Hello, my name is Josh Frantz, I am a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh, and I am from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.  While at Pitt I have managed to gain two semesters of professional experience working at a company called SMS Group.  It is a German engineering company dedicated to designing steel mills.  I am a senior graduating this August.  After graduation I hope to launch right into the graduate program here at Pitt for either a Master or a PhD.  My intended field of research is mechanical engineering with a dissertation in Orthopedics.  Specifically, the Orthopedics around Knee or Shoulder joints.     

I am going to be participating in Plus3 Prague.  A two-week trip to the Czech Republic’s capital and some of the surrounding region.  To prepare, me and my fellow students have gone through a seminar like course to study the Czech Republic’s history, culture and how engineering is practiced there.  The course has made the Czech Republic sound awesome.  While on sight we are going to go on cultural visits to all the well-known tourist attractions.  Old town square, St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle are all on the list.  We will also be going on company visits and hooking up with some of Prague’s local Pitt alumni. 

I chose the Prague program because the Czech Republic has largely escaped my studies of Europe.  I have read plenty about France, Germany, and Italy but the Czech Republic until now has been just a footnote.  Therefore, I want to flush out my knowledge of the region.  While on sight I hope to learn the history of the country, gain a new view on engineering and network with the local business/Pitt alumni.