In an increasingly global marketplace of ideas and talent, recruiting top-notch science and engineering interns from other countries could be a boon for local businesses and university faculty. 

The International Association of the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE), a well-established and prestigious internship program, is looking for private and academic  employers to host its interns. A UH chemistry professor, himself an IAESTE alum, hopes to boost visibility for the program among both students and potential employers in Houston.

"Employers can be very selective about who they want," said chemistry Professor Randy Thummel, who assists the UH chapter of IAESTE. "If you want a third-year engineering student from Western Europe who specializes in mechanical engineering, that’s who you’ll get."

IAESTE places college students from overseas studying science or engineering into internships in the U.S. while sending American science and engineering students to internships abroad.

The program is reciprocal:  For every foreign intern hired in Houston an opportunity opens for a UH student to work aboard.

While many exchange programs target students in the humanities, IAESTE provides vital exchange opportunities for students in the sciences, said Thummel, who was an IAESTE intern when he was in college more than three decades ago.

For university faculty, taking on an intern is a great graduate recruitment tool and allows faculty to scope out the best talent from around the globe, Thummel said.

IAESTE interns also can be placed in a variety of businesses – such as oil companies, architectural firms and high-tech companies – needing science and engineering students.
For these businesses, interns can be potential employees, Thummel said, especially at multinational corporations seeking international students with foreign language skills.