Mechanical Engineering Home > REU Summer Program

Where we are Now

From Mickey Clemon (REU 2008)

I am studying Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Institute of Education through CET Academic Programs for this academic school year. This is an intensive language program. I chose it because it is the best and fastest way to learn Chinese. We live with Chinese students and are only allowed to speak Chinese. My roommate is also a Mechanical Engineering major at China Agricultural University.

Aside from constantly interacting with Chinese college students I do a little traveling. Thus far I have seen most major sites in Beijing including Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, etc. as well as local markets. I made it to Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi Province for our Fall break. The mountains and rivers there are very pretty, though the tourists are numerous. Just recently we went to Haerbin, where a large Jewish and Russian influence has shaped the city's culture. While in Haerbin we visited a WWII era Japanese Germ Warfare Experiment Base. It seemed remarkably similar to the Concentration Camps in Germany and Austria.

Probably the most interesting part of my time here has been learning about the ideology and priorities of the Chinese. Many customs and expectations are just plain new to me. These unique points of view have a mix of the long history and brokenness of the past century in China.

Mickey Clemons at the Great Wall

Guilin, Guangxi Province

From Sara Whitmer (REU 2007)

Life at Wisconsin is treating me well. I like UW Madison and have had some great opportunities to get involved here.I'm taking Prof. Klein's Solar Energy Class here this semester. If all goes as planned, I will be graduating this May and I am definitely looking forward to it. I've been keeping busy filling out applications and going to interviews to try and line up a job before May. I'm mainly looking for jobs in the energy field - there are definitely jobs out there, so I'm just hoping I'll be able to find one that will be a good fit.

This photo was taken this summer during the Sustainable Energy Fellowship on Duke University's campus. The Fellowship is an intensive one-week program that involves presentations, site tours, debates and discussions that relate to energy. A ton of topics were covered, including technology, policy, economics, and climate to name a few.