PCE News
New GLEE Academy Gives International Students a Hands-On Engineering Experience
July 21, 2026
A PCE summer program that gives students from around the world a chance to learn and improve their design and engineering skills is already looking to the future after a successful debut.
The Global Learning through Engineering Experience (GLEE) Academy was created and led by PCE Global Engagement Director Samhita Rhodes, PhD. Campers spent ten days on GVSU’s City Campus learning from PCE faculty and students, visiting and networking with community and business partners and learning and practicing new skills including embedded design, prototyping and advanced manufacturing. At the conclusion of the academy, students earned graduate badges in design thinking after presenting a final project design to a PCE panel.
“Engineering is a key part of the global economy and connecting our world-class program with students from around the world is a natural step as we continue to prepare the learners who will build the future,” said Rhodes.
Participants say the experience was life changing.
“It’s been an amazing time and all the hands-on opportunities really set this program apart,” said Qies Sloulin, GLEE participant
“The industry visits where we had access to see how the work is done and meet the people that do it was even better than expected,” said Soham Phansalkar, GLEE participant. “Seeing how engineering theory is put to use in real-world examples is something that will elevate my studies moving forward.”
A variety of PCE faculty and staff assisted with the academy, including Affiliate Faculty member Kathryn Christopher, who delivered class content to the students every day and Shape Corp. IDC Operations Manager Ryan Aldridge, who led upskilling workshops.
The students stayed in a City Campus living center and in addition to their classroom time, visited metro Detroit, where they saw the Henry Ford Museum and the production line at a Ford assembly plant. They also took a trip to the Lake Michigan shoreline, which featured a behind the scenes tour of Grand Haven’s Musical Fountain to see how it operates and the work Laker engineering students have done to upgrade the fountain process.
“Not only did we enjoy the beautiful campus, but the trips around the state were interesting and relevant to what we learned at the camp,” said Sloulin.
Rhodes says in addition to being enthusiastic participants, the students offered great feedback on ways to make the camp even better next year.
“With this year’s successful launch serving as the foundation, we’ve already jumped into planning for 2027, “said Rhodes. “When the participants tell you that they wish the experience was longer, you know that you are making a positive impact.”
Information on the academy and updates at 2027 can be found online.