Purdue’s GEARE program builds future global leaders

Purdue’s Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE) program is developing the next generation of global leaders. More than 400 students are enrolled in the international work experience program, which integrates language coursework, study abroad, cultural training, domestic and international work, and research experience and global design team projects into the College of Engineering curriculum. 

Housed in the Office of Professional Practice, GEARE gives students the opportunity to complete a domestic internship, an international internship or research experience and one semester of study abroad over a span of four years. Joining the program was a no-brainer for Christina Lumpp, who first heard about it while applying to Purdue as a high schooler.

“Traveling abroad was definitely something I was looking for when I was applying to colleges,” says Lumpp, a senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. “I had Purdue kind of at the top of my list, and I just knew that I wanted to do this program. It sounded like such a cool opportunity, so I’m really glad that I got involved freshman year.”

For the program’s study abroad component, Lumpp traveled to Toulouse, France, where she spent four months completing coursework and research at ISAE-SUPERO at the University of Toulouse. One month later, she was bound for Kenya, where she took part in a National Science Foundation-funded program focused on developing engineering education curricula at the Tumaini Innovation Center. 

Both trips gave her the chance to do some weekend adventuring, like hiking in national parks and rainforests, exploring surrounding countries and skiing in the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges. Lumpp says she’s grateful for each experience and the knowledge and skills she gained from them.

“Studying in France was just a super invaluable opportunity, and I don’t think I would have ever known about the program in Kenya had I not been in GEARE,” Lumpp says. “Having access to these opportunities and the GEARE community has been really great. I’m not only learning from my experiences but also those of my peers, and everyone just has such incredible stories.”

Before, during and after each trip, students complete orientation seminars — intercultural classes that dive into the intricacies of international communication — along with a SAIL course offered by the Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research. The seminars focus on exploration of self, verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, cultural dimensions and professional practices unique to various cultures across the globe, giving students like Daniel Chen the knowledge necessary to interact effectively and confidently while abroad.

“What they teach in the classes gives you a pretty good foundation of how to interact with others while abroad, whether it’s your peers and professors or the barista at a coffee stand in a food court,” says Chen, a senior in mechanical engineering.  

Chen’s GEARE experience included a four-month study abroad stay in Singapore, where he completed four elective courses, including an urban planning class that allowed him to visit some of the residential neighborhoods surrounding the city. Then Chen spent two months in Taiwan researching bike share and public transit systems at National Chiao Tung University.

While in Singapore, Chen immersed himself in the blend of Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures that permeate the city, visiting popular attractions like Gardens by the Bay and Chinatown. Making the most of his time abroad, he also journeyed to neighboring countries, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Japan. His experience with the program also led him to pursue a role in GEARE Ambassadors, a student organization designed to enhance GEARE students’ leadership skills.

Aside from being a premier opportunity to travel parts of the globe, GEARE is a program that sets students up for future professional success. Before each student embarks on their study abroad journey, GEARE pairs them with a mentor — an individual who has already completed the program in which the student is enrolled. They’ll discuss their own experience, offering guidance and answering questions to ensure their mentee is as prepared as possible.

Upon their return to West Lafayette, students complete a team project, present their study abroad and work experience to underclassmen at the GEARE Poster Symposium, and sit down to begin the difficult task of putting the experience on paper — something Lucas Rodenberg says GEARE excels at walking students through.

“GEARE does a good job of making sure you’re looking at your resume and emphasizing the fact that this intercultural experience is such a big part of your Purdue story because a lot of companies really like to see that,” says Rodenberg, a senior in civil engineering. “They make sure you know how to sell yourself and your intercultural experience.”

Rodenberg completed his study abroad in Medellín, Colombia, where he took engineering courses in Spanish and joined a sustainable development research group that helped him gain a better perspective on the city’s urban development. Small field trips to hiking trails were scattered in with longer excursions, like treks to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Barranquilla, Colombia, where Rodenberg and his peers visited one of the world’s biggest carnivals. The work experience portion of the program led him to pursue an internship at a management consulting firm in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, even starting up his own tutoring business while in the country.

Rodenberg, Chen and Lumpp, who are all set to graduate during spring commencement ceremonies in May, each have big plans on the horizon. Rodenberg aims to pursue a career as a transportation engineer. Chen is exploring opportunities in the fields of sustainable energy and transportation. And Lumpp hopes to eventually become a professor after earning a master’s in mechanical engineering and a PhD in aerospace engineering.

Though their interests vary, all three are open to someday living or working abroad, citing their experience with GEARE as a key motivating factor. And thanks to GEARE’s role in helping them map out their futures, those goals could very well become reality.

“GEARE is so much more than just like a study abroad program,” Rodenberg says. “It’s really just trying to get you to think about the future and how the future is going to be international.”