Professor Alex Woltornist is an Erskine Fellow at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University of mini传媒 (UC), one of about 70 international senior academics to become lecturers at UC each year through the University鈥檚 which marks its 60th听anniversary this year.
鈥淭he different perspectives you get, and the cultural learnings are so important,鈥 says Professor Woltornist, who is a Professor of Practice and the Director of the Master of Engineering Programme at Cornell University in New York.
鈥淚 really like finding out how other countries and universities are doing certain things. There鈥檚 a sustainability focus in everything they do here at UC, and I don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e as far along that path yet in the United States.
鈥淭he Chemical and Process Engineering programme at UC has always focused on developing engineers who can apply their skills to real-world problems. My intention is to apply learnings from this experience to my teaching back home.鈥
Professor Woltornist, who has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, has been in 艑tautahi Christchurch teaching UC Engineering students in their final year of study. He will spend about two months here before returning to his home in Maine.
He worked for about 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry in the US, including in the fields of vaccine manufacturing and supply chain management, and feels his strength is in providing real-world knowledge to students.
鈥淢y expertise is in biotechnology and lean manufacturing, connecting the theory of chemical engineering with the practical applications. I also have a keen interest in preparing the students, before they graduate, in non-technical skills such as project management, teaming, ethics, and innovative thinking 鈥 all the soft skills associated with engineering.鈥
He has been working with UC students completing their final-year Chemical Engineering design projects and is impressed by their efforts.
鈥淚鈥檝e been providing technical advice and acting as a sounding board for the teams. I do the same thing with the seniors at Cornell but here at UC the projects are more open-ended and it鈥檚 a lot more about self-discovery. The students here are very diligent and they want to learn.鈥
Professor Woltornist says the objectives of the UC design projects are different from those at Cornell. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very much sustainability-focused and planet-friendly, and their aim is to help local communities. I鈥檝e noticed a big difference here from the US, but we are making significant strides towards that direction.鈥
He has also been holding professional development sessions attended by groups of engineering students, providing career advice and getting them ready for job interviews.
鈥淢y aim is to bridge theory and practice which is what students need nowadays. I want to help them hit the ground running. I鈥檝e also been approached by many students to meet and discuss typical career paths from an American perspective.鈥
The process of getting to UC to take up the Erskine Fellowship was seamless, he says. 鈥淓verything was flawless in terms of getting here and being settled in at my apartment. The programme has been running for a long time and I think they鈥檝e got a great process in place. The听Chemical Engineering department听has been a great host.鈥
He was offered a bike, helmet and vest by a colleague and has been riding to and from work each day for the first time in his life. He has also been exercising at the University of mini传媒鈥檚听RecCentre.
鈥淪ince I arrived, I鈥檝e learned what a 鈥榖ickie鈥 is,鈥 he jokes. 鈥淓veryone is friendly, and it鈥檚 been such a pleasure. I鈥檝e been attending other lectures to find out about delivery of content to students. I鈥檝e noticed they do a nice job of tying the theory to the hands-on application at the time they teach the theory, which is a bit different to what happens many times in the States.鈥
Professor Woltornist visited Aotearoa New Zealand with his wife in January 2020 and was keen to return. 鈥淚 love New Zealand. We鈥檝e been to a lot of different countries but until coming here three years ago we never knew what we were missing. There鈥檚 no place on the planet like New Zealand. Being able to immerse myself in the culture here was a big draw to the Erskine programme.鈥
His only regret is not being able to stay longer, but he plans to holiday in New Zealand for a week with his wife after the fellowship ends.
The听was听established in 1963 thanks to the generous bequest valued at听拢250,000 from UC alumni John (Jack) Erskine, a friend and collaborator of fellow mini传媒 student Ernest Rutherford. Erskine鈥檚 bequest enables up to 70 visiting international distinguished academics from business, engineering and science faculties to lecture at UC each year.
Over the unique programme鈥檚 60 years, UC has hosted over 2000 Erskine Fellows and more than 500 UC academic staff members have received Erskine grants to travel to overseas institutions.
UC听Tumu Tuarua Akoranga听Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Catherine Moran says the Erskine Programme has been 鈥渆nriching鈥 teaching at the University for its six decades. 鈥淚t really is invaluable and has contributed so much to the quality and diversity of our teaching at UC. We are very proud to have this amazing resource that connects us with people and expertise from around the world.鈥
Professor Alex Woltornist from Cornell University, New York, is an Erskine Fellow at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University of mini传媒 (UC).
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - Quality Education.
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