Drs. Prezzi and Salgado, professors of Geotechnical Engineering in CE, are leading a group of students in a study abroad class focused on Brazil Energy and Transportation Infrastructure.

Follow their trip through the daily updates at:  https://plus.google.com/117647761151137590110/posts.

Also, an article on the trip was featured in the May 21st edition of the Purdue Exponent:  http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_d7731ddd-b25a-5d09-a7ba-7b888e814a45.html.

Three central themes in current Brazilian infrastructure programs will be covered:  energy (Pre-Sal offshore reservoir, offshore wind farms, ethanol production plant), transportation (Sao Paulo subway line under construction), environmental/sustainability issues (Itaipu dam and work to mitigate impact of construction of this large dam) and preparations for the 2012 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

The program is a multi-city program, with sites in Foz do Iguacu, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Rio and Campos.

Lectures by faculty -- emphasizing concepts, theory and design -- are combined with overviews of the projects and specific discussion by engineers involved in the design and planning of different components of these projects.  Strong emphasis will be given to the differences between the U.S. and Brazilian engineering practices and cultural contexts.