This summer I had the opportunity to study abroad at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where I took CHE 323: Unit Operations Laboratory, an important and demanding hands-on experience with pilot scale chemical engineering processes. While I had previously traveled through parts of Europe—Germany, Switzerland, and Italy—I had never been to Scandinavia and looked forward to experiencing how it compared to other areas of Europe and the United States.
One of the most notable aspects of Denmark was its commitment to environmental preservation. National goals around sustainability are ambitious, but what makes them stand out is how closely they’re tied to everyday life. For example, wind turbines can be found all along the coast, and in some restaurants, leftover food comes with an added cost to discourage waste. It’s a clear reflection of how Danish culture connects goals to daily practice.
That same mindset extends into engineering. At DTU, the emphasis on efficiency, minimizing waste, and considering long-term impact was evident in the lab work. It was a reminder that technical training does not happen in isolation but is influenced by broader cultural priorities.
The class itself required a significant focus on time management. Normally CHE 323 is conducted over an entire school year, while in Denmark it was fit into 1 month. This meant doing 2 experiments a week and spending the days in between cooped up in a library or at the residence compound typing up 20+ page reports. The course demands did not leave a lot of time to explore the city, but with careful time management we were at least able to have a bit of fun here and there.
Outside the classroom, the environment in Lyngby—a small town outside of Copenhagen—where we stayed, offered its own perspective. Neighborhoods often appeared more natural and integrated into the landscape compared to the more manufactured look common in many U.S. suburban areas. And, of course, Danish bakeries added their own charm—pastries were easy to find and consistently excellent.
Overall, my experience combined technical learning with a deeper sense of how culture shapes both engineering practice and daily life and despite the workload, taking the class in Denmark was one of the best decisions I have made so far.
