Cohort Highlights
September 3rd, 2025
AEMX Cohort 1 students participated in an inaugural kick-off meeting that served as their first formal introduction to the UA-AEMX Committee. The committee present included Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies and Chief Mobility Research and Development Officer; Dr. Josh Bittle, Associate Director of the CAVT and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Matt Feminella, Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics; and Dr. Carolina Robinson, Director of Education Abroad. During this introductory session, students officially began their academic endeavor by delivering five-minute presentations to the committee members and their peers.
September 25th, 2025
AEMX Cohort 1 students met with leading research professors from across the College of Engineering to discuss upcoming project opportunities. During these introductions, students explored potential research roles in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. These projects offer students a way to gain hands-on experience and build the technical skills required for their future careers. By connecting with these researchers early on, students are better prepared to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world engineering challenges.
October 24th, 2025
AEMX Cohort 1 students visited the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) plant in Vance today for their first formal meeting with the Mercedes-Benz AEMX committee. This committee includes John Dollar from IGSEP Cohort 1; Mark Hoffman, John Paul (JP) Smith, and Emmitt Fagerstrom from IGSEP Cohort 2; and Joseph Lulka from IGSEP Cohort 4. The group discussed the company’s role in the program over the next four years, focusing on upcoming internships and future plant visits. Students also had the opportunity to meet
MBUSI President Federico Kochlowski before heading out for a detailed tour of the automotive production line. The visit ended with a session on the test track, where students experienced the performance of different Mercedes-Benz vehicles firsthand.
November 4th, 2025
AEMX Cohort 1 students met with Christopher Suffern and Truman Porter from IGSEP Cohort 10 to discuss their experiences at the Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik in Portland. This meeting allowed the current cohort to learn firsthand about the intensive summer language program and the benefits of participating in an immersive environment. Additionally, students met with Dr. Feminella to review the German course sequence and discuss how their language studies align closely with the requirements for a German major.
December 4th, 2025
The University of Alabama hosted a formal signing ceremony with the President of Hochschule Esslingen University of Applied Sciences to celebrate and solidify the future of their institutional partnership. After this event, AEMX students had the opportunity to meet with Dr.-Ing. Joachim Berkemer, Academic Coordinator from Hochschule Esslingen, to learn more about university’s academic environment and the specific role they play within the exchange program. This meeting provided students with direct insight into their future host institution and the international opportunities that await them in Germany.
January 28th, 2026
AEMX Cohort 1 students met with Pearson Hunter and Joseff Ribble, two students from the previous IGSEP program at UA. Pearson and Joseff discussed their experiences from a semester at Hochschule Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. Students learned about unique aspects of work, education, and life while studying abroad in Germany, including specific challenges that Pearson and Joseff faced and insights they gained from their experiences. AEMX Cohort 1 will be spending the fall semester of 2027 studying in Esslingen and many will stay into the spring of 2028 to complete an internship with a German company.
COHORT 1 (2014)
Jack Dollar, Mechanical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2016), Mercedes-Benz US International, Vance/Alabama
“I was really surprised how easy it was to pick up the German language in the beginning. I would say though, that making new friends and connections from around the world was the most amazing part for me. I really enjoyed getting the technical and cultural experience at Mercedes (AG) and the opportunity to use my German along the way.”
COHORT 2 (2015)
Carter Boyle, Electrical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2017), 1898 & Co., Atlanta/Georgia
“The combination of showing that you can learn a new language to the point of fluency in two years and gaining engineering experience at one of the top companies in the world is an indispensable item on your resume. Not only does it make you highly employable, it gives you the confidence to take on whatever challenge you might face afterwards. The most valuable thing I gained from the program is my newfound confidence. Not too many people have learned a new language and then applied that language to designing electric motors for a top automotive company in a country renowned for its engineering prowess. You start to think about how if you could learn to do something in German, it’s going to be that much easier in your native language.”
John Paul Smith, Mechanical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2017), Mercedes-Benz US International, Vance/Alabama
“This program has made me realize my aptitude for embracing unforeseen challenges and excelling at them, despite the odds. To learn a new language in two years, going from zero ability to a level that allows me to effectively work and learn in an intensive, technical and challenging atmosphere, will remain the paramount achievement of my college career. This experience is the capstone of my time at the University of Alabama and will serve as the standard for all my future endeavors and career goals.”
COHORT 3 (2016)
Claire Galloway, Mechanical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2018)
“The International German Student Exchange Program presented me with an opportunity I simply could not decline. Following two years of accelerated German language courses in addition to my mechanical engineering course load, I was equipped with the necessary skills to transport myself out of any comfort zones I had developed in the United States and effectively immerse myself into an entirely different manner of living and learning. Furthermore, the program assisted me in obtaining an internship with Mercedes-Benz both in the United States and Germany, a known hub of technology and innovation. I anticipate my experiences with a world-renowned company such as Mercedes-Benz will sculpt me into a young professional ready to enter the work force. IGSEP is an extremely unique and valuable program that enriches future engineers with a connection to industry, foreign language skills, and the chance to see the world.”
COHORT 4 (2017)
Joseph Lulka, Mechanical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2019), Mercedes-Benz US International, Vance/Alabama
“There are currently 18 students in our cohort. We have all gotten to know each other very well thanks to the ‘Deutsche Sommer Schule am Pazifik’, the curriculum and organization of the summer school was phenomenal. Our cohort has had the benefit of being able to hear about all the experiences from the cohorts, which have already been to Germany. Hearing from them gives us a better understanding of what to expect when we arrive. Our cohort is still awaiting the next big steps in our studies—Dr. B’s automotive engineering class, internships for our second summer and the year abroad in Germany. We are eager to interview for an internship at MBUSI (Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc.) for this upcoming summer.”
COHORT 8 (2021)
Will Baschab, Mechanical Engineering (Germany HS Esslingen 2024), University of Alabama
“I entered this program my freshman year with no German language familiarity and little automotive industry experience, Yet, within three years I found myself performing every daily task in fluent German as a part of my internship with Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen, Germany. The IGSEP Program has proven to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a very rewarding professional and personal opportunity in my college career. Spending a full year in Germany studying and working challenged me to apply myself socially and academically in a foreign culture and language, and since returning from Germany I have continued to stay in contact with my colleagues and friends in Stuttgart.”
COHORT 10 (2023)
Truman Porter, Computer Science (Germany HS Esslingen 2026), University of Alabama
“I am a sophomore data science and German double major at UA. As a national merit finalist, I feel that there is no better place to go as an undergraduate than The University of Alabama. From the many design teams on campus that give students industry experience and connections (including Battery Challenge and Eco Car) to the unique research opportunities that come with UA being a R1 Research college while simultaneously investing heavily in Undergraduate research opportunities. On top of that, the Germany program has been a huge boon in equipping me with unique professional skills and opportunities that make my resume stand out in any job application, while enriching and broadening my college experience in axis that would have otherwise been untouched and unknown to me.”