Day 7 was the big day for history. We essentially spent the whole day in Munster. The town of Munster is one of the older towns in Germany so we got to enjoy a little bit of old story. One of the churches we saw stood out to me in particular because of…
Tag: Swanson School of Engineering
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Day 6: Run Forest Run!
Day 6 was one of the most free days of the trip. For the day we got I trip of Enschede which was a little bit of a cultural shock to say the least. The guide started by explaining to us how the city is on one of the biggest hills in the…
Day 5: Grids and Bids
Today was my personal favorite day of the trip. We started with a short introduction to windmills which explained to us some of the math and the workings of a common windmill. Afterwards we then went to a huge windmill farm and got a really in depth tour of…
Day 4: Engineering and Environment at Twente
Day 4 was our main day of transportation to the university of Twente. We took a bus over to the town of Enschede. Upon arrival we were given a tour of the campus and shown some of the sustainable aspects of the campus. For instance, one of the buildings has a glass…
Day 12: A Rainy Day in Rotterdam
Today began with a nice, laid back tour of various sustainble architecture throughout Dakakker, Rotterdam. Our guide showed us a lot of beatiful buildings across the neighborhood, many of which are pictured below, that were all used for various methods of water management. The buildings with the curved windows are actually the edge of a…
Day 11: Pittsburgh reference???????
Today is our final full day in the Netherlands, and we toured The Hague. The Hague is similar to Washington D.C. in the US, as it is where all the governing takes place. We learned about how the Netherlands turned from a monarchy to having a constitutional monarchy. The Monarchs were doing a poor job…
Day 10: The stories behind the flood
Today we took a trip to the Rotterdam city central. Our guide showed us some of the tricks they employ here in Rotterdam to prevent flooding. Similar to Enchede, they use lowered portions in the ground to be used as water reservoirs. They use playgrounds, parks, greenery, and almost anything you can think of as…
Day 9: Preventing floods
Today we toured one of the most important sites of engineering in the Netherlands, The Deltaworks. The Deltaworks are a dam that can be opened and closed when water is needed. The project was started because of a massive flood in the 1950s that killed thousands of Dutch people. The Deltaworks took 30 years to…
Day 8: Cheese from Boats
Today was our first full day in Rotterdam, and we spent the morning visiting the world’s first floating farm. This farm is entirely on the water, and only has 2 removable bridges that connect it to land. They had cows, crops in the basement, and a cheese making area. They supply local markets with the…
Day 7: Releasing the Munster
Yesterday was our last day at the University of Twente, and we took a bus this morning to the city of Munster. This city is very historically important, as it is the place where the Treaty of Westphalia was signed. This treaty ended the 30 years war, one of the most important wars in the…
Final Lessons from The Hague
Somehow, today was already the last day of our trip. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Even though our time in the Netherlands was coming to an end, we still made the most of the day as we traveled to The Hague, the political capital of the Netherlands, for one final day of…
Day 6: Jumping puddles
Today we toured the City of Enchede. Our tour was mainly focused on the work by the city to prevent flooding. Since the city is at a higher elevation than most of the Netherlands, when the city floods, the lower parts of the Netherlands also flood. To try and prevent flooding, the city installed many…
Day 5: Feeling the Breeze
We started our day today with a lecture about wind power, and how wind turbines are designed. We learned the physics behind turbines, and how they are optimized to have the most energy collected while minimizing strain on the blades. This was a very interesting lecture, especially since right afterwards we went to a wind…
Day 11: Dam Good Deltawerken
Today was entirely dedicated to learning about to complex Deltaworks, or Deltawerken system, protecting the southwestern region of the Netherlands from flooding. After we arrived to the mueseum and had some very delicious cinnamon rolls, we were taken through a short film and tour explaining how the Deltaworks were built. After the catastrophic flood that…
Modern Solutions to Old Problems
As our trip begins to wind down, we are starting to see how the complex history of the Netherlands has helped shape the innovation of tomorrow. Today, we toured rooftop gardens in the city of Rotterdam and visited another detailed museum, Watersnoodmuseum, which focused on the devastating flood of 1953. As we started our morning,…
Plus3 and Me: Trip Finale at the Hague
Day 12: Today was our last full day in the Netherlands, and to celebrate, our tour guide, Enno, let us sleep in! Around 10:00 a.m., we caught the public metro to take it all the way to the Hague. The Hague is the seat of the government in the Netherlands as well as its 3rd…
Built Against the Tide
Tuesday launched us into the detailed past of one of the Netherlands’ darkest, yet most important, moments in history: the flood of 1953. We left early to arrive at the Deltaworks to learn about the tragic flood, and the actions the Netherlands has taken in response to it. The Deltaworks is a large complex along…
Moo-ving Towards Sustainability
Early Monday morning, we woke up for our first full day in Rotterdam. With a gray, cold forecast ahead, I unfortunately wasn’t dressed for the weather, but I still ended up having a great day. We navigated public transit across the city and began with a visit to an innovative floating farm, followed later by…
From Ruins to Remembering
Sunday brought us to the second country of our trip: Germany. It was my first time visiting the country, and I was excited for the opportunity to immerse myself in its history and culture. Our destination was the city of Münster, a place whose history stretches back thousands of years. Despite its long history, many…
Going with the Flow in Enschede
Today was a balance between learning about sustainability and experiencing the student culture here in Enschede. Throughout the day, we saw how the city carefully plans for the future while also witnessing the strong sense of community that defines life at the University of Twente. Our morning began with another guided tour, this time through…