An Eye-Opening Experience

“Life is not about how high you can climb, but the quality of the journey along the way.” –Assistant Professor Andrew Dickerson

While most Americans celebrated the new year with confetti, kisses and champagne, Andrew Dickerson welcomed 2020 with new connections, a unique cultural experience and a fresh perspective on his career.

The assistant professor was one of 24 faculty members from across the U.S. who spent the beginning of the year in Israel as part of the Jewish National Fund’s 2019-20 Winter Faculty Fellowship Program. He was also the first faculty member from UCF to participate in the program.

The faculty fellowship, which is typically offered in both winter and summer, provides U.S.-based professors with a two-week, fully paid trip to Israel, where they travel to several universities in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and Beersheba to meet with other faculty from their disciplines. The goal is to foster community building, international exchange programs for faculty and students, and international research collaborations.

Dickerson expects to collaborate with at least one faculty member from Ben Gurion University, but the personal connections he made on the trip were just as meaningful as the academic associations.

“I learned that no matter the field of expertise, people just want to laugh and have fun,” Dickerson said. “There are other academics out there like me that don’t take life all too seriously and are at peace where they are in their careers, both on big and small stages. That’s refreshing. Life is not about how high you can climb, but the quality of the journey along the way.”

The trip wasn’t purely academic — the group also spent time sightseeing in Israel. While nearly every experience was meaningful to Dickerson, the most impactful moment was praying at the Western

Wall in Jerusalem.

“It was neat to see Jewish worshipers praying and chanting in the place they have done so for thousands of years, and in the shadow of the Dome of the Rock,” he said. “The experience represented reverence, devotion, and tolerance. I was able to put on a kippah and go to the wall to pray myself, no questions asked.”

Dickerson describes the trip as incredible, and recommends that any faculty member, from any discipline, participate in it.

“It was eye-opening, refreshing, fun, and informative. You cannot believe the sights you will see, the people you will meet, and the food you will eat!” Dickerson said. “I loved Israel more and more as the trip drew on, and came away with a greater understanding of its cultural amalgamation and political challenges.”

Holy Water: Dickerson stands in Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Some historical implements are below. At the top is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, an important mosque in the Muslim faith.

the Jordan River at the site believed to be where the Israelites crossed from what is now Jordan into the

A Historic Sight: The Western Promised Land of what is now Israel.

Hidden City: This is an excavated settlement in Jerusalem, underneath what was a parking lot, believed to date back to the reign of King David. It is thus named the City of David.

Wall of Worship: Dickerson prays at the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, of the Temple Mount. This is the holiest site in Judaism. of the Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa. The Bahá’í Gardens are terraced, with each representing a pillar of the faith. The Bahá’í faith is headquartered in Haifa.

Keep Kosher: The fellows traveled to a culinary school in Tel Aviv to make their own dinner. The meal

Beautiful Botanicals: A view was kosher, of course.

To learn more about the Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel, visit ff2israel.org.

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering College of Engineering and Computer Science University of Central Florida 12760 Pegasus Drive Orlando, FL 32816-2205

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 3575 ORLANDO, FL

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering

DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering