#ipesummer22

Hello blog family!

It’s now been a little bit since I’ve been home and been able to readapt to normal suburban life. I am missing so many things about Iceland, but I think what I miss most is how long the days felt and how much I was able to do with my limited time there.

As a highlight of how I spent the majority of my time, I put together a short compilation of some videos I took while there and thought I’d share that with you all. I will say, the video focuses more on the nature in Iceland rather than the amazing people I was with, so just keep in mind that the majority of these adventures I was able to take with great friends and not all by myself!

Overall, Iceland was an absolutely amazing experience and I very strongly recommend it to you all if you get the opportunity.

Cheers!

Shaylin Ciaramitaro

Aerospace Engineering

Hi everyone!

I’m sad to say that my time in Iceland has come to a close and I’m now reporting to you from the suburbia of Michigan. While I am definitely missing Iceland, I have to admit that it has been kinda nice to return home and be able to relax and reflect after 6 crazy weeks.

Unfortunately, my last week in Iceland was filled with a lot of studying for final exams. I think it goes without saying that the least enjoyable aspect of studying abroad is definitely the studying. But even though this is the case, I will definitely miss Reykjavik University (and for more than just the free coffee).

My two teachers Ágúst Valfells and Kári Halldórsson taught two very difficult classes in such a short amount of time and actually managed to make them pretty enjoyable. The workload wasn’t too extreme, and was generally based on our understanding and application of material rather than being solely based on homework and tests.

In my sustainability class, the lectures were very interactive and adapted to the questions we had. As far as the grading scale went, it was very laid back and relied almost solely on an end of term project to design our own systems of using renewable energy sources. By the time the end of the program comes around, you will feel really prepared for this so don’t worry!

The workload for my coding class (EECS 280 equivalent) typically consisted of lectures and experimentation early in the week, labs with a short take home portion due Wednesdays and a programming assignment given out on a Thursday and due the following Monday. While this may sounds like a lot, I thought it was very manageable due to the small class sizes and 1 on 1 attention from our instructors. Also, our programming instructor (Kári) was very flexible with our assignment due dates as he realized that we all came from different coding backgrounds and needed additional time to get caught up with certain topics.

Additionally, it is a HUGE advantage to have so many other students/ friends/ roommates to reach out to for help with homework or as a study partner. There were definitely times when a few of us would struggle to complete an assignment and be up until 3 am together trying to get it done.

But beyond the academic experience, studying abroad offered the opportunity to make lasting memories and friendships. In between study sessions during the last week, my friends and I still found time to watch the sunsets, get ice cream and fit in all of our last minute shenanigans.

That’s all from me until next week!

Shaylin Ciaramitaro

Aerospace Engineering

I’ve been having some wifi troubles so I apologize for the late blog but better late than never!

This week was really very work focused as my research symposium is coming up very quickly and I only have a few more weeks in the program. There were a few highlights though…

On Wednesday, we went bouldering. It was my very first time and it was a lot of fun! One of my friends is very good at it and was able to give me some tips. If you’re curious.. it’s a lot easier to start with your arms fully extended and then pull up.

On Thursday, I was able to print my structure 2 more times which is very exciting! I’m changing the inputs slightly every time and slowly perfecting the process.

This weekend, the program took a trip to the Rursee, which is a man-made lake about 1.5 hours away from Aachen. This probably was my favorite trip in all of Europe so far. It reminded me so much of home and spending the summer on Lake Michigan. We went kayaking and hung out in the water for a long time! At night, we had a bonfire.

I have been having a great time in Europe this summer and I’m sad for it to end in 3 weeks! At the same time though I’m excited to see family and friends back in the US.

For the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to finishing out my research and presenting it on our research symposium.

See you next time!

Grace Whah

Biomedical Engineering

Hello readers!

Inevitably, 5 weeks have flown by faster than I could’ve imagined. With only a week left, there is still so much to do and so little time to make it all happen. So my roommates and I decided to make the most of our last weekend by exploring the Northwest peninsula of Iceland- the West Fjords.

It was about a 4-5 hour drive to get to the base of the west Fjords where we made our first stop at Hrunalaug nature bath. This spot was much more secluded and natural than other hot springs I’ve been to and it was a really nice way to relax after being on the road for so long.

Our next stop was at Látrabjarg in the Southwest part of the peninsula. This was easily one of my favorite places I’ve been to throughout all my travels in Iceland. Several bird species (including puffins!) reside in these tall cliffs along the water. It is an extremely scenic location and very different than the terrain in most other areas of Iceland. Just make sure you have a jacket if you go because it gets really windy at the top!

