Engineering in London Study Abroad Program, Tickle College of Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
On Wedensday evening, June 21, the EIL students accompanied by Profs. Berry
and Dickerson went to see a performance The Comedy of Errors at the Globe Theatre on the banks of the Thames River. A few photos
taken before and the performance are provided along with a group photo
of all the
EIL students on the bank of the Thames (with a view of St. Paul's
Cathedral in the distance).
On Monday, June 19, several of the EIL students were invited to participate in a 90-minute session at the Stratford Padel Club to explore generative artificial intelligence (AI) in a new way through a tech-powered Padel experience. Padel is a mix between Tennis and Squash. It’s usually played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mash. The court is one third of the size of a tennis court. The ball can bounce of any wall but can only hit the turf once before being returned. Points can be scored when the ball does bounce twice in the competitors’ field. Take a look at the AI-generated images of EIL players before the photographs:
