CIEE's Internship USA Program Prepared Student for a Career in Materials Science

Today we’d like to highlight Internship USA alum Thomas Chenal and his career in materials science. Thomas participated in the program in 2012. As a French student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science, he wanted to gain practical experience in the field while improving his English language skills. Utilizing the connections of his professor and other contacts, Thomas was able to secure an internship and receive support from CIEE through the Internship USA program.

Why Go to the U.S.?
Thomas’ motives to pursue an internship in the U.S. were to improve English skills and to engage in practical experience relevant to his studies on materials science in Switzerland. The company that he secured an internship with, Constellium, is one of the biggest global producers of aluminum semi-products in the world and a great place to gain first-hand experience in materials science. His previous coursework on the basics of metals, such as crystallography and chemistry, gave him an educational background in materials science that prepared him for an internship at Constellium.

Internship Experience
Internships are a great way to gain a new skill, learn how a company works, and apply university knowledge to a real-life setting. For the first two months of his internship, Thomas worked at the Constellium office in Chicago where he gained valuable skills in customer/technical support by writing technical reports, communicating with clients, analyzing lab data, and participating in internal development. The next four months of the internship were spent in Ravenswood, West Virginia working in the laboratory of one of Constellium’s well-known plants, which is also one of the largest production plants in the world. At the plant, they design alloys and tempers for items such as the Airbus A380. Thomas had the opportunity to engage in production analytics and investigate various production issues at the lab. He says that working at Constellium gave him basic exposure to processing and was a way to “experience how a company works and what it’s like to work there […] it was most interesting to see how the plant works.”

Traveling in the U.S.

“You don’t see the country the same way as a tourist as when you live in it.”

While working at Constellium, Thomas was able to travel around the U.S. a little bit. However, it was after his internship, when Thomas returned to the United States to pursue higher education at Purdue University, that he experienced most of his U.S. travels. He has visited Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Utah, northern Indiana beach, Detroit, Charleston, Columbus, Chicago, California, Miami, Key West, Orlando, and more. Many of these travels were road trips with friends in Camaro and Mustang convertibles—what fun! He’s seen NASA launch sites, gone skydiving over the Wisconsin cornfields, visited many national parks, and driven over the border for a brief visit to Canada.

Most Memorable Experience
“When I look back at it, what I remember most is the whole experience of going somewhere I didn’t know anyone—especially a place that’s sort of in the middle of nowhere (West Virginia) where there was no chance of finding non-English speakers. There is also the overall experience of living in a different culture where you experience things like going to the supermarket to try different brands and products.”

A Career in Materials Science
Thomas currently serves as a Product Development & Processing Engineer for DuPont, an American company in Switzerland with product offerings in the areas of agriculture and crop protection, performance materials, coatings and color technologies, electronic and communication technologies, and safety and protection. In his role, Thomas works on new product development, new processing techniques, and new testing techniques. “Sometimes clients come to me with a project and I have to find the right polymer and design, or they have the materials and they need help processing it.” Although working full-time doesn’t leave much room for traveling, Thomas plans to make time for it. He is currently in Thailand on vacation—who knows where he’ll go next!

Advice for Prospective Internship USA Participants
“The advice I can give is quite simple: Just go, do it, and don’t be afraid of anything. Getting lost and not knowing where to go and what to do is actually one of the best life experiences you can have. Plus, the good thing about the U.S. is that Americans are super friendly and easy to talk to, especially if you are a foreigner.”

Did you participate in CIEE’s Internship USA program? Want to share how your internship helped you in your career? We want to hear about it! Email alumni@ciee.org to get started.