And the program is not just limited to Houston-area companies. Weiss is working to open the door at companies across the United States to Rice students. The companies I contact realize that Rice graduates are outperforming the average employee, and they would like more formal activity with Rice. It seems to be a win-win situation. That's what I'm trying to achieve.
Students get a benefit by getting money and industrial experience.
Throughout my career, I've only been in academic settings. It was a learning experience about how to deal within a company, the channels you have to go through to get things done. Those are the sorts of things I needed to confront and to see if I liked, to determine if this is what I want to do. Yes, I was away for three months, but in terms of what I gained vs. lost time, there was no contest. Back in Houston at Akzo Nobel, Francis was a lab technician in the division that makes metalorganics pure enough to be used in semiconductors.