Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
The Panama Canal stretches over 48 miles of Panamanian land and lakes connecting the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Built in the very early 1900s, the canal cuts the old ship route around South America and Cape Horn almost in half.

12 civil engineering students studied abroad this summer in Panama.
The Panama Canal is an engineering wonder, and this summer 12 Zachry Department of Civil Engineering students got to experience it during their six-week study abroad trip. Accompanying the students on the trip was Dr. Anthony Cahill, associate professor of water resources engineering.
The students spent three weeks in Panama’s Ciudad del Saber — the City of Knowledge — and three weeks in Costa Rica at the new Texas A&M Soltis Center. Ciudad del Saber is located in the heart of the Panama Canal watershed on the site of a former U.S. military base from when the United States owned the Panama Canal.
After morning classes (CVEN 301: Environmental Engineering and CVEN 463: Engineering Hydrology) the students enjoyed free time to do their homework, relax, cook or do the variety of activities that the Cuidad del Saber provided.
“At the City of Knowledge they had a pool, many soccer fields, a weight room, basketball court, racquetball court, and even a ping pong room,” Kyle Vrla, a senior civil engineering student, said. “We could spend our free time doing any of these activities as long as we got our homework and studying done.”
During their trip, the students were able to participate in several special activities for the classes they were taking, such as touring the Panama Canal.
Currently, the Panama Canal Authority is working towards expanding the canal and the students were able to meet with the Authority engineers to learn how they operate and manage the canal.
“It’s incredible to think that one of the most important engineering feats of the 20th century is still running as flawlessly as it did when it was first opened in 1914,” senior Lance Ballard said.

Civil engineering students take measurements for a class activity.
While at the canal, they visited the Miraflores Locks and watched the massive ships passing through.
“It is amazing to see the magnitude of these ships. They are huge,” said senior Ryan Opgenorth. (Ryan blogged for Texas A&M Engineering about his experiences in Panama and Costa Rica. Read and view his video diary at http://thinkbig.tamu.edu/blog/index.php/category/Ryan/.)
Also, while at the locks, the students were able to meet the Administrator of the Panama Canal, Alberto Aleman Zubieta. Zubieta is not only a Panamanian but he is also an Aggie (Class of 1973) and the recipient of Texas A&M University’s 2004 Outstanding International Alumnus Award and civil engineering’s 2009 Distinguished Graduate Award.
The last three weeks of their trip, the students stayed in the new Texas A&M Soltis Center near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. While there, they had the privilege of being involved with the center’s opening ceremonies that were taking place during their stay. The Soltis Center is a brand new 40-acre facility that sits next to 250-acres of Costa Rican rainforest.
“I would take time in the afternoon to explore the rainforest and go up and down rivers,” Opgenorth said. “It was really fun and so relaxing.”
On the weekends in Costa Rica there was always an activity planned for the students to do. The students spent one weekend in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. While there, they got to go deep into the rainforest via zip lines. The zip line tour consisted of 18 long zip lines with one of them over 1 kilometer long.
“I had been [on] a zip line before, but nothing compared to this,” Opgenorth explained. “These zip lines were long and fast and you were flying through the rainforest. It was one of the top five things I have done in my entire life.”
Besides the zip line tour, while in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve the students were able to visit the SelvaTura Adventure Park. The park housed animals, insects and reptiles in its Jewels of the Rainforest Exhibit.
Other trips the students took in while Costa Rica included whitewater rafting, taking a dip in the local hot springs, and a hike to the Volcano Arenal.
“[Arenal] is the third most active volcano in the world,” Vrla said. “We went to…Baldi Hot Springs, which are some natural springs that are heated by the volcano. It is at the eerie base of the volcano so everyone is always hoping it doesn’t erupt!”
According to Ballard, living in Panama and Costa Rica was a great cultural learning experience.
“I believe it’s very easy for us to lose sight of the fact that there is life and culture outside of our day-to-day lives here in the United States,” Ballard said. “It was refreshing to see life from a different point of view and in a different way. It was like having another lens to view life through, another way to weigh my life and the things in it in order to see what to cherish and what to lay aside.”
Dr. Cahill said he was extremely pleased with the efforts the students put into their classes and is already planning for the next study abroad trip.
“I hope that we can replicate and improve the experience next summer, when we return to Panama and Costa Rica to teach study abroad again,” he said.
Written by Cassidy Thomas
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