Undergraduate students particpate in various summer research internship programs, whether competing for scholarship awards to study abroad or connecting directly with local company talent recruiters. Learn about their experiences first hand as the intern.
Lauryn Holgado '24 won the DAAD RISE Germany Award. Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD, RISE Germany offers summer research internships in Germany for undergraduate students from North America, Great Britain and Ireland.
Experience: My internship was in Freiberg, Germany and lasted 10 weeks. I worked at a university and my project focused on the oxidation of methane and formaldehyde using iron oxide catalysts with an application to sustainable fuels. During the duration of the internship, I synthesized catalysts and catalyst precursors, characterized the catalysts, and tested their efficiency in converting methane and formaldehyde into less toxic chemicals. There were several opportunities to present my research at the DAAD RISE conference and at the university.
Feedback: I think there was a nice balance between exploring the area I was in, learning about German culture and working on my research project. I really liked how I was able to work independently which gave me a very good understanding of the research process. I believe that research in Germany is very similar to other academic research experiences I have had in the past. One thing I would say is different is that the entire reaction engineering department at the institute focused on catalytic research. This created a very collaborative environment. Outside of my internship, I took advantage of the weekends to travel around Europe and Germany in general. I also got to know my cohort of interns very well. During the duration of my internship, I was able to travel to Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, Prague, and Vienna. There are many opportunities to explore other parts of Germany and other countries through train and bus.
Advice to other students: Don't be afraid to ask questions. When choosing which project to apply too I would look for what research interests you the most but also think about the location. I did a lot of things on the weekend and was able to go to neighboring cities for the day which made the internship a lot of fun.
Wesley Patel '22 was selected for an internship by the company Owens Corning to accomplish their “Future of Work” and “Digital Manufacturing” initiatives.
Eva Wolfe '23 won the NSF-REU Award. (National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates). The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.