Behrend Engineering: Bloggin' Through Europe

Day 9: A German Farewell

2011-10-31T06:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Fakuma show was such an amazing experience for us. It was neat to be able to see some stuff relevant to our major, and it was even more interesting interacting with people who spoke different languages. A small group of us went to a truly German-speaking restaurant in Kreuzlingen. The restaurant waitress could speak very little broken English, and when we went to read the menus, we had no idea what anything was. The head chef ended up being able to help us out by reading off the menu to us, explaining the deer dishes with the word 'Bambi'. It ended up being a delicious meal.

Today, we explored Konstance, Germany. It was a two minute train ride away from our hostel, and it was a lot more lively than Kreuzlingen. The main thing we saw there were the many small shops and plazas, along with their mall. In the evening, we had our farewell dinner at a German brewery. This was a good way for everyone to get together and talk about their individual experiences and tell the teachers likes and dislikes of the trip. Most of us were ready to be getting back to Erie, feeling homesick and missing good old Penn State Behrend.

Garret Decasper and Matt Mahouski on the ferry ride over to Fakuma. Apparently they have practiced for this pose ever since the release of The Titanic. "JACK, NEVER LET GO!"

Our hostel in Kreuzlingen.

Day 8: Kreuzlingen and the Fakuma Plastics Show

2011-10-31T06:05:00.000-07:00

Another late night train ride and we arrived in Kreuzlingen. We immediately headed for the hostel in a mini death-march across the town. When we got there some of us decided to explore, but couldn't really find anything to do that didn't require a long walk or a train ride. So we hit the hay, which was a good idea because we had to be up early the next day. We woke up around 6:30 to travel to the Fakuma plastics show in Germany. In order to get there we first jumped on the train, then boarded a ferry, then took a bus. Once at the plastics show we were set free to explore the huge show on our own. I would say as a group, we had a great time. There were things at the show that impressed us and were really interesting. Some of us felt like geeks talking about plastic parts and trying to get the best samples (but afterall that was the main point of the trip!). After the show was over we took a bus, ferry, and train back to the hostel in Kreuzlingen. From there some decided to go to a neighboring city of Konstance and see some of Germany.

Aldo Kremmel, Aja Zanoni, and Graham Segal are pictured here outside of Arburg's exhibit at the show. Many students stopped by Arburg not only because they had some incredible stuff, but to thank them for donating some of the tickets to the group.

Day 7: Exploring the Mountains of Switzerland

2011-10-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

One of the main attractions at Interlaken is obviously its mountains. After an attempt to go to the top of the largest mountain, we ended up saving our money and only traveling a portion of the way. Where we got off there were shops that lined the streets and the views were incredible. We saw cows and goats on the train ride up. Chalets lined the hillside. Some of us decided to stay on that portion of the mountain to eat a nice steak, yet others went back down and had a cheaper meal prepared at the hostel.

This is only a portion of the way up to the highest peak in Interlaken.

Day 6: Interlaken, Switzerland

2011-10-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

After taking a late night train the previous day, we arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland. As part of the class for this trip, we were required to book our own hostel arrangements. Therefore, once off the train the group split up to go to their hostel destinations. After a night of sleep, we woke up to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Snow capped mountains could be seen from our hostel window. Some of us explored the town of Interlaken by bike, others went to supermarkets to try to avoid paying for another high priced meal.

This was the view we woke up to in the morning. Absolutely gorgeous.

Day 5: Touring Florence

2011-10-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

After a great tour of Sacmi the prevous day, we were allowed to finally sleep in at our own discretion! Many of us were up early anyway because we wanted to see the city of Florence. The Duomo was the first stop for some of us because it was so close to our hostel. The dome was absolutely incredible. The basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is really amazing inside. There was a small fee to climb up the 463 stairs to the top of the basilica where you could then look out and see the whole city of Florence. The climb up was a different experience for us; there were small passageways and winding staircases, some of us taller ones even hit our heads on the ceiling at places during the climb. San Lorenzo is another church in Florence. This church was surronded by small street stand shops- the girls in the group loved these. They were able to purchase authentic Florence leather products as well as souvenirs. Later that night some of the group decided to experience a local college bar and take in the Florence nightlife, while others decided to have a nice relaxing night out on the balcony of the hostel.

Markets lined the streets next to San Lorenzo church. They seemed endless, containing leather goods, trinkets, and souvenirs.

We were greeted by these extravagant structures on the walk to our hostel. We were only about a 2 minute walk away!

