Hey y’all! My name is Catherine Buchanan and I’m a freshman here at Pitt in the Swanson School of Engineering. I am studying Environmental Engineering and I am pursuing either the Sustainability Certificate or the Engineering for Humanity Certificate (or hopefully both). I am hoping to later on work with Engineers Without Borders or work abroad to help improve air and water quality. I am especially interested in Environmental Anthropology and how culture and nature are inherently tied and change each other. This is one reason that I am particularly interested in study abroad while studying engineering. I believe it is important to understand how things such as science and nature are culturally embedded across the world, as it helps us to further innovate and implement those innovations for the benefit of the populations we serve. This idea is what drives my passion for education and particularly environmental engineering. At Pitt, I am also involved with Fresh Entertainment by Student Artists (FRESA), where I am a project leader and the incoming secretary for the club, in which we mainly do dance covers and hold a showcase of all our numbers at the end of the semester. Additionally, I am a member of The Society of Women Engineers and will be a Pitt Global Ties mentor this summer and through the 2019-2020 year.

I am actually from a small town about two hours north of Pittsburgh called Clarion, where both my parents work at the university there. Many of the people from this region never get the opportunity to leave. I myself am very lucky to have gotten to travel to many places because my parents either went to conferences or would teach classes abroad, much like the Plus3 classes, and I would get to go with them. One of my most memorable trips is from when some of my father’s online graduate students from Taiwan invited our family over to see the university and see Taiwan. I was in fourth grade at the time, and my father’s students were so excited to show my brother and me around their favorite shops and restaurants near the university. They also took us to places such as the zoo and a jade workshop while my father was doing more formal stuff with the university. It taught me very young, that no matter the vastness of the world, it can be so easy to connect with the amazing people in it.

Through Plus3 I will be traveling to China to study the smartphone industry. For me China was the perfect fit among the Plus3 opportunities Pitt offered. I am excited to learn more about China now that I have a lot more historical context on the world that I did not have when I got to travel in elementary and middle school. I am also looking forward to taking things in with new perspectives from college. Some of my friends here are from China, and they are so exited for me to experience their favorite things from back home, much like I have shown them my favorite things in Pittsburgh. Additionally I am thrilled to learn about the smartphone industry. Although it may not look directly tied to my interest in environmental engineering, many companies in China are striving to be at the top of the pack in terms of green technology and sustainable supply chain systems. Learning about these efforts first hand from the companies themselves is going to be awesome. From this trip I hope to build a wider network, as well as gain a better understanding of differences in business culture throughout the world, so I can be a part of and benefit to and international industry.

Only about 2 more weeks ’til we’re off to Beijing. I can’t wait!