Another awesome and unique cultural experience we had was Capoeira dance classes! This style of dance combines dance, music, acrobatics, and some martial art moves as well. This lesson was so much fun to do as a group, a great way to become involved in some of Brazil’s culture and see how good everyone’s cartwheel is! Other things we did included experience some amazing samba music live. I already love live music to begin with, but the samba music expanded my love even more. Every song was so upbeat and fun, and it was cool watching everyone dance to the music as well. We also attended a soccer match between Gremio and Flamengo, two very popular Brazilian soccer teams, where the atmosphere was electric! The stands by the goal sang, cheered, and wave huge flags in support of Gremio the entire game. Walking down the street to the game was filled with joyous fans preparing food the game eating freshly grilled chicken hearts and steak, which we had to try ourselves too! Our time in São Leopoldo was unforgettable and one I am forever grateful for. The city, the people, the experience, all of it I wouldn’t change for the world.
Swanson School of Engineering 