In light of the recent meeting at Copenhagen, Claire and I attended it in hopes of learning about the current UN projects in developing countries. We also hoped to have an introduction to the establishment of NGOs and the research process involved in creating appropriate and sustainable technology. The result? We ended up being the only two undergraduate students in attendance at the conference of over 200 people. This was our first clue to being slightly out of place.
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Many of the topics - for example, bamboo roofs and solar-powered lantern rentals - were quite interesting and innovative. We had the opportunity to talk with some of the presenters during the lunch break, and it was nice to have a one-on-one conversation with a person who was interested in implementing different types of wall materials for houses. It was evident that this group of people did not have much respect for students of our age, as the topic of conversation usually steered toward the casual, "So, you're an exchange student? How do you like Lausanne?" or "So, have you found any good places to go out?" instead of discussing the importance of community and cultural understanding, on-site implementation, and discussion with villagers on their daily needs. It was quite frustrating at times to keep moving the conversation back to the main topic, but it is possible that we made some sort of lasting impression on the scientific community and their views on undergraduate attitudes.
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The lack of student interest was surprising but not unexpected, considering the cost of the conference. Claire and I decided that the US, especially Iowa State, does a better job of advertising upcoming conferences and seminars and makes them economically feasible for student budgets. We are privileged in the US to be able to choose our courses and have a more focused curriculum of study, whereas undergraduates in Europe are required to take a fixed list of courses each semester based on their year and subject. The flexible American university system allows students to take courses based on different disciplines and helps students form more concrete ideas about their area of interest. In materials engineering, for example, EPFL students take courses on ceramics, metals, polymers, and electronics, along with many mechanics and processing-related courses. This does not leave room for specialized courses, thus making it difficult for to students to find their interests at an early stage in their bachelor studies.
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I was particularly frustrated with an NGO representative during one of the last debate sessions of the conference. He asked us about feedback on how to make NGO efforts more successful, and people contributed ideas about having more facilities available for student research and providing opportunities for students to travel to the developing countries and perform on-site work. After the debate, I walked up to this representative and tried to ask him a question about his views on providing information seminars at universities for bachelor and master students. Before I could ask my question, though, he claimed that he was not part of EPFL, he was an NGO representative. After I informed him that I was aware of this fact, he told me that he did not have time for my question - that he had to go talk to someone else - and that I should email him so that he could fully understand my question before he responded. In short, I guess he was not looking for feedback from the likes of me, and Claire concluded that he just wanted funding. It's great to know that is such little regard or respect for student input.
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