2023 IEP Student Showcase & Networking Night

Lots of foot traffic during the first IEP Student Showcase and Networking Night! IEP student presenters and their posters lined the walls of the Fascitelli Center’s Toray Commons Photo courtesy of Melissa Schenck

Featuring our recent group of returnees and graduates, the International Engineering Program hosted its first-ever IEP Student Showcase and Networking Night on October 11, 2023 in the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering. In a similar fashion to the College of Engineering’s capstone project presentations, which take place each spring, the IEP launched this new event to help recognize hard work and accomplishments of each of these dual-degree students. Studying or working abroad, even short term, can be a challenge – to do this for an entire year and in another language and culture speaks volumes of those who complete this rigorous undertaking as a part of our program. Nearly all of our 40 returning students and recent alumni participated in this event as presenters alongside posters about their year abroad experiences.

IEP alumni and current 5th year students discuss their IEP experiences abroad. Photos courtesy of Melissa Schenck

German IEPer Rose Dowden (left) and French IEPer Sagar Saran (right) pose next to their posters on their international experiences in Germany and France, respectively

Having just returned from their time abroad a little more than a month beforehand, our goal was to give our students a platform to share their enthusiasm and experiences with the wider IEP community, time to practice translating memorable moments abroad into talking about how they developed key career and life skills, and a much-needed space for these students to acknowledge their own personal and collective successes within the program. Throughout the course of the evening, they spoke with first year students both in and interested in the IEP, IEP students getting ready to study abroad themselves within the next year or two, alumni, a few industry representatives, URI faculty and staff, administrators and even a couple of high school students. President Parlange, himself an engineer by trade, was invited as a guest speaker and also had the chance to chat one-on-one with most of our presenters over the course of the evening.

After speaking individually with several IEP students, President Marc Parlange and College of Engineering Dean Anthony Marchese address the audience at the halfway point of the event. Photos courtesy of Melissa Schenck

Melissa Schneider, a German IEP and chemical engineering student, explains about her experiences at TU Braunschweig, which included a research project on silica particle-based aerogels for applications in drug delivery

From start to finish, the event was very much self-sustaining, with conversations starting organically before activities officially kicked off and continuing long past the official end, showing just how much energy and interest was present in this single room. This night served as a reminder to all that attending college is so much more than being awarded one’s degrees – the hurdles overcome, the risks taken, the adventures had – these are what truly make each student’s experience uniquely amazing. We look forward to celebrating the next group’s academic journey in a similar fashion!

Japanese IEPer Korali Kouadio, majoring in computer engineering and Global Language Area Studies, shares about her time in Japan with a passerby. Photos courtesy of Melissa Schenck

President Parlange asks Alek Boving, a German and ocean engineering student, about his internship in Hamburg, Germany at Van Oord Offshore Wind

Photo of Anna Cetera, who studies Spanish and biomedical engineering, taken during a quick break in the steady stream of visitors

This event was supported by the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and the Office of Global Initiatives, with help from the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement.