UMBC and University of Porto (FEUP) are offering a new course aimed at helping students work within the global context and training engineers capable of solving global, multidisciplinary problems: "The Next Generation Engineer - Global Engineering".

Simultaneously taught to future mechanical engineers by FEUP and UMBC, the course was recently awarded by the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA),with prize "Best Practices in International Higher Education Award" in the category Global Partnerships.

For students in the senior year of Mechanical Engineering (MIEM) of FEUP and UMBC, classes were delivered via videoconference with teachers Dr. Marc Zupan (UMBC and researcher at FEUP), Dr. Anne Spence (UMBC), Dr. António Barbedo Magellan, Dr. Abel Santos and Dr. José Bessa Pacheco, Department of Mechanical Engineering, FEUP. During class students were grouped into cross-continent teams and challenged with developing work on global and multidisciplinary problems, proposing solutions acceptable to the cultural and social framework of the country to which it is addressed or globally.

Teachers at FEUP and UMBC highlight that through this course students are able to develop skills and competencies important for future generations of engineers who have to work on increasingly globally focused projects.