Mariah Austin, a student from the University of New Mexico, has been selected by the American Chemical Society as part of an elite group of students spending the summer abroad participating in the International Research Experiences for Undergraduates (IREU) Program. She is spending the summer at Freidrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany.

Austin is one of 16 students chosen from 240 applicants. The program sends talented young scientists to countries such as Singapore, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to work in foreign research labs and conduct short term research projects. Students in the program are taught the importance of communication, as they learn how to connect with foreign scientists about their work and to the public about why science matters.

Mariah Austin
Mariah Austin

In addition to spending ten weeks abroad, students participating in the 2016 IREU program will present in April of 2017 at ACS' National Meeting in San Francisco, California. Students involved in the IREU program in the past have gone on to publish their research as a lead or second author in journals such as Green Chemistry and Crystal Growth & Design, while some have gone on to pursue careers abroad.

The program is supported by the National Science Foundation with funding from two grants, one from the Division of Materials Research and another from the Office of International Science and Engineering. For more information about the program, visit the IREU program's webpage

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.