Students from the University of Mississippi's Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto during a summer trip to Japan. The group learned about the culture of Japan as well as touring its manufacturing facilities. Submitted photo
Course bridges classroom learning with unique experiences abroad
by Erin Garrett
Fifteen students in the University of Mississippi‘s Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence traveled across the globe to gain behind-the-scenes access to some of the world’s leading manufacturing facilities.
The May intersession study abroad experience, led by Tyler Biggs, CME associate director for external operations, allowed the students to immerse themselves in cultural and professional Japan for nine days.
“This has been a bucket list item for the CME for a long time,” Biggs said. “We wanted to take their college experience and give them hands-on international experiences outside of the classroom.
“The idea is that they will gain a deep understanding of how companies that have locations in Mississippi can function in an entirely different economy.”
The trip included visits to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kyoto manufacturing facilities including Nissan, Toyota, Kirin, and Coca-Cola.
Charles Jackson, a rising senior mechanical engineering major from Oxford, observed differences in work culture.
“It was very interesting,” he said. “When we visited Toyota in Japan, they were following all the same principles as Toyota in Blue Springs. Although, there was more of an emphasis on efficiency and productivity over work environment in Japan.”
Beyond the industrial tours, students visited shrines, a sumo wrestling match and a baseball game.
“The sumo match—they take sumo wrestling very seriously,” Jackson said. “When you walk into the arena, people were dressed very ceremonially. Even the corporate sponsors had banners that were hand woven.”
Tabitha Webster, a rising junior accounting and marketing major from Richmond, Texas, was struck by the respectfulness of Japanese society.
“I think, honestly, seeing the Japanese culture and how respectful and modest everyone was made a huge impact on me,” she said. “Everyone is very courteous of each other, whether they are going shopping, walking the streets or riding the subway.”
Abigail Moeller, a Tupelo native and senior biomedical engineering and Chinese major, said the experience was invaluable for her future career prospects.
“Seeing factories in Japan was truly an exceptional experience,” she said. “Not only was I able to observe the layout and organization of several manufacturing facilities in Japan, but I was also able to interact with the manufacturing personnel and learn about their firsthand experiences.
“This experience will definitely make an impact on how I navigate my future career and how I interact and conduct business relations with people, as it has given me a more holistic understanding of the manufacturing industry from an international perspective.”
Biggs emphasized the unique nature of the course and said it will alternate with a trip to Europe and Asia every two years.
“This is one of the unique things that we want to offer our students,” he said. “The CME is a unique program, this is even a more unique trip, and by offering it, we’ve become a premier outlet not just for education inside but also outside of the classroom.”
