A group of international students in aerospace engineering (AE) wants to make it easier for students from other countries to work in research labs and secure jobs in the United States. Their suite of ideas to support career development and expand access to research projects has won the top prize in the 2024 College of Engineering Fostering Access & Inclusion ‘Round Tech (FAIR Tech) competition. The competition’s goal is to inspire students to use engineering principles to develop ideas that create a fairer and more just community on campus. It’s coordinated by the College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council, and the top three teams win cash prizes. New this year: The finalists received $1,000 to prototype and pilot their innovations.

The winning team of five AE students, hailing from France, Canada, Spain, and India, included ASDLers Jasrayman “Ray” Thind, Antoine Marin, and Aparna Ravi. The team proposed a two-pronged approach to supporting fellow international students. First, they outlined several initiatives to enhance career development and networking for students, including passing hard-earned knowledge from older students to younger ones. They proposed developing a comprehensive guidebook explaining export control regulations, offering networking and job search advice, and pointing students to companies with a track record of hiring international students after graduation.

The team also suggested recruiting more mentors with expertise on aerospace opportunities for non-U.S. students for the Mentors in Residence program in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. And they will work with corporate engagement staff members to specifically highlight internship and job opportunities at companies that work regularly with foreign-born students. Part of their pilot project efforts included launching a registered student organization in the spring called International Students and Professionals in Aerospace to build a community of students that could share experiences and help each other.

The second part of their effort was the development of a standardized program to help international students gain practical experience on research projects with export control restrictions.

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