Auburn Engineering Student Studys at Moscow Aviation Institute

Sending students to study aerospace engineering in Russia would have been unthinkable in the days of the space race, but now in a time of globalization it seems unthinkable not to broaden the boundaries of education to foreign horizons.

Auburn University sends and receives international students every semester, and the things these students learn and experience abroad are beyond what tests and grades can measure.

“The reason I went to Russia was because I want to be an astronaut for NASA,” said Judith Bailey, A senior in aerospace engineering.

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Bailey was the recipient of a Rotary International Scholarship. The Rotary Foundation says the purpose of the scholarship program is to further international understandings by fostering friendly relationships among people of different countries or geographical areas.

Rotary International is a globally diverse association of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs. The name comes from the practice of rotating meetings between members’ offices in the early days of the first Rotary Club of Chicago, formed in 1905. Today, there are more than 33,000 clubs worldwide. The club’s members provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Bailey attended class at the Moscow Aviation Institute for an entire academic year. While taking engineering and Russian language classes, she also spent time attending speeches and gatherings at the Rotary Club Moscow International.

“I enjoyed the people at the club,” said Bailey. “I made a lot of friends.”

English and non-English speaking students visiting Russia from other countries, commonly referred to as “expats,” also have various social venues in Moscow to congregate, relax and have fun.

Bailey said that the academic dynamic in Russia was different compared to her experience in Auburn. Class schedules were assigned to students on bulletin boards. Instead of using computers they organize everything by hand.

“The professors I had spoke both English and Russian,” said Bailey. “They were interested in speaking English to me as well as Russian.”

The exchange rate between the dollar and the Russian ruble favored Bailey over her stay. During the financial panic last year the rate of exchange devalued from 27 rubles for a dollar to 36. Because she kept her money in dollars, Bailey got more bang for her buck near the end of her stay.