Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

I am Jake Justeson, a first-year student in the Swanson School of Engineering, where I will be studying bioengineering for the remainder of my time here. I hope to focus on biomechanics or medical product design in the coming years, combining my interests in medicine and engineering design.

I am from the rural town of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, but have been loving life in Pittsburgh this year. Outside of the classroom, I play the trumpet in the Pitt Marching Band, as well as in the basketball and volleyball pep bands. Additionally, I am a member of Club Running at Pitt, where I enjoy training 40-50 miles a week to race distance events at track meets as well as half marathons.

Plus3 Cyprus

This summer, I am thrilled to be travelling on the Plus3 program to Cyprus. I have always been interested in studying abroad, as my mom is a director of study abroad programs at her college, and this program in Cyprus felt like a great fit for many reasons. First, as much as I am passionate about engineering, I have also wanted to take interesting courses in business for a while. This program will allow me to gain an in-depth understanding of the business angles, specifically supply chain management, behind many different engineering companies in Cyprus, while getting to interact with and ask questions to many of their executives. This experience and knowledge will be a great help later on as I strive to be a leader in whatever field I choose to work in.

Additionally, I am very excited to experience the unique culture Cyprus has to offer. Although I have traveled internationally several times before, I have never been anywhere quite like Cyprus. The nation sits in the Mediterranean Sea at the intersection of 3 continents, and is divided into two distinct regions, a Greek south with a European feel, and a Turkish North with a more Asian feel. These aspects of the island give it a cultural identity that can’t be found anywhere else, which I cannot wait to see for myself.

Some Things I’ve Already Learned About Cyprus and Supply Chain Management

• The nation has a rich history, which involves it being conquered by many different empires over time due to its very important strategic location. This has helped to give Cyprus the unique culture we will get to experience.
• A supply chain for a given business is a network of firms that work together to bring their products or services to market. Cyprus is home to many businesses that are part of very unique supply chains.
• Supply chain management is the very important process of coordinating the production, inventory, location, and transportation in a company’s supply chain to balance its responsiveness and efficiency.