Banquet at Brown's of Covent Garden

Congratulations to our 2023 class of the Engineering in London (EIL) study abroad program! Photos from the banquet dinner at Brown's of Covent Garden on Friday, July 7 are provided below. Click here for the final slideshow of the program edited by Emma Elise Ferber.

Special thanks to our corporate and alumni sponsors of the EIL 2023 program: Tickle College of Engineering, Cisco, International Paper, Jewelry Television, MilleniTek, Cyber & Information Security Consortium, Rebecca Collins, Denise Gosnell, and the Larry and Yosiko Shell Global Initiative.

 

Bletchley Park

On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 5, the EIL students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson and Peter O'Malley from IES visited Bletchley Park (north of London). Bletchley Park is where Alan Turing and his colleagues in Hut 8 broke the (naval) Enigma code during World War II. The students witnessed demonstrations of working Enigma, Bombe, Tunny, and Colossus machines. The Colossus was the world's first electric digital computer that was programmable. The Colossus computers were developed to help in the cryptanalysis of the Hitler's Lorenz cipher.  Our NMC guide for the afternoon, Robert Dowell, did a fantastic job explaining both the history and design of all the early cypher and computing machines.  Prior to exhibits within Bletchley Park, the students were given a short break to burn off some energy on the jungle gym equipment, play outdoor chess, or just relax on one of the many lawns near the Bletchley Park Mansion.

Brunel Museum (Rotherhithe, London Borough of Southwark)

On Monday afternoon  (July 3), the EIL students joined Profs. Berry and Dickerson for a visit to the Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe on the bank of the Thames River.  In the original shaft of the tunnel (under the Thames River) that Marc and Isambard (Kingdom) Brunel designed and built, our guide (Mike Thatcher) gave an excellent historical timeline for this great nineteenth century engineering achievement.  Completed in 1834, this was the world's first underwater tunnel.  Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father, Marc Brunel, were considered by many to be the greatest engineers of Victorian England.

Pride of the Southland Band (in London)

EIL students were able to attend the Friday, June 30 performance of the Pride of the Southland Band at Potter's Field (near Tower Bridge) at 1:15pm.  The band is participating in London Band Week and has additional performances including Saturday, July 1 (7:00pm) at the London Excel and Sunday, July 2 (12:20pm) at the Hampton Court Palace.   Rocky Top rules in London this summer!

Royal Institution (Faraday Laboratory)

On Thursday evening, June 29, the EIL Students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson visited the Royal Institution (Michael Faraday Museum) near Green Park. In addition to visiting Faraday's Laboratory, the students attended a (Friday) Discourse lecture entitled "Charting the evolution of the Universe" by Professor Brian Keating (University of California, San Diego). His lecture was given in the Royal institution's lecture hall, where Michael Faraday started the Christmas lectures in 1825. The RI today is known for its science education programs, a continuation of the tradition of scientific lectures as enlightened entertainment. The Friday Night Discourses were formal affairs with the audience in evening dress and the speaker by tradition had to start and stop his address as the auditorium clock struck consecutive hours. J. J. Thomson announced the discovery of the electron in his 1897 lecture in this room. The Christmas Lecture program, begun by Michael Faraday and continuing through today, is the oldest continuous science education program for young people.

British Science Museum (South Kensington)

On Wednesday, June 28, the EIL students visited the British Science Museum in South Kensington.  They were able to see several Boulton and Watt Steam Engines and Babbage's Difference Engine (Models 1 and 2).  Professors Berry and Dickerson awarded trivia winners with candy afterwards.  The group photo (with EIL banner) is taken in front of the 1903 Mill Engine manufactured by Burnley Ironworks Co.  At the invitation of Gareth Jones, Lead Engineering Technician for the museum, and his Tech Team, the students witnessed the running of this particular steam engine.  This sophisticated 700-horsepower engine was installed in the Harle Syke Mill, near Burnley, Lancashire, in 1903. It powered hundreds of looms in the mill, via belts driven by the huge 20-tonne flywheel. The mill was dismantled in 1970 and moved to the museum in 1979.

Birthdays Abroad

Although celebrating birthdays while studying abroad can sometimes be a lonely experience, EIL students tend to form bonds that can last a lifetime.  They become like family!

Greenwich

 On Thursday, June 22, the EIL students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson took an Uber boat up the Thames River to Greenwich. At Greenwich, they visited the Cutty Sark ship and Royal Observatory with additional options to see the Queen's House, and Maritime Museum.  In the Time and Longitude Gallery of the Flamsteed House at the Royal Observatory, students were able to see the four Harrison's sea clocks from the eighteenth century.  Harrison's H4 clock is considered the most important timekeeper ever made. It is the machine that helped solve the problem of keeping accurate time at sea and finally won Harrison huge rewards from the Board of Longitude and the British Government.  As is customary,  group photos were taken at the Prime Meridian (Longitude 0) and with Southeast London as the background.  After lunch, several students played ultimate frisbee on the lawn below the Royal Observatory.

The day in Greenwich began with a short bus ride to the Thames Barrier, just north of the Greenwich Town Centre. Operated by the Environment Agency of the British government, the Thames Barrier is one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world.