Timothy Winans
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Global Competence

From a U.S. Department of State internship with the International Joint Commission to a multinational Global Engineering course, my work has taught me to solve problems alongside people whose countries, disciplines, and assumptions differ from my own.

Intercultural Competence

Step 1 · Competency Statement

Through my previous work, I have gained intercultural competence by working with cross-disciplinary technical teams on projects and mission-based work that span borders. Whether dealing with natural systems, such as watersheds and rivers, or artificial systems, such as software and control structures, these systems do not stop at national borders. Addressing them requires bilateral and multilateral collaboration that I genuinely enjoy.

Step 2 · Narrative Experience (CARL Framework)

Context

I took UMBC's Global Engineering course, a joint program with the University of Porto in Portugal, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia in Brazil. Students from all four institutions worked in international teams to design solutions to real-world global challenges.

Action

Working across time zones, languages, and academic traditions, I helped my team use human-centered design and systems thinking to frame the problem and develop a solution. I focused on making sure each member's perspective shaped the design, rather than defaulting to the approach most familiar to me.

Result

Our team delivered a solution grounded in the needs of the people it was meant to serve, and I completed the course with a certificate signed by faculty from all four partner universities.

Learning

I learned that the hardest part of international collaboration is not technical. It is building shared understanding before choosing a direction. That lesson carries into my study of international law and security, where lasting solutions depend on parties who start from different places.

Step 3 · Supporting Evidence
Global Engineering Certificate (PDF)

Ethics of Global Engagement

Step 1 · Competency Statement

Through studying abroad, interning for the U.S. State Department, and working on collaborative cross-cultural and transnational teams involving technical projects and cross-border governance, I have gained a valuable understanding of both the complexities and differences between countries and the similarities we all share as human beings.

Step 2 · Narrative Experience (CARL Framework)

Context

Much of international engagement happens between parties with unequal leverage and mixed motives, and a good deal of what is called diplomacy is positioning. In that setting, ethical engagement is less about shared ideals than about being honest regarding what each actor wants and can actually do.

Action

I analyze cases through bargaining theory, including Zartman's ripeness and zones of agreement, and negotiation texts such as Fisher and Ury's Getting to Yes and Voss's Never Split the Difference, which both start from understanding the other party's interests. In my Pakistan mediation case study, I assessed whether Pakistan had the leverage, trust, and credibility to move the United States and Iran toward settlement.

Result

I concluded that Pakistan could carry messages and host meetings but lacked the carrots, sticks, and trust that mediation requires, so the diplomacy would remain largely performative. Naming that limit plainly, rather than crediting good intentions, was the more honest assessment.

Learning

I treat needs as a practical starting point rather than an ideal. Engagement works when it begins with an honest read of what each party wants and can actually do. Testing that view against more cases is a growth area for me.

Step 3 · Supporting Evidence
Pakistan Mediation Case Study (PDF): applying Zartman's ripeness theory

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Step 1 · Competency Statement

Through my experiences as a scientific researcher in astronomy, my study abroad in global engineering in Germany, and my internship with the U.S. State Department, I have worked on interdisciplinary projects and teams that span borders.

Step 2 · Narrative Experience (CARL Framework)

Context

Whether the project was a physical control structure such as a dam, computer and mobile software, or astrophysical imaging of stars, complex problems typically require stakeholders from many disciplines, and often from local, national, and international levels, to achieve shared goals.

Action

On Fonte, an offline-first knowledge retrieval platform for communities without reliable internet, I implemented the desktop prototype in Python and SQLite. I kept the interface, retrieval, and language model layers independent while my team worked through compliance, cost, and deployment questions, and partner faculty in Brazil reviewed the design.

Result

The team delivered a working desktop prototype and a final technical report covering architecture, cost, and compliance across five jurisdictions. Brazilian partner feedback became design requirements, including voice input and output and a hybrid State and community governance model. Hardware benchmarking and pilots are the next phase.

Learning

Beyond a technical solution, a diverse team arrives at a better understanding of the underlying problem, which is frequently more valuable than a technical fix.

Step 3 · Supporting Evidence
Fonte: Offline-First Knowledge Retrieval Platform (GitHub)