On our second day, we had the opportunity to learn more about the programs within the Bilbao School of Engineering, and a bit of history about the city. Bilbao has a long history with engineering, and it used to be an industrial powerhouse during the 20th century, However, eventually industry collapsed in Bilbao, forcing the city to reinvent itself and modernize. I noticed this while traveling around Bilbao, as every aspect of the city seemed properly planned, with plenty of walking paths and green space for the citizens. Bilbao continues to evolve, as we learned that after the pandemic, apartments started to be built with large terraces and outdoor space. I love how the city responds to the needs of its inhabitants, and is constantly improving.
After our presentation on the city’s history, we went outside to talk to the Formula 1 team and their process of building the car. Their team ran quite differently from Pitt’s: first year students are designated as “rookies” of the team, second year students are designated as “managers”, and third year students are considered “CEOs”. The students build a new car each year, allowing students to gain essential leadership experience of managing a team to build a car from scratch. I appreciated how this team emphasized leadership development through this process, ensuring each student had a chance to make a significant contribution to the team. We saw this leadership first hand when the students worked together to prepare the car for a rain test!
For the rest of the time at the school, we attended two other presentations: guitar STREAM, where we learned how engineers built guitars out of recycled materials, and the BiSKY team, the engineering school’s rocketry team. The team creates a new iteration of rocket every year, revisiting their shortcomings from the past year and using that to improve the design. The team has an ambitious goal of reaching the Kármán line (the “edge of space”), however, with 71 students and 40,000 euros invested in the project, this seems far from a distant dream. I found it fascinating that the students had to go to a military base to test out their larger rockets!
We ended the day as a group, going out for dinner at a fancy restaurant in downtown Bilbao. Dinner was an elaborate affair, as it was three hours long, with multiple pintxos, an elaborate main course and a hearty dessert option. I enjoyed seeing everyone’s reactions to the variety of food served. My favorite meal was the cheesecake I had for dessert, but many of my friends enjoyed the beef with Perrin’s sauce they had as the entrée. Overall, it was a satisfying end to such a fulfilling day!
