I woke up this morning before the long travel day and went on a nice hour long walk. I wanted to have one last coffee overlooking the town square in Augsburg. Throughout the past two weeks, I had eaten meals and snacks there many times. Eating there was always very peaceful, and it is definitely…
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Day 4: Robots and roaming Augsburg
After the traffic we hit on our way to Munich yesterday, it was so nice to have a later wake up and take the train in Augsburg to KUKA! Before even arriving to the site visit, I thought the background of the name “KUKA” was so interesting. It stands for “Keller and Knappich Augsburg” and…
Day 13: A Full-Circle Day
Today we had our final presentations. It was a culmination of all of our preparation leading up to the trip and our experiences from the past ten days. My group focused on Audi, and we spent the morning finalizing our slides and practicing our lines. Before presentations began, my group decided to eat lunch at…
Day 9: Remembrance and Reflection at Dachau
Today we are going to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site and I know today is going to weigh heavily on my heart. It is quite a switch up from the site visits we have had so far, but I knew today would be very informative. With my Jewish background from my dad’s side of…
Day 12: Aiming for Perfection
Today was our first day this week where we did not have to wake up at a time starting with 5. Even though we still had to leave at 8:30, it was a nice change of pace. The day felt a little bittersweet since it was our last company visit. We did not have a…
Day 14: The Journey Back to Chipotle
This morning, I woke up at 5am with excitement and also a new crippling fear of oversleeping. I did most of my packing when I woke up and I also used the early morning time to take my luggage down early. Just imaging all of us trying to cram into the elevator with our bags…
Day 12: The Final Company Visit
Today we visited Audi in Ingolstadt. This visit made me think about how companies in the same industry can face similar challenges, but approach them differently. Like BMW, Audi is dealing with supply chain pressures, electrification, and fierce competition from new Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. However, the atmosphere and priorities at Audi felt different from…
Tschüss Germany
Saturday morning came much quicker than any of us wanted it to. Before I knew it, we were packing our suitcases and getting breakfast one last time before heading out of Augsburg to begin the long trip home. At that point, my suitcase was packed with souvenirs, clothes, and so many memories from the past…
Day 12 – The Final Factory
Today is our very last company visit and one I’ve been looking forward to since the beginning! It felt great not having to wake up as early to get ready before our bus left at 8:30, heading toward Ingolstadt for Audi. We didn’t have to go as early because we already had our company talk…
Mountains, Matcha, and Salzburg Adventures
Friday was by far my favorite day of the entire trip. We used our free day to travel to Salzburg, and honestly, I was excited just to experience another country regardless of what we ended up doing there. Erin suggested hiking part of the Sound of Music trail, and since I love hiking and being…
Day 11 – Rewired Perspectives
Our second-to-last company visit is today, and it is different from all the rest. Aumovio in Regensburg makes software systems for vehicles, and I was very excited to compare it to the other factories we have already visited. First, we had a discussion where he went into more depth about the software systems created in…
Presentations, Farewells, and Final Reflections
Thursday was presentation day, and it honestly felt strange realizing how quickly the trip had gone by. I started the morning by getting breakfast at Picnic with my roommate Erin before heading to campus. I got a bagel and cappuccino, which was honestly the perfect way to start such a busy day. After breakfast, we…
Day 8: Making Memories in Munich
Since studying German a bit in high school, Munich has always been a city I’ve wanted to experience. We started around 9am this morning and took the train to Munich Central Station. It quickly reminded me of Penn Station in NYC because of the hustle and bustle before we even went above ground. We all…
Day 10 – Beneath Nuremberg
Another early morning to catch our 6:15 bus bound for Nuremberg for the MAN truck and bus factory. When we arrived at MAN, I was shocked at how big the campus was. I had never heard of this company before the project, so I was surprised. I also began to see many more MAN branded…
Day 13: Touching Grass (and Cows) in Austria!
This was by far my favorite day of the entire trip! We used our free day to go to Salzburg, Austria. When it came to planning the trip I was very indifferent about we did and I was genuinely up to do anything as I was not particularly drawn to Austria for anything specific. Erin…
Day 12: That’s a Wrap!
Today is presentation day, we started the morning off by doing extra preparation and adding final touches to the presentation. Once we arrived to the University of Augsburg campus, we went to a study room to practice our presentation as a group. After practicing, everyone dispersed to get food and wait until presentations started. While…
Four Rings and a Final Factory Tour
This week has honestly flown by, and it was hard to believe that Wednesday was already our final company site visit before presentations and the end of the program started approaching. Our last visit was to Audi, and I was especially excited for this one because after spending so much time researching BMW for our…
Automation and Architecture
On Tuesday, we started the morning with a visit to Aumovio, a company focused on automotive technology and safety systems. During the presentation, we learned more about the technology behind everyday vehicle functions that most people rarely think about, including sensors, brake systems, chips, and software used in modern cars. One thing that stood out…
Day 9 – Despair in the Air
Today was an intense day when visiting Dachau. We loaded onto the bus for our hour ride to the concentration camp. Upon entry, we didn’t see much of the camp, and I wasn’t able to feel the true emotions until I stepped through the gate and heard the infamous words, “Work sets you free.” This…
Heavy Machinery and Historic Streets
On Monday, we began the day with a long two and a half hour bus ride to Nuremberg to visit MAN Truck & Bus. During the drive, I spent a lot of time looking out the window at the scenery around us. We passed smaller towns filled with colorful buildings, churches, and green hills that…