One of the churches in Florence-San Lorenzo.

Graham Segal, Aja Zanoni, and Aldo Kremmel at the top of the Duomo after a 463 step stair climb.

Day 4: Tour of Sacmi Plastics Company in Milano

2011-10-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

The day started off early at 7:30 when we traveled to the train station. From there we boarded a train to Milano. In Milano we toured Sacmi, a plastics company in the area. The tour was great. Many of us were impressed by several things throughout the tour and also the hospitality of the employees. We got to explore the many machines they make, as well as the processes they are used for. For some of us this was the first realization that plastics is really a global industry. Some of the processes we saw at Sacmi are the same we use in Penn State Behrend's labs. After the long train ride back to Florence, we relaxed with a dinner provided by the hostel.

Below are a couple of group pictures, outside and inside the Sacmi plant.

Day 3: Riots in Rome

2011-10-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Last night was definitely a new experience in many of our lives. When coming back to the hostel, we witnessed riots in Rome. There were dumpsters overturned and on fire, chaos in the streets, and tear gas going off in the distance. Upon returning to the hostel we decided it was a good idea to stay in for the night.

Day three began with a group trip to the Colleseum, where we took the annual group photo. From there we broke off into groups to further explore Rome. For most of us, this adventure started off by going to the famous Trivi fountain, then to the Pantheon and finally the Spanish Steps. A few people went to the Piazza Novano. After our day of exploration, we boarded a train in the late afternoon to Florence. After getting checked into the hostel in Florence, many of us went out for a quick bite to eat, and some of us went to a sports bar to try to catch some of the Steelers game. After that we were so exhausted that we decided to take it east and hit the hay early.

The aftermath of the riot was experienced the next day as we walked about Rome. These cars were only minutes of walking distance away from our hostel.

Not letting the riots stop us from getting the best experience we could in Rome, many students made light of the situation and continued to have a great time on the trip. Here is Katie Wolf and Garret Barna posing under some recent graffiti.

Day 2: Touring through Rome

2011-10-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Last night we ended the night with the best gelato we have encountered (coming from those who have been in Italy before). Today, many of us had our first experience on the Italian subway venturing to the Vatican. We went on a tour of the area, experiencing the state within the state of Italy. We then went to dinner as a group and returned to the hostel for some social time.

Having dinner in Rome.

A group of us in front of the Colosseum.

Day 1: Flight to Rome!

2011-10-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

Day 1: The flight over to Rome went relatively smoothly. The only hiccup was a delay in the first leg of the trip from Erie to Philly. The long flight was grueling but was definitely worth the wait. All of us were so excited to get to Rome that we could barely sleep on the plane. We arrived in Rome at 9 a.m. local time, which would be around 3 a.m. back at Erie. From there we went to the hostel via train. After we were settled in, it was finally time to enjoy the culture. Many of us went and enjoyed local sandwich shops for lunch and then ventured to the Colosseum. From there we split up to explore the local surroundings and culture.

Pictures to follow!

BMW and Dachau

2010-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we traveled to BMW in northern Munich for a tour of the museum and BMW World. The BMW establishment was located next to the Olympic Stadium, home of the summer Olympics just three decades ago. Along the tour, we experienced the long history of BMW, stemming from the first production models to future generations of Bavarian Motor Works vehicles.

Today we visited the very first concentration camp from World War II, located in Dachau. We experienced a thorough two-and-a-half-hour tour that explained the gruesome events that occurred on that very land. On the tour, we were led in the same gate as the prisoners and followed their initiation into the deadly regime. Over 42,000 prisoners perished before the U.S. troops liberated the establishment in 1945. It was not exactly our idea of a good time, but the experience left us with a much more profound understanding of how the prisoners were treated during World War II.

Tonight, we are on our way to Heidelberg for the last leg of our journey abroad.

The BMW World Building.

A full-scale clay model of a BMW.

One of the art cars at the BMW Museum.

The entry way in Dachau concentration camp. These are the same gates that the prisoners had entered just over 60 years ago.

A look down a hallway of prisoners' cells.

The ditch that is pictured shows how difficult it would have been for an inmate to escape. The canal is followed by a tall, electrically charged barbed wire fence which is also shown.

The most haunting site at Dachau was in the Crematorium.

