A personal tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center by Nebraska astronaut Clay Anderson was just one of the highlights of the college's annual Engineering Learning Community trip to Houston, Texas in March. Forty students, along with some alumni, staff and members of the college Dean's Advisory Board, learned about building deep-sea oil platforms with a visit to Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd., and enjoyed a bus tour of ExxonMobil's facility in Baytown. The NASA tour featured an insider's look at the re-created space station and the underwater training facility for astronauts.

The students also savored a barbeque at the home of Joe Bryant, '77 MECH, where they networked with alumni employed in the area. The ELC trip is held annually during UNL's spring break and enables freshmen and some returning students the opportunity to experience first-hand engineering facilities and meet alumni and industry professionals across the nation. Much of the trip is funded by Nebraska Engineering alumni.

- J.S. Engebretson