Wuhan, People's Republic of China E 08

At A Glance

Term – E 2008

Project opportunities – MQP (ME, IE)

Housing – Shared apartments

Director – Professor Rong

Preparation – PQP in D 2008

Application deadline – November 7, 2007 (before 1:00 PM)

LOCATION

As the manufacturing industry becomes more and more global, many research, design, and manufacturing activities go to China. To experience working with professionals from different backgrounds and in a different cultural environment, 12 ME and IE students from WPI will be selected to work with 18 students from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, China. Six projects defining problems and providing solutions with industrial sponsors or strong industrial application background will be completed. HUST is a major university in China with excellent engineering programs. The mechanical engineering major has been consistently ranked among the top major in China. Wuhan is a large and industrialized city in central China, with a rich cultural heritage and easy access to Beijing and Shanghai, as well as other cities, by train or airplane. Students will stay on HUST’s campus, but may travel to other cities based on the project requirements. Students will have a chance to merge into Chinese culture and experience people’s daily life in China. The projects will be completed within 7-8 weeks.

PROJECTS

These ME/IE MQPs will be conducted at HUST, with possibly 2-3 trips to other cities. The WPI students will work with HUST students in mixed teams, with co-advisors from both WPI and HUST. The projects are real world problems and sponsored by local companies (some of them are foreign invested) and institutions, in the area of mechanical product and system design, the manufacturing processes, and lean manufacturing implementations. The information on previous projects can be found at http://www.me.wpi.edu/Research/CAMLab/mqpinchina/index.htm.

ESTIMATED EXPENSES:

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses	$ 500 $ 500	Groceries and dining out Tourist travel, activities, entertainment & incidentals
Estimated Total Expenses	$1,000	E term tuition NOT INCLUDED see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Summer/tuition.html for details

Subject to change due to fluctuations in exchange rate

Note:

One roundtrip international airfare, project related in-land travel, and lodging costs will be covered by an NSF grant for E08.
In calculating the extra expense to participate in an off-campus project experience, compare this figure to expenses incurred while living on campus (groceries or meal plan, entertainment expenses, transportation, etc.)

Travel Dates:

Arrive on site Sunday, June 15, 2008
Depart site on Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Housing is provided beginning and ending on the dates above. Students who plan to arrive earlier or stay later will need to make their own accomodation arrangements outside of those dates.