The GTMI-GTLI Summer Language, Culture and Advanced Manufacturing Immersion Program is an annual three-week program held in late-July for international undergraduate students hosted by the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) and the Georgia Tech Language Institute (GTLI). Participation has grown tremendously in the past several years with nearly 60 students in the 2019 program coming from major universities around China and Taiwan.

The program is made up of four major thrusts. The GTMI facilitates a course on advanced manufacturing topics in which students attend technical seminars along with tours of relevant Georgia Tech research labs. The group also attends manufacturing plant tours, such as the Kia Motors and Hyundai Mobis manufacturing plants in West Point, GA.

A part-time, non-credit English language course is offered by the GTLI called “American Popular Culture.” This course gives the students a point of reference for their time in the U.S., which can be disorienting for some. Experiencing American culture first hand is very different than learning about it from halfway around the world. This class can show students the ropes in a comfortable way with their peers.

A relatively new component to the program is the small group design and manufacturing project. Students work in small groups to apply what they have learned to generate a unique prototype using CAD software, 3D printing, and machining tools with guidance and facilities provided by the Georgia Tech Invention Studio.

The final thrust is the underlying student experience of life on the campus of a top American university in a major U.S. city. The program interweaves aspects of cross-cultural exchange, living in on-campus housing, and participating in several local extracurricular activities (e.g. CNN Center, World of Coca-Cola, river tubing, outlet shopping in Helen GA, Delta Airlines flight museum, Atlanta Braves baseball game, and Atlanta United soccer game at Mercedes-Benz stadium, etc.). These activities allow students to network, learn about American culture, and practice English among their peers.

The program winds up with group presentations that the students use to highlight the new manufacturing knowledge they acquired, their favorite cultural experiences or activities, and the challenges encountered to develop their finished prototypes.