Amelia Roosen
Program: UMD-Spring Break: Iceland: The Land of Fire and Ice: Sustainability, Climate Change and Renewable Energy Systems
Term: Spring Break 2026
Major(s): Mechanical Engineering and Anthropology
Special Programs: Gemstone Honors Program
This study abroad allowed me to get technical elective credit, while also traveling to a new place and meeting amazing people. As a double major who is also in Gemstone, my class schedule has been very packed throughout my time at the University of Maryland. Since freshman year I had been planning to attend, and looking forward to this study abroad which allowed me to relieve some of the academic load in my final semester.
I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn about the culture of renewable energy in Iceland, and how it has been so successful. But I am also grateful for the chance to meet Icelanders and hear their stories and perspectives which is only possible on a study abroad.
I was very lucky to meet many engineers from UMD that I had not previously had the chance to speak to during the class which was very rewarding. I also felt very lucky for the chance to listen to the stories told by our tour guide over the multiple days he spent with us.
The biggest challenge in Iceland was the weather. It snowed almost every day we were there, and paired with strong winds the weather would just cut through whatever you were wearing. At points I would be wearing almost every layer I brought and still feel the cold and the wind. For me, other than wearing more layers, the best way to deal with this challenge was to be grateful. I was in some of the most beautiful places on earth surrounded by awesome and interesting people and the weather could not take that away. I feel that this perspective allowed me to even enjoy the times where I was not the most comfortable.
I was surprised by how few of the people we met were actually from Iceland. Most of the people running the tours we went on, or just people we met while in the city, were either from the U.S. or Europe and had decided to settle in Iceland. Although we did meet some Icelanders, they did not make up the majority of people I met which surprised me.
If I hadn’t studied abroad, I would have never tried fermented Greenland shark.