In early July 2024, 20 students participated in the joint summer school of the ZHAW School of Engineering and Grand Valley State University, focusing on the topics of data science and AI. For the 11th time in a row, students from different degree programs and with different cultural backgrounds came together to develop joint projects. The students spent a total of four weeks in Switzerland and the United States.
Patricia Heuberger, Head of International Relations at ZHAW School of Engineering, gave us some insights into the history of the summer school program and the highlights of this trip.
SWISS IMPACT: As the head of International Relations at ZHAW you are responsible for exchange programs and summer schools organized by your faculty in cooperation with universities around the world. Can you tell us how the cooperation between ZHAW and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) started and how it has evolved since?
Patricia Heuberger: This is a very longstanding collaboration, initiated by my pre-predecessor Prof. Armin Züger and Prof. Paul Leidig on the GVSU side. I do not know how the collaboration and eventual friendship came about, since it goes back more than 10 years, but what impresses me is that this institutional partnership has successfully weathered changes of generations. Today, the program is coordinated by me on the ZHAW School of Engineering side and Prof. Ira Woodring, Professor of Computer Science, on the GVSU side. And it is fair to say that we continue to get along very well!
It is important to note that we do not only offer the joint summer school with GVSU: we also have a student exchange agreement and a double degree program on the Masters level for the School of Engineering as well as for the School of Management Law. Hence, this partnership is quite strong and multilayered.
SI: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence sounds like a program that has its finger on the pulse of recent developments. Does that reflect a particular strength of both ZHAW and Grand Valley State University in the field?
PH: Yes, absolutely! Both universities offer very strong computer science and data science programs. The educational coordinator at the ZHAW School of Engineering is Dr. Manuel Dömer, the program director of our BSc program in data science and an expert in these topics. One of the advantages of the ZHAW School of Engineering is the close collaboration it offers with industry and companies. Hence, our lecturers teach content that is applied in the corporate world and that students can use and apply once they have graduated.
SI: How do ZHAW students qualify and sign up for this program?
PH: The program is announced and promoted and students can apply for a spot. On the ZHAW side, registration was competitive, and we couldn’t accept all applicants. Students can participate after having completed their first academic year in their study programs in a subject area such as computer science, data science, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or engineering and management. The goal of the summer school is that students work on interdisciplinary and intercultural teams, similar to the corporate world.
SI:What do the students participating in the summer school program learn and take with them for their future careers?
PH: The program was set up such that the students, in groups of four, had to develop an entire project within two weeks. They worked on interdisciplinary and intercultural teams and had to present the product at the end of the two weeks, which was a tight deadline. With this approach, we want to mimic a professional work environment. All of our graduates will eventually start their careers in companies or on an academic track and need to work on interdisciplinary and intercultural teams. They will need to find ways to define and reach a goal and communicate in different ways. This is challenging, but rewarding. And it is easier to develop skills in this set-up, in a more “protected” environment like the summer school.
SI: What are the benefits of this cooperation between both schools for ZHAW and for the professors joining the trip?
PH: For us coordinators and faculties it is a wonderful experience to foster the cooperation. While we stay together as part of the program, we also discuss future improvements of the program and brainstorm new ideas. Lecturers joining the program can benefit from direct and trustful faculty contacts at GVSU for future joint research projects. And from what we hear, it’s fun to teach the group, as the sessions are set up differently from regular classes. We have also invited several data scientists from private companies, such as UBS, Comparis or Amazon Web Services (AWS). These contacts provide additional opportunities for collaboration.
SI: A cooperation is also about embracing different ways of doing things. What would you say are the main approaches where ZHAW and Grand Valley State University learn from each other?
PH: This year, all GVSU students had a computer scientist background, whereas ZHAW students came from three different disciplines. Some students had less experience in designing entire projects, but had more expertise in programming. The students had to discuss and structure the project, assign tasks among themselves and ultimately present a final project. Both sides learned a lot through these discussions and negotiations. Sometimes, students educated in different disciplines also have different terminology and approaches in terms of how to tackle tasks. My sense is that they all learned from each other in the process.
SI: Are there any particular highlights that you remember from this trip to Michigan or from previous ones?
PH: Generally, I am really impressed by the student cohort and by how quickly they became friends and worked together so well. I was also very much impressed by their presentations; all of them presented a functional app or service tool. This year, my faculty colleague, Dr. Jonathan Fürst, accompanied the group for the two weeks on the GVSU campus. But what impressed me most when I visited GVSU earlier this year, was the vast size of the campus and the wonderful sports infrastructure. No matter which sport a student is interested in, they can for sure play it at GVSU.
SI: Ms. Heuberger, thank you for your time and for giving us insight into ZHAW’s summer school program with Grand Valley State University and the trip to Michigan!
Take a look at some of the highlights of this year’s GVSU student trip to Switzerland in the image gallery below.
