Research Internships on the RISE

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RISE has grown in leaps and bounds since the program’s early beginnings in 2005. Back then, a total of 98 undergraduate students in the sciences and engineering from the US and Canada was paired up through a web-based matching process with German doctoral students for a summer-long internship.

In 2006, the number had already climbed to 212, and in 2007 there were 269 North American students spending eight to twelve weeks interning at 76 German research facilities in 52 towns on challenging projects in biology, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering and physics.

This summer, the number will exceed 300 participants. Young Germany spoke to Ulrich Grothus, Director of the New York Office of the DAAD, about what RISE will have in store starting this May.

Mr. Grothus, just how big of a success is RISE for the DAAD?

This is our single most successful program in North America over the last decade or so. In my 20 years at DAAD, I’ve seen things that go okay, I’ve seen things that completely flopped, and I’ve seen things go great. And this one is a smashing success!

What makes RISE stand out?

When it comes to American exchange program, we usually have a high concentration on metropolitan areas such as Berlin, Munich or Heidelberg. With this program there is a great spread over a diversity of locations, mostly those institutions that are highly relevant to research – which as we all know aren’t necessarily metropolitan in Germany.

How would you characterize the people paired up in the program?

The students from the US and Canada are upcoming third or fourth year undergraduates majoring in the natural sciences or engineering. Their German counterparts are graduate students working on their PhD theses, who volunteer to take on an intern to help them. This has proven to actually benefit both sides tremendously, with a chance to get hands-on experience for the interns and considerable help and international experience for the doctoral students. It’s not like we bring in the international students as cheap labor to clean out their test tubes (laughs).

What about the number of applications?

Last year we received over 750 applications for a total of close to 500 positions. We were able to fill 269 of these, thanks to an ERP grant from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and additional funding by sponsors in industry, Canadian and US institutions, and organizations like the German Research Foundation (DFG). Most of the time there will be more than one applicant for the most attractive positions and we award scholarships to the students who have the best grades or have been successful in the competition for the most coveted internships.

Is it true that a two-week language course for students with little experience in German will be offered this year for the first time?

Yes. One of the biggest surprises at the start of the program was that the majority of participants had no prior interest or experience in Germany. To them, the research experience offered by RISE was the main attraction; the fact that the internship took place in Germany was more of a side effect. But once they returned home, over 92 percent stated in a survey that they considered returning to Germany for work or study. So for students with little to no proficiency in German, we are offering intensive lan-guage courses in “bread-and-butter” German with a total of 70 participants this time, so that they may get the most out of their stay in Germany. 

Speaking of returning home, what is the overall verdict among participants?

I would have never expected that students hailing from first-rate American research institutions would have to come all the way to Germany to get a hands-on research experience. That was a very surpris-ing find. And even people from renowned schools such as Princeton or MIT said that when it comes to research equipment, the overall level in Germany was at least as advanced as what they are working with back home.

Would you say that RISE helps to create lasting relationships to Germany?

Yes, especially judging by the impact on individual academic careers. Looking at the applications for DAAD study scholarships for graduates, we have found that, this year, one quarter of all applicants in the sciences and engineering had a RISE background. There are many indicators that this first expo-sure to Germany can be the starting point for a higher interest in Germany and lasting contacts with German host institutions.

Mr. Grothus, thank you very much for the interview.

Related Websites:

Official RISE Website

http://www.daad.de/rise/en/

About the DAAD:

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the world’s largest agency for international aca-demic cooperation and exchange, offering scholarships, internships and counseling on studying and researching in Germany.

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