This summer a group of 30 students and four professors from the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University will be studying their senior thesis in China. The goal of the five-week abroad class is to expose students to companies, practices and construction management professionals that they would never be exposed to otherwise.

According to the BSCI Auburn Web site, China consumed half of the world’s concrete used last year. The Chinese government also predicts that 15 million people will migrate from rural to urban areas every year for the next 20 years.

Taylor Brannan, a student partaking in the research, said he is looking forward to the trip.

“I look forward to being in these big cities and finding my way over the five weeks,” says Brannan. “Being in emerged in a drastically different culture will be very interesting. I haven’t had first-hand experience with anything Chinese past Cheng Du in Auburn.”

According to the McWhorter School of Building Science, students in this special thesis study abroad class will partake in work equivalent to or more challenging than the traditional building science thesis class.

The abroad class is taught by Professors Bruce Smith, Scott Kramer, Junshan Liu and Peter Weiss. These professors will also be joining the students on their Chinese journey. The group will visit Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an. Although much time will be spent working and studying, the students will have many opportunities to go sightseeing and experience the Chinese culture.

For a portion of the trip, the building science students will stay at SIAS International University just south of Beijing. Weiss, an associate professor in the Auburn University College of Architecture, designed the campus for SIAS International University. It is the first solely American-owned university in Central China.

Each student going to China this summer is currently taking a preparatory class at Auburn University. Part of the class is devoted to learning about the cultural differences between the United States and China, and another part is for thesis research. The students have already chosen a focus for their thesis.

Brannan has chosen to focus on sustainability and construction. In his thesis he will compare the strength, safety and environmental impact of metal scaffolding used in the US with bamboo scaffolding used in China.

Smith, a professor making the trip, said that he has great expectations for the students.

“Each student will take away something different from the experience. The core of the experience is opening of minds to depth of how different things are for the people in other countries, and how they still have all the same concerns, goals and aspirations for their lives and their country.”

For more information on this trip or future trips sponsored by the McWhorter School of Building Science, visit the BSCI Auburn Web site.


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