Clad in construction helmets and electric green safety vests, 22 Pitt students walked onto a snow-packed field dotted with chrome geodesic domes linked by a maze of pipes. They arrived in the otherworldly landscape of the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant just hours after their plane touched down in Keflavík, Iceland. It was day one of the University’s spring recess, but these students were engaged in learning.
This semester, the Swanson School of Engineering launched Sustainable Engineering in Iceland: Culture, History and Innovation, a three-credit course taught by Matt Barry, an associate professor of materials and mechanical science. The study abroad course, which combined classroom lessons and a weeklong field experience, was Pitt’s first faculty-led excursion to Iceland.