First Night in Munich and Day One in Bavaria

2010-11-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

We now know what Germany is all about. The scenery has changed very much since we left the more industrious western side of German, and have headed into Bavarian Germany. If you didn’t know already; Munich has a LOT to offer. Most of the group enjoyed getting out into the city to see it for ourselves. Just walking into the restaurants you can see how much different things are in southeast Germany. The majority of us enjoyed the local cuisine as we ordered the Bavarian feast which included things such as roast duck, fried pig’s knuckle, pork roast, dumplings, and beer gravy. We finished off the evening by taking a walk down by the most impressive building we have seen thus far: the Glockenspeil.

It is now Wednesday. We split up into smaller groups this morning and headed out on our chosen adventures. The majority took a train down near the Austrian border to see the AMAZING castles tucked nicely into the Bavarian Alps. Just remember: Pictures DO NOT do them justice.

Dr. Smith showing us where to see the castles.

Hohenschwangau Castle

A view of the southern Bavarian terrain from beside Neuweinstein Castle.

Neuweinstein Castle and the Alps.

Aachen University and End of the K-Show

2010-11-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Our K-Show experience is now over, but as a result of the two days spent there we were able to take with us exposure to several new advances in energy savings in the plastics industry, the growth in silicones, expansion of the medical plastics industry, and amazing automation. All of these relate to many of our senior projects.

Today was a very nice day in Germany. We woke up and packed our bags at our hostel in Aachen, and then proceeded to get on the bus to Aachen University. We spent a couple hours at the university as we toured their plastics engineering department and facilities. The fun fact of the day was that tuition there is only 700 euros per semester. We all decided that we just might move to Germany and finish our studies over here! After leaving the university we boarded a train to Munich where we will see classic Germany settled down near the Bavarian Alps.

Group photo in front of Aachen University.

A view from one of the plastics labs at Aachen University.

Glockenspiel Tower in downtown Munich.

K-Show at Dusseldorf

2010-11-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone is having an awesome time on the trip! Today we are headed to Dusseldorf again for our second day at the K-Show. Yesterday we spent most of our time getting our bearings at the massive convention, where there were 18 enormous buildings containing some of the world’s premiere technologies in plastics. Some that we had the opportunity to see were the world record-sized blown film tower in action as it pumped out hundreds of pounds of plastic per hour from massive 400mm die, a two-second cycle for a 128 cavity bottle cap mold, and impressive automation. It is hard to say what we will see today, as we will be venturing into completely new buildings. Most of the students comment on how priceless the opportunity is to be able to see our field of industry in such a global setting with more than 3100 exhibits on display from 57 countries around the world.

Some of the most enjoyable experiences have come from the impressive culture in Germany. Simply making great use of the efficient public transportation systems or even diving into any side restaurant will engage you in conversation with the locals. Check out the pictures as they speak for the setting here better than words do.

Billboard entering the K- Show.

Walking into the K-Show.

World record blown film tower

Another massive blown film tower.

Germans dancing and playing music at the K-Show.

View from the top of the Dom in Cologne.

Downtown nightlife in Aachen. There was a big gathering with music and dancing on Halloween night. It was very clear that the Germans celebrate this holiday much differently.

The A Team standing in front of the Dom.

Traveling through Aachen and Koln

2010-11-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, engineering students and faculty members from Penn State Behrend began a 10-day trip to Germany as part of PL ET 499 International Plastics Experience, a course designed to give students an industrial and cultural international experience before graduation. Seniors Sidney Carson of Erie and Justin Schmader of Leeper, Pa., are blogging about the group's adventures along the way. This is their first post:

So far, the trip has been a lot of traveling. The majority of the group coming over went at least 24 hours without sleeping due to the six hour difference in time zones. Despite this, all of the students were excited to start their cultural journey into Europe. Most of the time spent so far has involved getting our bearings in a society that really isn't much different than our own. We've had to deal with exchanging currency and communicating with shopkeepers and restaurant owners in order to even eat. For some, it's been an awesome experience to engage in some of the German language that we've learned. After a night in Aachen, we took a day trip to Koln, where we toured the Dom (shown in the pictures below), and experienced more of the local German culture and shopping. Tomorrow, we head to Dusseldorf where we're all looking forward to enjoying the K Show, which will display the cutting edge of our Plastics Engineering field, as well as the tour of Aachen University's Plastics Engineering program. Excited to keep all of you updated on the rest of our trip!

The marketplace in downtown Aaachen is a perfect representation of the architecture in the old portion of the city. The majority of the group enjoyed sitting down and enjoying a German Bratwurst in the downtown setting.

