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LeadershipHassan II mosque in Casablanca,photo by Steve GarguiloIn preparation for their immersion into an Arab culture, thePenn State students learned about Islam and studied Darija,the spoken Arabic language in Morocco. The course alsoprepared them to talk about their own beliefs and politicalviews, which required some introspection on the part of thestudents.“We were prepared before we went there to expect to beasked certain kinds of questions,” said Gopal Nadadur, amechanical engineering graduate student. “We were toldto be really comfortable with our religious beliefs and to beprepared to talk about what you believe and why you believein it. So we really had to learn our own religions and our owncultures well before we went there. We did a self analysis.”While in Morocco, the students discovered a differentrepresentation of Islam than that which is often negativelyportrayed in American media.“Undoubtedly, the most interesting thing I took awayfrom the Moroccan culture is their devout following ofthe Islamic religion,” said Mike Ducker, a May 2009mechanical engineering and ELDM graduate. “Nearly all ofthe Moroccans we met were Muslim and deeply dedicatedthemselves to the religion. It was an experience in itselfsimply learning more, hands on, about the Islamic religion,its background, and its people.”“At the root of this religion is hospitality and kindnesstoward strangers, and all the Americans certainly experiencedthese aspects exhibited by the Moroccan students and otherMoroccans we met along the way, helping to make theexperience for us even better overall.”During their stay in Morocco, the Penn State students livedin the Old City with Moroccan host families, many of whichspoke very little English. The students ate with, socializedwith, and even learned new bathing techniques from theirhost families.“Visiting hamam with my host family in Rabat was literallygetting dunked into a pool of culture,” said Steve Garguilo, aMay 2009 information sciences and technology and ELDMgraduate, about his visit to the hamam, a public bathingfacility that is much like a wet version of a sauna.“You had to scrub yourself with oil and soaps and soak in thesteam,” said Nadadur, who shared the same host family asGarguilo. “The showers that I take these days are like—I’mnot really clean after this!”In addition to the engineering and cultural exchanges, thestudents gained something of perhaps even greater valueto their lives: friendships. After spending an entire weektogether, the students became very close.“My favorite part of Mondialago was having the opportunityto meet and really get to know our peers at ÉcoleMohammadia d’Ingénieurs,” said Garguilo. “Getting thechance to live and work with people from the Moroccanculture gave me wonderful new insights and enabled me tomake new friends for life.”Through the Mondialogo project, the Engineering LeadershipDevelopment Minor continues its commitment to globalengineering initiatives, promoting cultural education, andpreparing students for careers in the global marketplace.“The knowledge and experience gained through this projectwill be continually applied throughout the rest of my careerand the rest of my life,” said Garguilo. “Knowing that peoplehave different world views and different experiences is soimportant when working on global teams, and understandinghow to best work in these situations to effectively leveragetalent and diversity is also very important.”“I will always think back to my wonderful experiences inMorocco when I commence work on global teams. I hope tocontinue this type of work and especially travel for the rest ofmy life.”—Katie CuppettFor more information about the Engineering LeadershipDevelopment Minor, visit www.eldm.psu.edu. To learn moreabout Mondialogo, visit www.mondialogo.com.Photo: Matt YeamansWould you like to sponsor futureofferings of the Mondialogo project,provide travel grants for students, orcontribute to other ELDM activities?Please contact program director RichardSchuhmann at rxs34@psu.edu.$1 million gift endowsdirector of leadership minorA $1 million gift fromWalter and AnneRobb of Schenectady,New York, will endowthe directorship of theEngineering LeadershipDevelopment Minor.The new endowmentwill be calledthe Walter L.Robb Director ofEngineering LeadershipDevelopment, and theinaugural holder of theWalter L. Robbdirectorship will beRichard Schuhmann,an assistant professor who currently heads the minor.“Walt Robb has been a friend to the Engineering LeadershipDevelopment program since its inception, providing theessential guidance and wisdom that has brought the programworld recognition,” Schuhmann said. “This endowment willenable the program to grow and enhance existing programsand to stay innovative in a rapidly changing world.”Schuhmann began teaching environmental engineeringat Penn State in 1998 and has also taught courses in theScience, Technology, and Society program. He was appointeddirector of the leadership development minor in 2005.Schuhmann’s professional experience includes mappingsubmarine hazards and archaeological sites, underwaterexcavation, building wooden boats, and providing offshoresupport for seismic petroleum exploration. He also is aprivate environmental consultant specializing in modeling thefate and transport of chemicals in the environment.Robb is a 1948 Penn State chemical engineering graduateand a management consultant and president of VantageManagement Inc. A native of New Bloomfield, PA, he is oneof the University’s most generous donors. The Robb familyhas endowed two scholarships at Penn State, as well as a chairfor the head of the Department of Chemical Engineering.Robb is a founding member of the College of EngineeringLeonhard Center Advisory Board and served on theUniversity’s Alumni Council during the construction of theHintz Family Alumni Center.In 1987, he was given Penn State’s Distinguished AlumniAward, the highest recognition the University can bestow onits graduates.Robb served 42 years at various positions at General Electricbefore retiring as its senior vice president for corporateresearch and development in 1993. During his tenure, hereceived a dozen patents relating to his work in permeablemembranes and separation processes and led GE’s medicalimaging business into a $1.6 billion enterprise with morethan 10,000 employees globally.Robb was honored in 1993 by President Bill Clinton withthe National Medal of Technology for his leadership in thecomputer tomography and magnetic resonance imagingindustry. He also served on the council of the NationalAcademy of Engineering.Today he serves on the boards of Celgene and MechanicalTechnology Inc., and is an investor and director of tenstartup companies.—Curtis ChanRichard Schuhmann, assistant professor and director of the EngineeringLeadership Development Minor, will become the first director to hold thetitle of the Walter L. Robb Director of Engineering Leadership Development.Walter Robb, a 1948 chemical engineering alumnus of Penn State and one ofthe College of Engineering’s most generous donors, endowed the directorshipwith a $1 million contribution to the program.46 | SEDTAPP News | Spring 2010Spring 2010 | SEDTAPP News | 47