Another must-do of the West Fjords is the Dynjandi waterfall. This was one of the largest and most scenic falls I’ve seen here. The hike to get close to the main waterfall is very beautiful because it follows the river and includes multiple smaller falls on the way up. I definitely recommend stopping here and checking this out if you have the time!

Lastly, and remember this one, Tjoruhusid restaurant. I’m not kidding you absolutely have to go here. Especially if you love fish or seafood like me or even if you don’t- this is the place to try it. It is located in Ísafjörður, a town in the Northern part of the Fjords. They serve everything buffet style so it allows you to try a lot and it is very reasonably priced (Cheaper than at least 1/2 of my meals here so far). Everything is served extremely fresh- like caught a few hours ago fresh- and the inside of the restaurant is very homey. It is easily the best fish I’ve had during my time here. If you plan on going for dinner though, make sure to make a reservation because they fill up very quickly!

Although my time here is approaching an end, I can look back on all the amazing experiences I’ve had and good friends I’ve made and feel perfectly content :)

Cheers!

Shaylin Ciaramitaro

Aerospace Engineering

Hello readers!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer. I’m glad you’ve tuned in because I’ve got a hot take for you this week.

It looks like my time here in Iceland won’t include seeing an active volcano erupt (so unfortunate but realistically for the best). Yet, my desire to see and learn about lava could at least be satisfied at the Icelandic Lava Show. The show is located in the town of Vík which is only about a 2 hour drive South from Reykjavik and is accessible by taking a Strætó bus. The guides are really informative and explain everything from how volcanos form to the different types of lava and how they harden into different formations. The show also gives a lot of context about the city of Vík and how it’s been shaped by the surrounding volcanos in the region. The highlight, of course, is being able to see the lava up close and feel the intense heat that it radiates. I highly recommend going if you get the opportunity!

Another Iceland “must do” of my week included trying the famous fermented shark. Although I love to try new foods, I will admit that this one was a little bit scary for me. The Greenland shark is a species of shark without a bladder (which I learned means that it urinates through it’s skin). This is why the shark is fermented in order to make it safe to eat. Honestly, it doesn’t taste as bad as it sounds (I’d probably give it a barstool rating of 4.6). It is something I’d probably not order on my own again, but I’m glad I tried it anyways. I encourage you to try it if you get the chance…but whatever you do, DO NOT smell it before you eat it.

(The shark is the small cubes in the jar on the right & on the left of it is dried cod fish jerky)

Well that’s it from me this week, cheers!

Shaylin Ciarmitaro

Reykjavik, Iceland

Hey everyone! Welcome to another week of Grace’s European adventures. This week (same as every week) was lots of fun and I’m starting to realize that my time here is almost gone. Tomorrow will mark 7 weeks in Germany, meaning only 4 weeks left. As much as I miss my family, it’s gonna be a really weird feeling to not be in Europe anymore and not be seeing my friends every single day.

Monday was just like the last few Mondays.. I had German class, then work, and then I went to the cineplex with some friends to watch the Nick Cage movie - The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It was hilarious, and if you’re a fan of Nick Cage movies like I am, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

On Tuesday, I worked almost all day to finish preparing for my printing that would occur later in the week. Not too much of note on this day, except for the fact that it was Schnitzel Tuesday in the Mensa and it was delicious!

For Wednesday, I had German class in the morning and then intercultural training through the UROP program that afternoon. This was the third and final intercultural training event we have had through the program. It definitely taught me a lot about looking through different perspectives and being aware of my own cultural perspective. We talked briefly about the culture shock we could experience when we return to the States, and I definitely think I’ll experience some of that (not super excited for that part), but I think after time I’ll adjust to being back home to normal again. After the training, my friends and I watched High School Musical 2 in my room. If you remember from last week, we need to complete the trilogy since one of my friends has never seen it. I love being able to have movie nights with my friends after a long day!

On Thursday, I had a long day of work followed by weekly karaoke night in Aachen with my friends. Karaoke night may be my favorite night of the week because it’s something consistent that my friends and I can get together for and have fun (who doesn’t like karaoke?)!

Friday, we went to the annual Türmfest party that is hosted by one of the student dorms in Aachen. My expectations for a dorm party weren’t that high, but there were food vendors and live music so I was blown away. It was a really cool experience!

On Friday at work I was also able to print 100% by myself for the first time (yay!!). Here’s a pic of the process.

On Saturday morning at 5am my friends and I got up bright and early to head to Amsterdam. I’ve had this trip booked since my first week in Aachen so it’s been a long time coming. We got there in the morning and set off on our journey for an incredibly long day. We had a 2.5 hour walking tour, a canal boat tour, and toured the Anne Frank House. In between each of these activities, we were able to walk around the city and take in all of its beauty. It truly was one of (if not the most) beautiful place I’ve seen since I’ve been in Europe, and I really enjoyed the trip! I’d recommend it for sure if you’re near.

