(1) Academic Course on Corporate Social Responsibility
In class this week, we continued our discussion from our inaugural classes on campus, finishing the set of educational videos about Adam Smith and discussing a bit about his ideas. With this, we also were able to visit Circularity on Friday, May 26. Circularity is an Italian company that aims to consult with other firms striving to create a more circular economy in Italy. A circular economy is based on the ideas of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, and Circularity helps companies find ways to reuse all of their materials that are used when manufacturing products and services. Our discussions of Adam Smith and the Circularity visit paired nicely to understand some European economic ideas and how they may compare with what we see in America, as well as just the basis for many economic decisions around the world. I look forward to discussion this upcoming week as we continue to talk more about different economies and begin to dive into our discussion of current events following our first Wall Street Journal entries.
(2) Practicum in Milan with an Italian Company
This summer, I will be interning with BTS Bioengineering, a bioengineering company based in Garbagnate Milanese right outside of Milan. They aim to create technologies and systems to measure ergonomics in patients and athletes, allowing doctors, therapists, and trainers to personalize plans for their clients in order to improve their mobility. My first week has been focused on integrating me into the office and creating a plan for the summer, both by scheduling my “Smart Work” days and introducing the products. Because my commute is about an hour and fifteen minutes, I will be utilizing the Italian “Smart Work” capabilities by working from home some days each week. It was interesting to hear about the way they leave leniency for their employees because of the typically long commutes. Other than creating my in person/smart work schedule, I also was given educational materials to begin learning about the products and services that BTS Bioengineering offers customers. While reading through these brochures and letters, I also was asked to look over the English in each document. This led to some interesting discoveries such as the Italian use of the Oxford comma (or rather lack thereof) and other lingual nuances. Overall, the first week got me excited in continuing to work with my coworkers through the summer and continuing to learn more about working for an engineering company.
(3) Social and Cultural Immersion through Travels in Italy and Europe
Despite this being our first week in Italy, our 2023 cohort for Lehigh in Milan has not been shy about exploring the country. Throughout the week following our orientation with IES, we had many “family” dinners and trips, including the IES sponsored trip to Lago Maggiore on Saturday and a last minute trip to Cinque Terre Monterosso yesterday.
After a week of exploring Milan, at Lago Maggiore we had the chance to visit some of the private islands and their Palazzos. The views were stunning, and the group enjoyed a day filled with walking along the shores of the lake and the hallways of the palaces. After dinner and a quick four hour rest that night, a group of us met downstairs in Aparto at 5:00am to catch a 6:00am train to Cinque Terre! We had bought tickets last minute on Friday afternoon, and we were looking forward to sleeping on the train and then relaxing on the Italian beaches of the Mediterranean. We couldn’t have planned a more perfect relaxing Sunday after a long week of exploring Milan, and the eight hour round trip was a small price to pay for an amazing trip to Monterosso.
