College of Engineering
SIIRE Program
4207 Bell Engineering Center
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: 479-575-3156
Sponsored by a grant from the
National Science Foundation
(1154146)
SIIRE Student to Study Abroad in Germany
Nine University of Arkansas undergraduate students have earned Benjamin A. Gilman
International Scholarships to fund opportunities for study or internship abroad. The
Gilman Scholars will receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship
costs.
The scholarship program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is intended
to increase international experiences for American students, so they will be better
prepared to assume leadership roles in the increasingly global economy.
The nine scholarship winners and three alternates are among the estimated 700 U of
A students studying abroad in the upcoming summer term. The U of A Gilman scholars
are part a select group of 250 students awarded the scholarship nationwide.
SIIRE student Connor Heo was among those who received the scholarship and is planning
to study abroad in Germany next semester. “I’m really interested in trying to make
internal combustion engines even more efficient, as well as designing parts that would
later find their way onto high performance vehicles,” said Heo, a sophomore majoring
in mechanical engineering. “By studying mechanical engineering, I can kindle my passion
for cars.”
Heo plans to enroll in the U of A’s new International Engineering Program, which allows
students to earn undergraduate degrees in both German and engineering in five years.
In the program, students will earn a Bachelor of Science in one of eight areas of
engineering or computer science and a Bachelor of Arts in German in five years.
Bryan Hill, assistant dean of student recruitment and diversity, honors and international programs in the College of Engineering, said, “Engineering continues to be in demand throughout the world and there is a need for engineers fluent in multiple languages. The new German/Engineering program is just the start to the new International Engineering Program with subsequent languages to follow.”
This fall Heo will be taking engineering courses at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, one of the leading German technical universities. In the spring, he will begin work on a paid internship.