The 2023 WISER Summer Program commenced on Sunday, July 23 with 118 interns attending a short orientation session where the Vice Provost for Faculty & Academic Affairs, Suzana Nunes, welcomed them and provided some wise words for how they should approach their four-week internship and how valuable it will be to them in their future career journeys.
The WISER Summer Program is a highly-competitive four-week program that offers students moving into Grade 11 and Grade 12, and undergraduate University students the opportunity to gain hands-on research and real-work experience in a variety of university areas. During the program, interns work alongside leading researchers, faculty and experienced professionals, and have access to state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and systems. The program also offers academic and social activities, including workshops on research methods and seminars on current topics in science and engineering. Through hands-on, real-world exposure to the world of work, interns are able to explore possible future career/education paths, and network with faculty, researchers and staff at KAUST.
The program has been highly successful in preparing students for future careers in science, engineering and maths, or in professions such as HR, Finance, and Facilities Management. Many alumni of the program have gone onto pursue careers in these professional fields, or undertake advanced degrees with leading research institutions.
The 2023 cohort is a pretty even split of genders: 52% male and 48% female. There are 80 school students and 38 undergraduate university students, and the interns come from 28 different countries. 40% of the internships are in Academic and Research areas of the university, and the other 60% in support departments (HR, Finance, Community Life, Facilities Management, Government Affairs, Security, etc). There are 90+ mentors working with our interns across the university… a big thank you to them!
The interns will be working across the university for the coming four weeks, and the program with the WISER Expo – a showcase of the departments they have worked in and the work they have undertaken during their internship.
