Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Engineer

The purpose of our trip to England is to study various British Leaders and learn new leadership qualities.  I am traveling as a representative of our school's Phi Theta Kappa chapter, and will be serving as reporter for the school newspaper on this trip.  We will be spending a lot of time with our sister college in Somerset and will be staying with host families who have students in the school.  We will then travel to London for two days and a night of sight-seeing, eating, and shopping.

The first leader we learned about is Isambard Kingdom Brunel.  In a recent poll, he was nominated as the "Greatest Briton of All Time."  He certainly seems to be in my opinion.  He was the engineer who led England into the modern age.

Brunel's father was Sir Marc Isambard Brunel who designed the Thames tunnel.  Young Brunel helped his father complete the tunnel in 1843.

Brunel designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge in 1829 and the design was accepted in 1831 by England's most prestigious engineer at the time.  The bridge expands the width of the Avon Gorge in Bristol.

Unfortunately, Brunel died (in 1859) before the bridge's completion in 1864.  During his life, Brunel designed many important bridges, tunnels, railways, docks, and ships.  Including the SS Great Eastern (1858), SS Great Britain (1843), and SS Great Western (1837).

The leadership quality associated with Brunel is Vision.  Vision is considered one of the greatest leadership qualities.  A leader with vision has goals and a means to achieve.  They are able to articulate these goals to inspire others to help put them into motion.

For more information about him watch the Isambard Kingdom Brunel documentary.

Owl Post

This will be my new travel journal. I will be traveling to England during Spring Break, therefore, I would like to share my thoughts with the world. I may also divulge some random misadventures that occur at school. TTFN!