Friday, May 18, 2012

We started off with a trip to the main campus of DTU about 10 km outside of Copenhagen. We had a presentation from a student that is finishing his Master's Degree in nanotechnology engineering. He showed us how an engineering idea can become a business plan, and different ways to start your own company along with his experience. It was a very interesting presentation. If I had to redo college all over again, I would consider doing the entire program at the Danish Technical University near Copenhagen. The campus is very modern and beautiful despite it's age.

Since today is the day after their holiday, everyone has taken the day off for shopping, and the weather was perfect for it. The streets were crowded almost as much as the MN State Fair. Copenhagen is the cycling capital of the world, and it shows. We looked through the very large Royal Copenhagen store. We then stopped at the Copenhagen Amber House and Museum. I then hunted down a hold-in-the-wall glass blowing shop that I had passed by the previous day.
Today is beautiful! We had bitter cold winds yesterday with rain and hail off and on all day. Today It is sunny and warm with a slight breeze down the canals.

We started off with a trip to the main campus of DTU about 10 km outside of Copenhagen. We had a presentation from a student that is finishing his Master's Degree in nanotechnology engineering. He discovered a way to apply reactive gas etching to silicon solar cells to make them absorb more sunlight across the entire light, IR, and UV spectrum. He has competed in numerous technology and business competitions to win money to fund his research and to start up his company. He showed us how an engineering idea can become a business plan, and different ways to start your own company along with his experience. It was a very interesting presentation.

We then gave our presentations that we planned prior to the trip regarding Denmark's history, culture, and notable figures. We had a lunch break and met two student representatives from Riga. They told us about their experience at DTU and Riga and gave us some advice for places to go. If I had to redo college all over again, I would consider doing the entire program at the Danish Technical University near Copenhagen. The campus is very modern and beautiful despite it's age.

This city is simply stunning. The history, culture, architecture, and art, flow so smoothly throughout the entire city. There truly is no single spot in the city that is "THE place to be
." Every street and building is just a beautiful as the next.
Copenhagen 2 (79).JPG
Since today is the day after their holiday, everyone has taken the day off for shopping, and the weather was perfect for it. The streets were crowded almost as much as the MN State Fair. Copenhagen is the cycling capital of the world, and it shows. Bicycles are everywhere, and almost every street has a bicycle lane, and every corner has at least one bicycle rack. There are even public bikes that you can just grab and use as long as they aren't locked. Although, despite the heavy bicycle use, not a single person wears a helmet.

Jeremey and I wandered all over town looking at the shops that were closed the last two days. We enjoyed the smell of roasted almonds and the dozens of outdoor patio restaraunts. We looked through the very large Royal Copenhagen store. We then stopped at the Copenhagen Amber House and Museum. Amber is Denmark's only mineral and was previously used as a form of currency. They also import green amber from the carribbean and Venezeula. I then hunted down a hold-in-the-wall glass blowing shop that I had passed by the previous day.
Copenhagen 3 (12).JPG
I'm taking a break to rest my feet before getting dinner and finishing my shopping. Tomorrow we are taking a day-trip to Malmo, Sweden across the sound for our free day.