DAAD RISE Program receives Special Recognition in the 2011 Andrew Heiskell Awards

The Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York announced on January 25, 2011, that it has awarded “Special Recognition” to the Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) Program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the Study Abroad category of the 2011 Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education.

Since its inception in 2005, RISE has consistently achieved its goal of bringing talented North American researchers to Germany early in their academic careers, sparking an initial and long-lasting interest in Germany and Europe among a generation of budding scientists and engineers. RISE has already enrolled a total of 2,253 students in its internship programs and established a model for best practices. All RISE programs are directed at students in the fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, earth sciences, and physics and include: RISE for undergraduate students from the US, UK and Canada (summer internships with a PhD candidate in a German laboratory), RISE professional (internships for graduate students from the US and Canada in a company in Germany), RISE North America (for German undergrads) and to start in 2011 RISE worldwide (internships for outbound German undergraduate students around the world).

“As a young scientist, it was an easy and natural choice to continue my higher education in Germany,” says RISE participant Lena Hyatt. “I am proud and a little surprised to say that the single three-month internship with the RISE program changed my life’s course.” Ms. Hyatt is now a master’s student studying molecular biology at Max Planck Institute in Göttingen.

The Heiskell Awards honor the most outstanding initiatives in international higher education among the members of IIENetwork, IIE’s membership association of more than 1,000 higher education institutions. In its ten years, the IIE Heiskell Awards have recognized over 80 programs that continue to promote international education on IIENetwork member campuses around the world

IIE will present the awards at a ceremony in New York City on March 18, 2011, as part of its conference for campus professionals, the Sixth Annual Best Practices in Internationalization Conference.

“We are delighted with the quality and number of science and engineering students taking advantage of the RISE program, each of them significantly contributing to and learning from these hands-on research opportunities,” said director of the DAAD New York office, Dr. Sebastian Fohrbeck. ” In just 5 years, RISE has proven its sustainability in terms of both professional as well as personal relations. This program embodies the DAAD motto of ‘change by exchange.'”

About the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a publicly-funded independent organization of higher education institutions in Germany. Our 64 regional offices and information centers around the worldprovide information as well as financial support to over 67,000 highly-qualified students and faculty per year for international research and study. One of the largest of those regional offices is the DAAD New York, where we – together with Information Centers in San Francisco and Toronto – help students, faculty and current DAAD fellows in the US and Canada.