Program Description
In this 6-week, 6-credit program, you will live, study and explore three separate regions in Ireland. You’ll start your Irish journey by spending the first week of the program at Notre Dame’s castle-like Kylemore Abbey Global Centre on the west coast.
Then the program shifts to Dublin where you’ll stay in University College Dublin dorms and take classes in O’Connell Hall at Notre Dame’s Dublin Global Gateway. In the final week, the program shifts to the historic town of Sligo to finish classes and explore the northwest coast of Ireland.
This program is open to all engineering students.
The 2027 program will be led by Professors Anthony Hoffman and Meenal Datta.
Courses
All students enroll in both of the following courses for a total of 6 engineering credits.
EE 24235: The Science and Engineering of Digital Photography
Instructor: Professor Anthony Hoffman
Every photo you take is the result of decades of scientific discovery and engineering innovation. EE 24235: The Science and Engineering of Digital Photography introduces students to the science behind digital images, from the behavior and collection of light to image sensors and digital processing. Through lectures, problem-solving, and hands-on experiences with digital cameras, students will explore fundamental concepts in optics, optoelectronics, image quality, and image processing while learning to look at photography from an engineer’s perspective.
Students will use dSLR cameras to capture images in Ireland and analyze their photographs using MATLAB or Python, exploring concepts such as image noise, dynamic range, lenses, and sensor performance. Field trips and the surrounding environment will provide additional opportunities to connect engineering concepts with real-world examples of optics and photography. Designed for rising sophomores, the course requires no previous experience with optics, semiconductor devices, or image processing and gives students a unique opportunity to use Ireland itself as a setting for exploring the engineering behind the images we capture every day.
AME 34573: Physiology for Engineers
Instructor: Professor Meenal Datta
As humanity enters a new era of space exploration and commercialization, engineers will play an important role in helping people safely travel to and live in space. AME 34573: Physiology for Engineers explores how the human body responds to the unique challenges of spaceflight, including microgravity, cosmic radiation, isolation, and other environmental stressors. Students will examine human physiology and health in space through an engineering lens, drawing connections between biological systems and fundamental engineering principles.
Using concepts from thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics, students will investigate the physiological changes that occur during spaceflight and explore how engineering can help prevent or address associated health risks. Drawing on current scientific research, students will apply what they learn to propose engineering-based solutions designed to improve human health and performance in space.
Tentative Dates
May 17 – June 27, 2027
Housing
You’ll live one week at Kylemore Abbey, four weeks in dorms at University College Dublin, and a week at a hotel in the town of Sligo on the northwest coast.
Program Fee
The cost for the 2027 Summer Study Abroad Program is $9,800, plus a $200 University Study Abroad Administration Fee.
The program fee includes the cost of 6 Notre Dame engineering credits; accommodations for six weeks, including some group meals; GeoBlue international health insurance; all program academic outings and field trips; and on-site program support from Notre Dame faculty and Global Gateway staff.
It does not include the cost of airfare; some meals (about half of the meals are provided); passport/visa fees; international cell phone/plan; personal spending money.
All students are considered for need-based engineering scholarships to help underwrite program costs.
Apply
Applications will be accepted September 30 – November 3, 2026.
Program assignments and waitlist notifications occur before Christmas break.
Questions?
Feel free to contact:
Mike Kitz
Executive Director, Summer Engineering International Programs
mkitz@nd.edu
Todd Taylor
Director, Summer Engineering International Programs
ttaylo24@nd.edu