Keystone Abroad

Keystone Abroad invites students to experience foundational engineering in a new way by combining core technical coursework with immersive, short-term study abroad experiences. These faculty-led programs allow students to learn engineering concepts not only in the classroom, but also in the places, cultures, and communities where engineering has shaped societies and continues to do so today.

By expanding traditional Keystone courses to include dedicated space for global and societal perspectives, Keystone Abroad challenges students to think beyond equations and problem sets. Students explore how engineering decisions affect people, environments, and cultures, and how those contexts shape the technologies we build. Through immersive learning, reflection, and shared experience abroad, Keystone Abroad helps students begin their engineering journey as thoughtful, globally aware, and empathetic engineers prepared to make a meaningful impact

Mechanics I and the Strong Light Works of Artists and Engineers offers incoming engineering students a distinctive start to their college journey through the Terrapin Take Off program. Before students ever set foot on campus, they develop a strong foundation in engineering mechanics and statics, including static equilibrium, force systems, material behavior, and structural analysis, while also exploring how these principles underpin some of the most enduring and influential structures in the world.

A defining feature of ENES122 is its required study abroad experience in France, which takes place in August prior to the start of the fall semester. France provides an extraordinary setting for examining how engineering practice is shaped by culture, history, and societal values. Through visits to iconic works ranging from soaring cathedrals to iron towers, as well as museums and modern urban infrastructure, students explore how engineering solutions emerge from the intersection of technical constraints, cultural priorities, and historical context. Students begin to see how structures reflect not only what is possible to build, but what societies choose to build and why. ENES122 invites students to begin their engineering education with a global perspective and a deeper appreciation for the human dimensions of engineering from day. Students who complete this course will satisfy the ENES102: Statics engineering major requirement included in many degree programs.

 

Thermodynamics and the Technologies That Transform Civilization offers students a distinctive way to experience a foundational thermodynamics course. Students build a strong technical understanding of energy systems, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and power and refrigeration cycles, while also exploring how these principles have shaped societies, economies, and the built environment.

What sets ENES332 apart is its required spring break study abroad experience in Scotland, one of the most compelling places in the world to study thermodynamics. As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and a leader in modern renewable energy, Scotland provides a powerful lens on how energy technologies evolve over time. Students engage with iconic engineering works such as the Falkirk Wheel and the Whitelee Wind Farm, visit museums that trace the rise of industry and energy systems, and learn from experts helping to advance today’s clean energy transition. Through immersive, place-based learning, students come to see thermodynamics not just as theory, but as a set of ideas that continue to power civilization and shape our shared future. Students who complete this course will satisfy the ENES232: Thermodynamics engineering major requirement included in many degree programs.


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