This morning, we got up and headed straight for The Fault in Our Stars bench, hopefully you get the reference.

Then we went to the Maritime Museum. After that, we started our 4.5 hour journey home. I’m on the train now writing this and I feel so lucky to be able to travel so much within my time here in Europe. I’ve been able to see so much in the last 7 weeks, and I can’t wait for the next 4.

So long for now!

Grace Whah

Biomedical Engineering

The first destination on my “must stop” list is the Gullfoss waterfall. It’s a really short hike to get to the main viewpoint of the waterfall and you will unavoidably get wet along the way, but I promise it is well worth it!

Next on the list is Geyser national park. I have to admit I had absolutely no idea how cool the geysers would be before seeing them in person. It’s again, only a short hike from the parking lot, although there are trails that will take you a little further up a mountain if you want an elevated view. I promise that once you’re able to get over the sulfur smell, you will really enjoy watching the geysers erupt in this scenic spot!

In my personal opinion, the famous Blue Lagoon hot spring is a little bit overrated. While undoubtedly beautiful, it’s also very expensive and crowded. If you are looking to have a similar experience for half the price, definitely check out the Sky Lagoon in Reykjavik. It’s a little bit smaller, but offers an amazing sunset view over the ocean and a more relaxing environment than the Blue Lagoon. I went with my other friends in Michigan’s IPE program and we had an amazing time!

If you love a good hike you should definitely check out a trail I went to in Hveragerdi. The trail is about a 2 mile hike to the top of a mountain to get to a natural hot river where people love to relax. It’s much more private than many other well known hot springs and it’s incredibly scenic along the way up. Here’s some pictures I snagged from my journey!

I know that there’s still so much more here to see, but I hope that this list was helpful if you are planning on coming to Iceland anytime soon. After visiting these amazing places, I feel even more inspired to learn about sustainability and help make a difference to preserve our beautiful planet.

Until next week,

Shaylin Ciaramitaro

Aerospace Engineering

Hi everyone!

This week definitely had its highlights and lowlights but all in all, I’m in Europe so who can complain?

Monday I was in Brussels to spend my boyfriends last day in Europe. We had a blast, bought berets with our friends, and of course- tried a Belgian waffle. We also had Belgian fries, which I was not expecting to be good because it had “Mayo” on it. But it turns out, that it is not actually what we think of Mayo to be. It was actually really good! Everywhere I go, I’m so excited to try new foods. I’m almost always happy with the choice to try something! After that, we took the train home and fell asleep. After a long weekend, we definitely needed the rest!

On Tuesday, I went into research early and got a lot done to make up for the national holiday on Monday causing me not to be able to work. While I’m still in the beginning stages of my research and receiving trainings on all of the equipment, I’m still always super excited to go in and get stuff done. Starting next week (hopefully) my trainings will be done and I’ll be able to start my experiments on my own. To train, I’ve been making hydrogel support baths and probably will continue to do that for another week. After a couple more trials, I’ll be making my support bath with thrombin, and once I’m really good at my job, I’ll be 3d bioprinting a fibrinogen solution with smooth muscle cells isolated from human umbilical cord into my support bath. The 3d bioprinter will follow a CAD model of a ring that I make. After it is printed into the support bath, I’ll put it in the fridge and the thrombin support bath will melt away, leaving only my structure. This structure has actual smooth muscle cells in it (supposedly) so if I have more time in my research, I’ll be able to slice open my muscle ring and do some analysis on it to see how many muscle cells are in it and essentially how good of a job I did at isolating and transferring the cells into my ring. That was a LOT of information- if you’re really into tissue engineering like me, you’re probably really interested, but if not, sorry for the wordy rant. That whole process will take a really long time, so it will probably fill the rest of my time here. Hopefully by the end, I’ll have successfully 3d bioprinted my muscle ring!

Tuesday night we surprised one of my friends because his 20th birthday was Wednesday! When the clock hit midnight, we brought out 2 small cakes and balloons to celebrate him. It’s so crazy how good of friends I’ve become with the people on this trip in such a short time. I’m so glad to have met all of them!

On Wednesday, we went to the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Unfortunately, we were not able to take any pictures during this trip, but it was so fun! While I am not super into the aerospace sector of engineering (sorry to all of my aerospace people out there), I found it incredibly interesting, especially the institute of the center that deals with trials in human health. The DLR wants to mitigate the adverse health effects that affect astronauts who have been in 0 gravity for 6+ months and afterwards, return to Earth. They deal with high eye pressure and blood pressure, muscle deterioration, and cardiovascular problems (amongst other things). The DLR takes human participants to undergo 2 month long studies to research how to combat these health challenges. I really enjoyed touring the DLR, and you should definitely check it out if you’re in the area (especially if you’re into aero!)