The Hauptbahnhof station in Koln is the largest transportation system in Germany. These stations represent the largest hubs in most of the main cities.

This picture embodies the entire experience of the Dom in Koln. The right side exhibits some of the awesome architecture and scale present in the cathredral. The scale of the entire building is unbelievable. On the left side, the golden chest contains the ashes of the Three Wisemen. The amount of history present in the Dom is almost overwhelming.

Day 11: Traveling Home

2009-10-20T11:20:00.002-07:00

This is the final post from the 2009 trip to Germany and Switzerland:

Sunday, Oct. 18
Today was a VERY long and tiring day of traveling. It all started when we gathered at 6:30 in the morning for a quick breakfast then we boarded a chartered bus that took us to the airport. Once at the airport everyone successfully checked all baggage and made is safely through security. They rest of the day was spent on flights from Frankfurt to Detroit, then Detroit to Erie. We are very happy to report that everyone has arrived safely back in the United States and had an absolutely amazing trip through Germany and Switzerland!!! Thanks for reading our blog and we hope you enjoyed it.

Check out more photos from our trip on Dr. Ralph Ford's Facebook page.

Day 10: Frankfurt

2009-10-20T11:20:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Oct. 17
Unfortunately most of today was spent on trains, buses, or walking around the city to the hostel. But thankfully after arriving at the hostel around 3:30 in the afternoon we had a few hours before dinner to hit the town and see what Frankfurt has to offer. We were able to find St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral not far from the hostel as well as a local square where many street performers gather. This was a very interesting journey about town but again our fun was cut short by cold and rainy weather.

The class gathered at the hostel at 6:00 to head to the last meal of the trip. We ate at an amazing local German restaurant. During this meal we all had to the opportunity to share experiences from the trip with each other as well as experience another authentic German meal. After dinner some of us went out to watch some college football at a local Irish pub and others went back to get to bed early for another early rise for our trip home tomorrow.

Day 9: Cultural Day in St. Gallen

2009-10-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Friday, Oct. 16
Everyone was completely exhausted after a late night but we were up and around by noon. Unfortunately the weather today was not the best. It was raining when we woke up and the forecast shows it should turn to snow by tonight. Regardless of the inclement weather a few of us set out on the town to finish up our souvenir shopping and see as much of St. Gallen as possible.

After several hours of successful souvenir purchasing we remembered the Olma festival was going on in town. The Olma is a local festival that celebrates local agriculture and food. Unique to this festival is the Olma Bratwurst, a sausage that is only made once a year and served during the festival. And let me tell you, this sausage is delicious!!! Along with the great food at the festival there were rides, games, and many, many vendors selling all sorts of goods.

Two hours of wandering the streets of the festival was enough for us in the cold rainy weather so we decided to head back to the hostel and get cleaned up for one last night out on the town in St. Gallen. We had met some locals the night before and had planned to meet with them at a local bar. After meeting with them they took us to another local dance club. This was a great experience having the locals take us around and show us what the nightlife in St. Gallen was like. We turned in to bed early in preparation for another early rise for our travels to Frankfurt, Germany.

Day 8: Fakuma Trade Show

2009-10-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Oct. 15
After a lovely 5 a.m. start to the day we all gathered in the lobby of the hostel at 6 to head to the train station. The train ride to Romanshorn was quick, lasting only about a half hour and then we waited for the ferry to take us across to Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen, Germany where we attended the Fakuma Trade Show. This show focuses on injection molding and extrusion industries.

It was much larger than we anticipated, consisting of 11 buildings, one of which focused solely on extrusion. Our first three hours at the show we spent wandering the first five buildings. During these first hours we had the opportunity to see many interesting things, like a display featuring a Nestal injection molding machine running a 4 cavity stack mold at a 2.97 second cycle time. Also there was a robot display that was running incredibly fast. (Video to come). Another interesting part of the show was the amount of rapid prototyping equipment that was on display.

After meeting with the class at noon we were instructed to meet back up at 2 p.m. and then we were going to head back to St. Gallen. The journey back was pretty uneventful and upon arriving in St. Gallen everyone was exhausted and took a quick nap before hitting the town. After waking up and getting another excellent authentic Swiss meal we wandered around to several bars before making a stop at a bar close to the hostel. There we met some local college students and spent several hours talking with them and cruising around to some different clubs. It was a late night full of fun and excitement. Should be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

(Pictured above, a rapid prototyping display at the Fakuma Trade Show.)

