Organizing internships

In previous years, I did not participate in calls for professors to open internships for IAESTE, to participate in the virtual research internships of HUC, and other opportunities,

In recent years, however, I have tried to take better advantage of these opportunities. In particular, I have received now 5 IAESTE students from various parts of the world, am piloting the HUC virtual research internships, have hosted researcher mobilities and multi-discplinary research groups from TU Delft to USFQ, and I would like to do a COIL (collaborative online interactive learning) in my class as well when I find a partner institution.

So, here is what I have learned from these internships and opportunities in the past year:

Good planning: While a period of 8 – 16 weeks is common for these internships and this amount of time may seem like a lot, it actually goes by really fast. So, if the agreement is to work on a report or other type of document, it is important to plan for having it finished before the end of the period, so that there is time for feedback and wrapping it up.
Weekly supervision meetings: As the time period is relatively short, weekly supervision meetings to check in on the progress, and make sure the project remains on track, are important.
Reserve time for cultural exchange: Within those 8 – 16 weeks, the visiting students will need time for the aspects of cultural exchange. In the end, getting to know their host country is as important as learning something new in terms of technical contents. So, don’t overplan their activities, and make sure they leave with a positive impression of the location as well.
Facilitate introductions: At the beginning, think about which introductions you can make. Who else on university should your visiting student talk to?
Facilitate visits to relevant space on campus: Just as with the introductions, think about the labs and other relevant spaces that require setting aside some time for a visit.
Well-prescribed research task: Given the short amount of time, it is important to have a well-prescribed research task so that it is possible to complete this task during the visit. Don’t expect the student to think up a methodology for themselves – they may get lost in the attempt, and for sure won’t have enough time to complete the task they then developed for themselves.
Not towards publication: I have tried to get to a short paper with visiting students in the past, and except for researcher mobilities, I don’t think we should be aiming for publications from these types of academic exchanges.