ALTOONA, Pa. — A recent trip to Germany gave Penn State Altoona community members a chance to raise visibility for the rail transportation eengineering (RTE) program and build connections across the European and global rail industry.
Hai Huang, professor of engineering at Penn State Altoona, RTE senior Isabella Grogan and Jungwoo Ryoo, chancellor and chief academic officer at Penn State DuBois and future interim associate dean for adult and non-traditional education at Penn State Altoona, recently traveled to Berlin to network and develop future rail collaborations with companies, universities and research institutes.
The trio attended InnoTrans, the world’s leading international trade fair for transport and rail technology, and visited vendors around the city to learn about emerging technology. They met with representatives from the German Railway Industry Association as well as Campus OWL, a network of five public universities in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region of northwestern Germany. These visits opened discussions on industry partnerships, student exchanges, and recruitment.
"By connecting Penn State Altoona with European and global universities, companies, and research institutes, we can prepare RTE students to serve as knowledgeable bridges between the U.S. and European rail industries while expanding enrollment and strengthening the global reach of our program," Ryoo said.
Grogan said she is grateful for the experience. She enjoyed exploring InnoTrans, notably getting to view the inside of tampers and regulators, learning to use different types of track tools, and running an excavator through a virtual reality simulation.
She met with leaders from several major rail companies and spoke with them about the RTE program. Through these meetings, Grogan says she was able to arrange a few interviews for career opportunities after graduation.
She said she was excited to share her perspective on the RTE program with leadership from German universities and give them an idea of what students learn and experience at Penn State Altoona.
“Overall, it was interesting to see global technologies as they are very different from what we do in America," Grogan said. "Getting to speak about opportunities with other universities and major companies in the industry was very beneficial to both the RTE program and my own career growth. InnoTrans was a great learning and networking experience for me.”
Ryoo said Grogan’s experience demonstrated the "tremendous value" these international opportunities can provide to students.
A Campus OWL delegation will visit Penn State in early November with stops at Penn State Altoona, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Hershey and Penn State University Park.