MU has been working together with Texas Tech University (TTU) for the past four years on a bespoke collaboration that MU specifically developed, created and implemented for TTU. This collaboration has grown steadily year on year, most particularly over the past twelve months, in which the partnership has seen significant growth resulting in new developments and collaboration through increased student enrolment, faculty engagement between both institutions, and discussions on potential research collaborations. This collaboration has led to TTU becoming one of MU’s closest international partners and the fantastic students and faculty that have visited MU have enriched the campus with their creative ways of thinking and approaches to academic learning.
This international collaboration between Texas Tech University and Maynooth University continues to grow from strength to strength. Traditionally seen as a partnership that just involved TTU students visiting MU, the summer of 2019 saw Maynooth send its first student to study abroad at TTU on a fully paid scholarship to participate in the Whitacre College of Engineering Research for Undergraduates Summer Program. After a number of visits and time was spent developing and nurturing the partnership between the International Office and staff at TTU it was agreed that the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering would cover the costs to cover an MU student to travel, study and live in Texas for the summer. After initiating at application process among undergraduate students at Maynooth, Mr. William Mc Donnell, a 3rd year Bachelor of Engineering student, was selected to be Maynooth University’s first ever representative at the prestigious TTU summer programme. After performing excellently with his studies William was commended as one of the top students to participate in the Summer Programme and as a direct result of his participation TTU have committed to providing full scholarships for two MU students to attend the programme in 2020.
Below is a short piece written by William detailing his time and experience study abroad at TTU for the summer of 2019.
Written by MU student William Mc Donnell:
In April of 2019 I received an email from a lecturer in the Electronic Engineering Department at Maynooth University. It was accompanied with a basic flyer with one small picture that caught my attention. It was a picture of a giant flag on an American football field and it epitomised the stereotypes of American Universities and sports. I knew this was an opportunity that I could not pass up on and so I wrote an essay stating why the department should pick me and I submitted it to the competition. I wasn’t very confident as I know there are some very good students here at Maynooth and so I thought I’d try to grab their attention in another way. So I nervously submitted my essay with an accompanying picture of me on a horse, miserably attempting to lasso a calf and I stated that “I would fit right in in Texas”. Surprisingly, a few days later I received news that I was chosen to go to TTU and so my journey began.
I flew to Texas on the 5th of June 2019 and after an exhausting four hour wait at immigration and a missed flight I finally reached the “small” city of Lubbock. My late arrival was partly due to the biggest dust storm that Lubbock had ever seen and so there was sand everywhere, even lining the inside of my new dorm bedroom’s window. The bedroom I was assigned was simple but convenient, having everything I needed. I shared an apartment with three others, all from South America and so my Spanish language skills rapidly improved.
For the first few days I was encouraged to enjoy the pool, the sun and to acclimatise to my new surroundings, whilst the final touches were being done to my paper work. I made great use of the incredible sports facilities, especially their eight indoor basketball courts and the longest lazy river of any university in the USA. I quickly learnt that walking through grass in the early mornings was a bad mistake as the mosquitoes are most active then. The first of many lessons for a hot, semi-arid desert climate.
After my settling in period I met with my advisor, Dr. Changzhi Li. I had done some research on Dr.Li and I saw that he was a very successful and well respected engineer and so I was eager to speak with him. He suggested some project ideas for me and showed me some of the latest developments in the field of high-frequency short range radars. Dr.Li then introduced me to his team of PhD students who I would later become great friends with and have many an enlightening conversation with.
I stuck rigidly to the working hours of nine to five and whilst I was in the lab I read frantically, constantly trying to catch up on all that I didn’t know and that I was convinced that I needed to know. Most of this, I never used. This reading did however give me a starting point for my project and from that point on my time in the lab was a stressful hurry to get a tiny piece of wire to act the way I wanted it to. Luckily, it did. I wrote a paper and made a poster based on my experiments and submitted it to a conference.
The most enjoyable night of this entire time was held at a TTU member of staff’s house. He kindly hosted a barbeque for the students on my program and some members of the TTU’s department of engineering, one of which was Dr. Al Sacco. Dr. Sacco is a former NASA astronaut whose mother hailed from the town of Athlone. Thus, the conversation started between us and a few Murphy’s stouts later he gave me the most inspirational speech that I have ever heard. He shared many of his experiences with us that night and I am grateful he took the time to do so. The night was topped off with a few songs, a few tunes and a Columbian playing some reels on the spoons.
I will never forget my time at TTU and I am incredibly thankful to all involved in getting me over there. It changed my perspective on many things and provided me with access to equipment and people who helped me enormously in my project.
William Mc Donnell
Bachelor of Engineering
Maynooth University
2016-2020