Day 7: Tour of the Schottli manufacturing facility

2009-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Oct. 14
Early rising today for an hour and a half-long train ride up to Diessenhofen, Switzerland, where we toured Schottli. Schottli is a Swiss high precision injection mold manufacturing facility that specializes in molds for the medical and packaging industries. The tour started with a presentation by Johannes Strassner, Schottli's managing director for sales and marketing. His presentation was very informative and did a very good job of showing all of us what Schottli's capabilities are and what Swiss technology brings to the plastics industry. After the presentation we were broken up into three groups and given detailed tours of the manufacturing processes that Schottli's products go through. After the tours, Schottli hosted a lunch for all us. This tour was a great experience and was very informative for all the students.

The journey back to St. Gallen was full of the beautiful scenery of Lake Constance. Once we got back, everyone hit the town to get some dinner, where we had the opportunity to experience some authentic Swiss food. While dining at the Schwarzer Engel (which translates to Black Angel) Restaurant, we were able to get dishes such as pumpking risotto, fresh rabbit and homemade pasta, and also schnitzel served with locally grown vegetables. After a hearty meal we're off to bed to get up early for the Fakuma Plastics Trade Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Days 1-6: Checking out Heidelberg and Interlaken

2009-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
We traveled from Erie International Airport to Detroit where we boarded another flight to Frankfurt, Germany. After we arrived in Germany we started traveling via train from Frankfurt to Heidelberg.

Day 2: Friday, Oct. 9
Upon arrival in Heidelberg we found our way to our hostel. Everyone got settled into their rooms and then we ventured out on the town to get some much-needed food. Luckily the old part of town was nearby and everyone had the opportunity to try some local cuisine. The remainder of this day was spent checking out the nightlife that Heidelberg had to offer.

(Pictured above, the group gathers in Heidelberg.)

Day 3: Saturday, Oct. 10
After an early morning wake-up call from Mr. Meckley, we gathered around 9 a.m. only to discover that the weather was not the best. Rain, rain and more rain had settled in on Heidelberg. After waiting for an hour or so we ventured off to Hofeintritt ErmaBigte Castle, located in the Heidelberg's old town. Still suffering the cold and rain, we ventured into the castle, where we got to see the historical pharmacy museum of Germany as well as several monstrous kegs used to store liquids in the castle over the years. We also noted that the castle had undergone severe damage over the years. After our tour we had some free time for lunch and to make any last minute purchases in Heidelberg.

Everyone gathered at the hostel at 1:30 to gather their things and head over to the train station. Back to the rails to venture off to Interlaken, Switzerland. It was a late night arrival in Switzerland and when we arrived everyone scattered about the town to check into their hostels. This first night in Interlaken most of the students went out and met local people. It was great to experience their culture and sample the food of Switzerland.

Day 4: Sunday, Oct. 11
Unfortunately the culture in Switzerland does not allow for many shops and tourist attractions to be open on Sunday. However we did a very good job of finding what was open. Some of us traveled up into the mountains to experience the beautiful scenery of the Alps. Others partook in outdoor activities such as completing a ropes course and hiking in the mountains.
As stated above Interlaken is a very touristy town and many of us took the opportunity to get all of our souvenir shopping done on this day.

Day 5: Monday, Oct. 12
The faculty asked all students to assemble at the Interlaken East train station at 9:30 a.m. to present them with their planned activity for the day. Some of us decided to go to a castle in the town across the lake. On the way back from the castle we got off the train a couple of stops early and took a cave tour. The rest of us went on an all day hiking adventure.

(Pictured above, from left to right, Tim Farrell, Keith Maloney, Nicole Cocuzzi, and Paul Baird atop Schilthorn at 10,000 feet.)

Day 6: Tuesday, Oct. 13
Today is the last day in Interlaken, Switzerland. Again we met at the train station at 9:30 am to give the professors our daily plan. A group of four of us traveled to the top of a mountain called Schilthorn, which was used as a filming site for a 007 James Bond movie. There were also three students skiing with Mr. Meckley in Zurmatt, who will meet up with us in St. Gallen.

(Pictured above, the view from Schiltorn.)

We left Interlaken at 3 p.m. by train and traveled to St. Gallen. After arriving that evening everyone got checked into the hostel and then headed out on the town to get some food. Early morning tomorrow--Leaving around 6 a.m. to tour a Swiss mold shop.

(Pictured above, from left to right, Tim Farrell, Nicole Cocuzzi, Paul Baird, and Keith Maloney on their way up Schilthorn.)