Chinese food in America is FRAUD. We have all had those late-night take-out from our local Chinese restaurant where we get the fried rice, chicken wings and crab ragoons. However, this is foreign to China. There is so much more to Chinese food than what we see in the American menus. In our time in China, we have had all types of foods from quail eggs to chicken feet. One of the most prominent characteristics to the restaurants we’ve been taken to is the glass turn tables. The servers place all the food here and the individual will spin it around to serve themselves with chopsticks. Below you can find some pictures of the food we had tried in Yangzhou.

Additionally, when we met our groups for the project, my groupmate, Mickey, who is a Nanjing native, gave us some Chinese dumplings called Zongzi. These specific dumplings are vegetarian, made of rice and beans then covered by leaves. This Chinese dish is made once a year for the Dragon Boat Festival which will be held June 18. I was never a big fan of Chinese food back home, however after trying the food here, I have become more open minded, aware, and appreciative of the Chinese culture.

On Friday June 5, 2018 we had the opportunity to visit YanCheng ChunQiu Land: the ruins of the ancient ground city. We were able to not just admire the statues but also learned a little about what they represented. For instance, we learned about the era of Han Dynasty and how the different school came about what they were used for. The some of the twelve various schools of thought during the period from the Pre-Qin to the early Han Dynasty were Agriculturist, Medical Scientists, Taoists, Mohit’s, Political Strategist, Eclectics, Confucianist, Legalists, Logicians, Novelists and Military Strategist they all represents the Ancient Philosophers Garden concentrates on demonstrating the ideological. We also came upon a wishing tree that I thought was super cool. We were actually able to buy a red ribbon to tie the ribbon on the tree with a wish. The tour guide also told us that the higher you place you ribbon the better chance of you wish coming true so of course I tried to place mine as high as I could.

On Monday June 4 we had an opening ceremony, which was very impressive. Vice President of the University, Dean of Management College and Director of International Cooperation welcomed 38 students from US, India and NUPT. The Vice President complemented the GE2 program and wish to have these sessions in Nanjing and Lowell continue and the university has a full support. Students were off to great start fully engaged in class discussion and activities (GOTB was their first activity!). Here are some pictures from the first day.

Prof Crooker and I are taking 11 UML students on an exciting 2-week entrepreneurship learning at Nanjing University of Postal and telecommunications (NUPT), Nanjing, CHINA. Students from India (KLE Tech University) and NUPT students will join us in a multidisciplinary, multicultural entrepreneurship learning. This is our 13th session since we started this program in 2014 and we will have over 725 students attended these sessions after we conclude Nanjing session!

Hi,

My name is Ronnie Zubi, I live in Northborough, Massachusetts with my lovely wife Natalia and our two awesome boys, Matheus (9) and Lucas (4). I am 40 years old. I am originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’ve also lived in Colombia and Venezuela, about a year in each country. This first paragraph in itself tells you why I am going to China. I love travelling and getting to know other cultures!

My academic background is in Information Technology. I attended a specialized program in Data Processing in High School, and subsequently Computer Science in college. I am currently pursuing another academic degree with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. As of now, I have completed 24 out of 30 credits for the Master of Science in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship (MS ITE). My plan is to graduate by the end of 2018.

By attending this international program I am looking into expanding the knowledge I have obtained thus far in the domains of entrepreneurship and innovation. I have had the opportunity to work in different countries in both startups and multi-national corporations and Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation are subjects that have been captivating me for a long time. Today I am a Product Manager at the Education Services Department of Dell EMC. My hope is that I will be able to bring the lessons learned to the market place, using them to bring about the cultural and organizational changes that are required to enable internal workforce transformations as well as the creation and successful development of new ventures.

I also have a personal goal (maybe a dream) to teach at college level in the future and getting a graduate degree with international specialization should help me towards this goal.

Finally, as I grow in my personal, professional and academic life, I’m realizing that the easy part is picking up technologies, tools, the “how to” stuff. What is more difficult is to build the right teams with the proper mindset to come up with the appropriate solution that truly meets needs of individuals and organizations. This kind of organizational requires a set of tools and practices that are best learned by interacting with other practitioners and people from different background and cultures. This, in summary, is what I’m hoping to be able to bring to as well as get from this international program in China.

Once my trip starts, next Monday, I will post more interesting stuff about China and the program (not about me!).  In the meantime, here’s a picture of my family in our recent Spring break road trip while we stopped by Philadelphia.

Travel and study entrepreneurship and innovation with UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business in the Spring & Summer of 2018. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome!

Students will travel to Nanjing, China with Professors Ashwin Mehta and Joan Crooker to Nanjing University of Postal and Telecommunications (NUPT) to learn alongside NUPT and KLE Technological University (Hubli, India) students and immerse themselves in entrepreneurial mindsets and cultural influences on decision-making.

This course is worth 3 credits and is designed to help students understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today’s global economy and to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among the students in the Manning School of Business. It will cover different forms of entrepreneurship such as small businesses, growth ventures, corporate entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. The course will focus on innovation types, turning innovation into reality and the process of entrepreneurship. Innovation and entrepreneurship theories and concepts will be discussed with real life examples and cases.

Read about this award winning program:

• Global Entrepreneurship Exchange Garners National Recognition, Manning School of Business Program Wins Institute of International Education Award, February 5, 2018
• International Program Captures Award for Innovation, UMass Lowell Global Entrepreneurship Exchange Honored, April 24, 2018
• Study Abroad Best Practices Resource 2018 Winner: UMass Lowell Global Entrepreneurship Exchange

Learn More

• Learn more on the UMass Lowell Study Abroad and International Experiences website.
• Read the program brochure and more on the Study Abroad website.

• The Manning School of Business website has information as well regarding other  summer and winter programs.
• Video of 2014 program
• Video of 2015 program
• Read Blogs from past trips:
  • 2017 Blog
  • 2016 blog
  • 2015 blog
• Check out student testimonials from 2014.