On Thursday, I was really beat from the long weekend and honestly feeling pretty homesick. After research, I spent some time calling my family. I got to FaceTime my little 2 year old nephew, and I got a little emotional (happy and sad both!) when he pointed to the screen and said “auntie!!!”. Before I left, he couldn’t really recognize people on FaceTime because he’s really young and didn’t understand it. I was so happy to see him, but it’s really hard watching the rest of my family’s lives go own and my nephew grow up without me there. I miss them terribly but I know that this is the experience of a life time and I will not regret it.

After I talked to some family, I went out with some friends to the local karaoke night. It’s a little embarrassing to say, but we were in fact recognized by some people because of how often we frequent the Thursday night karaoke. It was so fun, and I love just having a great time with friends after a long day of research!

On Friday, after work, I was lucky enough to visit my UMich roomie studying abroad at #IPEParis for the weekend. After spending Thursday feeling a little home sick, it was really awesome to see a familiar face. I got in late on Friday night, so we only went to get a quick snack and then went to bed to get ready for the long day on Saturday.

Saturday may have been the busiest day that I have had in Europe to date! I walked 33,300+ steps for the day, which is my highest count for a single day in Europe so far. We barely sat and just were on the move the whole time- so much to see in Paris! To start the day, we got a pastry at a local bakery and then went straight to the Louvre. While the line was long, I would say it was 1000% worth the wait. We went to Greek History/Artifacts exhibit as well as the French/Italian Paintings exhibit. Everything was so beautiful. One thing that was really surreal was getting as close as one can get to the Mona Lisa. It’s behind bullet proof glass, and thankfully, by the time we got there it was cleaned off from the recent cake mishap! It was a really crazy moment to be able to stand in front of the real Mona Lisa.

After that, we did a little souvenir shopping and then got some lunch at this small cafe near the Notre Dame. Of course, when I saw we were near it, I had to go walk over and see it. It’s still under reconstruction from the 2019 fire, so we could not go inside, but even seeing the front of it was a really cool experience.

Next, we booked it to the Sainte-Chapelle, a really beautiful chapel in Paris! It was one of the few chapels I’ve been in that was not free, but it was worth the fee to see the insanely detailed stained glass.

After the chapel, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower to see it in the daylight (I had made it known to my friend that if I only could do one thing in Paris, it would be to see the Eiffel Tower at night). Walking up to the Eiffel Tower genuinely felt like I was in a movie- it simply did not feel real. After we saw it just appear in the sky during our walk, I could not stop smiling and it really was the craziest feeling. You always see the Eiffel Tower in movies or on social media, but it is such a different feeling in person. I couldn’t beliebe that I was actually there. That was one of the moments that I’ve felt the most blessed for this opportunity to be in Europe. I’m so thankful for these 11 weeks and all of the opportunities and experiences that have been afforded to me. At this point, we were feeling REALLY tired. We had not stopped walking practically all day long.

We went back to where I was staying and took a 10 minute power nap- that was all I needed to get back on track for the evening. We grabbed some meats, cheese, and a baguette and went back to the Eiffel Tower! Ate a quick dinner there, watched the sunset, and then started our climb up to the middle of the tower from the inside. While it seemed intimidating, it really wasn’t that hard of a walk and I’m so glad we did it. To be able to say I climbed the inside of the Eiffel Tower is worth any leg pain I feel today. While we were up on the middle floor, the lights of the tower came on, and a little bit later, we got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the inside. After we took a thousand pictures from the top, we came down and waited until midnight for it to sparkle once again. Seeing the tower sparkle might be my favorite experience in Europe so far (definitely my favorite in Paris at least). If you go to Paris, you must see this. It is so worth it even if you think it’s dumb. Our view was beautiful and that memory will be stuck with me forever.

This morning, we went to the Palace of Versailles. I’ve seen the pictures and heard the stories thanks to my history classes in the past, but it was even crazier to actually see it in person. We had to get back for my train back to Aachen so after a good visit, we went back to Paris.

As I sit on the train home and write this, I’m truly reminded of how amazing this experience is. I’ve been here for about 5 weeks now, and I’ve got 6 more to go. I cannot believe how much I’ve been able to see and explore during these first 5 weeks. I’m blown away at this opportunity, and I know I’m making the memories of a lifetime. Thank you to UMich and RWTH Aachen for giving me this awesome ride.

Talk soon!

Grace Whah

Biomedical Engineering