Engineering program sends students to Japan

Coordinators of a semester abroad program in Japan for rising Engineering sophomores are almost prepared to end their search for applicants, according to Katherine Becht, assistant to the undergraduate associate dean for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The program is offered for the fall of the applicant's sophomore year, according to David Pope, undergraduate associate dean for the Engineering School. "All applicants should be freshmen now," he explained. Students accepted into the program enroll in science and engineering courses much like those offered at the University. Though the classes are taught in English, students also take Japanese language courses, Pope said. "The summer before going to Japan, students go to a four- to six-week intensive language study at either the University of Pittsburgh or Ohio State University to learn Japanese," Becht said. After the intensive study, students head for Tokyo. The program, in which both Drexel and Temple universities participate, is housed at Temple University of Japan. "The wonderful thing about this program is that it is usually very difficult for Engineering students to study abroad," Becht said. And Pope said this particular program was specifically designed "to keep Engineering students on schedule." "It also provides the opportunity to learn about Japanese language and culture and all that means for future international interests, all for the cost of going to Penn," he said. According to Becht, subsidies are available for travel. "One student came back and was taking third-year Japanese," Pope added. "It was amazing how much [of the language] he learned." Engineering sophomore Jonathan Zilberstein, a member of the program last semester, became proficient in Japanese while he was there. "I knew nothing about Japanese culture or language before I applied," Zilberstein said. "I had an excellent experience." "We even had a lot of time to wander around and learn about the culture and the society," he added. The students have an option to return to Japan for a summer internship, according to Becht.