In recent years, considerable emphasis has been put on the role of research internships in helping students form career commitments. At Michigan, for each of the last several years we have had twenty plus undergraduates participate in the REU program. In addition, about the same number took summer internships in industry. Almost all of the REU alumni enrolled in graduate school, and there is an excitement that carries through the following academic year. At least five publications by students have been submitted.
Many women approach internships differently than men.
They use them to test whether research is for them. It is especially gratifying to see their growth in confidence and in mathematical maturity in the course of a summer internship. By summers end, most know they can do research and that it is challenging and fun. We do not know all the dynamics occurring during the course of the internship. Some women observers have suggested that confidence and self-assurance stems from the support and individual intimacy that occurs in working together.