DTU/TTU Program

I have made reference to this program numerous times on this blog. When I started the blog the main people that read it, all knew what this program is and so I never felt the need to explain it. 2.5 years later, I find, it would be a good idea to explain it again plus it will give me a page to reference back to later. :)

Back in 2001 Texas Tech University (TTU) and Denmark Technical University(DTU) here in Lyngby developed a concept for a duel Electrical Engineering Masters Degree Program funded by Texas Instruments. The idea was that the TTU students would move to Denmark for 15 months where they would take classes at DTU and do research for their Masters Thesis at the Texas Instruments branch in Lyngby. The DTU students would spend 1 year divided between Lubbock and Dallas doing the same thing. At the end of the 15 months or the 1 year the students would receive a masters degree in Electrical Engineering from both universities. In 2001 while Michael was finishing his Bachelors degree Dr. Chao approached him to tell him about this program and the vision and told Michael he was interested in having him be the first student. Obviously he said yes. There was a lot of odds and ends to get the program running and at times we didn't think it would happen but a year later in 2002 everything was set in stone and we only had about 2 months to get ready to move to Denmark.

That was 5.5 years ago and now, there have been 13 students that have done this exchange, 7 of which have already completed it and 6 that are currently in the program. The program has branched out and now some of the students coming to Denmark will do their research at the Texas Instruments in Germany outside of Munich.

There are some articles online about the program as well.
The first link is an article Michael wrote upon our departure from Denmark in 2002 for DTU.
The second is an Article from the Tech Newspaper about Michael and Klaus too.
The third link is about the program, but has a picture of us on there.

An American in Denmark (Written by Michael)
Going Abroad Studing with Advantages
DTU Sets New Standard


We came as the first and got A LOT of special treatment and help from the professor in Denmark that helped set the program. Because of that, one of our motivations for wanting to come back to Denmark was to be here to help out with the new students as they came. A payback to the program if you will. Though I was never a student in the program, I feel great pride in it and want to help out where I can, perhaps because it gave me the experience of a lifetime to live abroad. So, last night we had all the guys that have been part of the program that are in Denmark right now over for beer and food to help welcome the two newest students that arrived only about a week ago. Plus it's always nice to have a house full of Texans and some of our favorite Danes! As it turns out Michael was one of the new students Physics Lab T.A'.s his first year at Tech. That made Michel feel nice and old ;)

The Guys

Jens Skovgaard Olsen, Bryant Heath, David Tiprigan , Michael Pate,
Jason Slay, Klaus Krogsgaard, Christian Toft Bjerreskov

A Couple Other Program Pictures

June 2007

January 2007