Mexican Students Work as Summer Interns in Sault Ste. Marie

Posted: 2009-08-13

(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - AUGUST 13, 2009): At first glance, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario may seem like an unusual place to find Mexican students completing their university requirements but that is exactly what five students from the Universidad Tecnológica de León (UTL) are doing this summer. The five are in the Sault completing 10-week long internships that are a requirement for their graduation back home in León.

Sergio SalvadorThe five students are honing their English-language skills and completing their thesis projects in various departments at Algoma University. Algoma U has an articulation agreement in place with UTL that allows their students to undertake their internships in Sault Ste. Marie. Algoma U is the only Canadian university that UTL has such an arrangement with.

Joanne Elvy is the Director of the Sault Program for English Language Learning at Algoma U and is in charge of coordinating the internship program with UTL.

"The visiting students have completed all of their coursework at UTL and are now completing internship placements that are a part of their degree requirements," says Elvy. "What is exciting is that we have some star pupils on campus this summer, including two who had the option of doing their placements in France but instead they chose Algoma U and Sault Ste. Marie."

Those star students include Sergio Salvador, who is studying Mechatronics. Sergio is trilingual, speaks fluent English and carries an academic average of 97%. For his placement he is assisting Algoma U Professor Dr. George Townsend in his Brain-Computer Interface lab.

Brain-Computer Interface technology allows people to communicate with computers and write e-mails using only electrical signals from the brain. Sergio's work includes testing different ways of attaching the EEG electrodes of the interface to the scalps of test subjects. The goal is to eventually design a new type of electrode that will not require the use of a traditionally messy conductive gel that makes wearers of the electrodes uncomfortable.

Another UTL student at Algoma U is Alec Espinosa who is studying Industrial Maintenance and carries an academic average of 93%. For his placement he is working with Tom Mauro, Algoma University's Director of Ancillary Services. Alec has been tasked with researching and developing a "working-alone" policy, developing a health and safety training course for new employees and also with developing a health and safety poster campaign to address the top-10 risk areas at Algoma University.

Joining Sergio and Alec are a trio of students who are all majoring in Marketing. Nayeli Segura is spending her placement working with the Advancement Department to build up and refine a database of Mexican contacts, while Elsa Rios and Karla Villanueva have been attached to the Liaison Department to help with preparations for Frosh Week and the fall recruiting season. The three students will then write a short thesis on Algoma U's marketing approach, with suggestions on what might appeal to incoming Mexican students.

Over the past several years Algoma University has become a popular summer destination for Mexican students looking to learn English in a complete immersion program. 2009 was the fourth year in a row that Algoma U hosted students from CESUES University, located in the Mexican border state of Sonora. Almost 100 students from CESUES have studied English in Sault Ste Marie through Algoma U since 2006. This was the first summer for students from the Universidad Tecnológica de León (UTL) to be on campus. Four representatives from UTL will then be visiting Algoma U in mid-September, including the University Rector, the Academic Dean, the Director of International Internships and the Director of the Department for Sustainability.


 

About Algoma University
Algoma University offers a wide variety of liberal arts and sciences degree options including programs in Psychology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Fine Arts, Community Economic & Social Development, and Biology; Algoma U is committed to offering a personal education experience unlike any university in Ontario. As the Canadian home of the internationally recognised MSc CGT from the University of Abertay Dundee, Algoma University is at the forefront of computer games technology education. Algoma University also offers accelerated second degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science on its Brampton campus. To learn more about Algoma University, visit www.algomau.ca.

 

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Media Contact:
Deborah Loosemore
Director of Advancement and External Relations
Algoma University
705.949.2301 ext. 4115
deborah.loosemore@algomau.ca