Hallo! My name is Catherine Shea, and I am a rising sophomore mechanical engineering student. I chose to pursue engineering because of my passion for robotics and design work that I developed while on my high school robotics team for four years. Since beginning college, I have become very invested in extracurriculars. I am executive…
Tag: Plus3 The Netherands
Never Bored in The Netherlands!
Hello, my name is Cassandra Wheeles, and I’m from Lansdale, PA, a town near Philadelphia. I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering and planning to get a certificate in sustainability. At the University of Pittsburgh, I am a part of the Irish Step Dancing club and the Pitt Society of Women Engineers. Some of my favorite…
Preparing for the Netherlands
Hi, my name is Hayleigh Klan, and I am a first-year Civil Engineering student going on the Netherlands trip! I love to crochet, draw, and paint, but I am also learning how to knit and play the electric guitar. I am currently in the symphonic band here at Pitt and I previously did the marching…
Day 12: Koeien?!?
Today was our 12th and final day of the trip. We took a long train ride to the Floating Farm in Scheidam, which houses 26 cows in a 25×25 meter perimeter, floating atop the port. We first were given a presentation about the current climate crisis, and how the floating farm addresses some of these…
Mooving Toward the Future: Sustainability That Floats
Today, we explored two standout examples of sustainability and innovation in Rotterdam: the Floating Farm and RDM Rotterdam. Each, in its own way, offers a glimpse into how cities can adapt to climate change while rethinking how we grow, build, and live. Our first stop was the Floating Farm, a floating dairy facility docked in…
From Concrete Jungle to Rooftop Garden: A Sustainable Stop at DakAkker”
As part of our journey through the Netherlands, we visited DakAkker, one of the largest rooftop farms in Europe. Perched high above the streets of Rotterdam on top of the Schieblock building, DakAkker isn’t just a quirky green space—it’s a living, growing example of what urban sustainability can and should look like. What makes DakAkker…
Dams, Seals, and Storms—Oh My! A Day at the Delta Works
On Day 10 of our trip, we visited Delta Park—a fascinating blend of museum, aquarium, and coastal engineering hub. Though the weather kept us from enjoying the water slides, the real highlight was our tour of the Delta Works: a massive flood defense system that reflects the Dutch commitment to long-term sustainability and climate resilience….
Day 10: A Flood of Information
Today, we got on a private transfer bus super early at 8:20 AM to The Delta Works. The Delta Works is a series of dikes, flood barriers, and polders in Southwest Netherlands, built to protect the country from floods like the one in February of 1953, which killed 1800 people. The Netherlands is so low…
Day 9: Go Bolts!
Today we took a train to the famous technical institute, The University of Delft. The campus was beautiful, and we were first offered a tour of their Green Village, a part of the campus which has looser laws and regulations for permits to innovate. The space was full of innovations pertaining to sustainability, either made…
Day 8: Water Under the Bridge
Today we took a long bus ride to the Watersnoodmuseum in Ouwerkerk, one of the outer islands of The Netherlands. The name “Watersnood” translates to sever flooding, which is exactly what the museum was depicting. The museum is a commemoration to the sever floods that took place in the Netherlands in January and February of…
Going Green and Staying Keen: How TU Delft’s Green Village is Saving the Planet (One Brick at a Time)
Nestled within the campus of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Green Village is a pioneering living lab dedicated to sustainable innovation. It provides a real-world environment where researchers, students, and innovators develop and test sustainable technologies and practices. Here’s a closer look at some of the unique and impactful sustainability initiatives taking place…
Echoes of the Flood: My Journey Through the Watersnoodmuseum
As a public health student, I’m always interested in learning how communities cope with natural disasters and their aftermath. During my recent visit to the Netherlands, I took the opportunity to explore the Watersnoodmuseum in Ouwerkerk. This museum is dedicated to the devastating North Sea flood of 1953, which claimed over 1,800 lives and reshaped…
Exploring Peace and Justice: My Visit to the Peace Palace in The Hague
During my recent trip to The Hague, I visited one of the most iconic places dedicated to global peace and justice—the Peace Palace. As a public health student interested in international affairs, I was curious to learn how this historic building, home to the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, has…
A Grad Time in The Netherlands
On the fifth day of this excursion, the group visited a couple of museums, enjoyed some delicious Indonesian food, and visited a record shop with a unique set of instruments. The group concluded the day with a dinner involving University of Pittsburgh alumni. The meet-up had the Plus3 group socializing with graduates who work in…
Day 7: Museum Galore
Today was our first day in the new hotel, and I slept like a baby on the new beds. Today was a cultural day, with free time in the city of The Hague and eventually a visit to the Peace Palace. We started off by visiting Mauritshuis, where the Girl with the Pearl Earring is….
Day 6: Nouryon and Rotterdam
Today, we woke up bright and early at 7 AM, and got breakfast for the final time at the Meininger hotel. We put on our fancy clothes and took private transportation for about an hour to Nouryon polymer specialties headquarters in Deventer. We were first given an introduction into the life saving safety rules and…
Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Lessons from Nouryon
During my visit to Nouryon, I learned about the innovative ways the company is addressing sustainability in the plastics and polymer industries. One of the most striking facts shared during the presentation was that only about 14.6% of global plastic waste is recycled. The majority either ends up in landfills or gets burned for energy,…
A Clogs-Knit Community: Exploring Zaanse Schans
As part of the fourth day of the trip in the Netherlands, our group explored the quaint village known as Zaanse Schans. While the village pretended to take place in the past, many of the lessons learned from the trip proved valuable to creating a sustainable future. Through the tours and visit to the local…
Walking Through Time: My Visit to the Anne Frank Museum
Visiting the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam was an unforgettable and emotional journey. Located in Amsterdam, this historic building was the secret annex where Anne Frank, her family, and four others hid during World War II. Walking through the narrow hallways and climbing the steep stairs, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of history…
Say Cheese and Step Back in Time: My Dutch Adventure at Henri Willig and the Zuiderzeemuseum
During my trip to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, I visited the Henri Willig cheese manufacturer, where tradition meets modern values. The village, known for its iconic windmills and Dutch heritage, offered a perfect setting for learning about cheese-making. I also discovered why modern wind turbines have three blades: more blades would be expensive and less efficient,…