Ten students in Tennessee Tech University’s Department of Counseling and Psychology got an immersive lesson in cultural psychology with a recent 18-day study abroad trip to Malaysia.

Led by Tech faculty members Nicole Henniger, associate professor of counseling and psychology, and Mary Kidd, professor of physics, the students spent nearly three weeks building bridges of cultural understanding and enhancing their knowledge of psychology against the backdrop of Malaysia’s bustling cities, remote villages, rich architecture and historic shrines, temples, mosques and churches.

The travels were part of a course titled “Science in Cultural Context” and included a packed itinerary that saw students visit a nuclear reactor, travel through a rain forest, spend time at a monkey sanctuary, process coffee beans on the rugged island of Borneo and foster international collaboration and friendship with Malaysian students and fellow researchers.

Through it all, students developed a keener understanding of human behavior and emotions as they interacted with locals a world away.

“This was an opportunity for students to learn about cultural psychology and the history of different cultural groups in Malaysia,” said Henniger. “We also got to have some special cultural experiences like visiting a tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands, trying durian [a unique tropical fruit that is native to the region] in Kuala Lumpur, seeing the architecture in Singapore and sharing sweet dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival celebration in Penang.”

The Tech students and faculty stayed in residence halls at the Asia School of Business in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur, where they received warm local hospitality from their hosts.

“The students enjoyed meeting other young social science researchers at the Asia School of Business’s ‘ASEAN Research Center,’ also known as ‘ARC,’” said Henniger. “On our first day there, ARC even threw us a mixer, which was also a surprise birthday party for one of our Tech students.”

Professor Kidd enhanced the students’ immersive psychology experience with hands-on physics lessons, also in the Malaysian cultural context – including a visit with nuclear physicists at the National University of Malaysia.

“The faculty at the National University of Malaysia’s Nuclear Technology Research Centre were very generous in hosting our group for the day and discussing the scientific, economic and political aspects of doing this type of research,” said Kidd. “With special clearance from the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, we visited the TRIGA PUSPATI reactor. The nuclear reactor was running, and the pool was glowing blue with Cherenkov radiation.”

The students even volunteered at a local nonprofit called Yayasan Chow Kit, a 24-hour crisis drop-in center providing meals, activities, therapy, case management and educational programs for at-risk children in Chow Kit, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

“They provide a safe space and holistic support to kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks due to poverty, lack of documentation or unstable family situations,” explained Henniger. “Playing with the kids to practice their English was a joyful and humbling experience.”

Henniger emphasized that the 40-hour international journey was itself an exercise in psychology, as students were able to reflect on their own experiences with jet lag, stress management and coping skills.

Kidd added that, at the trip’s conclusion, the group marked their stateside return with a quintessentially American experience: a stop at Buc-ees.

“We are grateful for the support of the College of Education & Human Sciences, the Department of Counseling & Psychology, the Provost’s Office and all our campus partners who supported this trip for making it possible for our students to gain this life-changing experience,” concluded Henniger.

The trip comes as Tech has doubled down on its commitment to study abroad opportunities for students through its new Center for Global Experiences.

The center, housed in Tech’s Volpe Library, will send out nearly 300 Tech students on study abroad trips by the end of this year – nearly double the number of students who studied abroad in 2024. Learn more at https://www.tntech.edu/studyabroad/.