At the end of June, four students from the École d’Ingénieurs du CESI centre d’Angoulême in France will visit the Nanotechnology Center at UALR to complete their apprenticeship requirements in the French university’s engineering technology program.

The French students came to UALR, according to program and outreach coordinator Glediana Rexha, as a result of the Nanotechnology Center’s strong relationship with affiliate scientists in France.

“These students will visit Little Rock for approximately three months, working with our equipment, doing collaborative research, and publishing joint research in peer-reviewed publications,” Rexha said. “They will work on developing project management and organizational skills as well as produce presentations based on their experiences here.”

The leadership skills these students will develop in Arkansas will help them immensely in their final year of college and enable them to be more competitive in the job market, she added. The program is slated to expand in the future as more students learn about the opportunities here.

In addition to the Angouleme students, UALR’s Nanotechnology Center will welcome students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science Academy as well as students from the Arkansas State University for research projects this summer.