Kei Yamamoto - Imperial College, London (Summer 2005)

My study abroad experience was different from other students. First, I'm an international student from Peru studying at Purdue University. I didn't take classes; I was involved with a research internship. I was in London for 9 weeks, 8 of which I was working. I was enrolled in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) which is a well established program at Imperial, but it was the first time that a student from Purdue had participated. So, there were a lot delays in the paperwork that created an inconvenient start. However, everything changed as soon as I arrived in London. I could not have asked for better treatment or a better organization.

My research was on superalloys, specifically CMSX-4 and the seeding issues Rolls Royce was dealing with at the time. My research involved casting CMSX-4 single crystals and looking at the resulting microstructure and orientation transfer from the seed. This work involved frequent use of the microscopy (SEM), which helped improve my SEM skills. I also travelled to the Rolls Royce plant in Derby, England. It was a very interesting tour because it was very personal, since there were only two of us with the tour guide.

While in London I met a few friends from high school. It was really nice to see them because I hadn't had the chance to spend time with them ever since we graduated from high school. I usually see them once or twice when we are back in Peru, but it was definitely nice to spend 8 weeks with them. It was also nice to know somebody in a new place. They helped me out a lot the first couple of weeks when I had no idea how to move around the city. It was also nice to meet all their friends, who for the most part, were not British. I probably met around 40 people during my trip of which only two were British. I guess when you are an international student, you get to meet other international students.

I stayed in a residence hall that was about 15 minutes from campus. This was convenient because I could walk to work every day, which saved money. In the residence hall I met some really amazing people from Hong Kong, France, Iran, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece. It was interesting to talk to them and see what they thought about the events going on in the world like the war in Iraq, the European constitution and topics about their countries that you don't read in guide books or the newspapers.

Overall this was a wonderful experience that I wouldn't change for anything. Even though I'm an international student here in the US, the whole experience of going to a different country for a second time was very enriching.