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Published: 28 August 2023

AFAM: Hello Adam, and thank you for your time! Please tell us a few words about yourself.

Adam: Hello! I'm a Junior Mechanical Engineering student in Texas A&M University, and I spent my last summer interning at Arts Et Métiers in Aix-en-Provence as part of the IRES program (International Research Experiences for Students). My interests are in manufacturing and mechanical design.

AFAM: how have you heard about the program IRES and what did you do to become a part of the program?

Adam: I heard about this program from the Haliburton Engineering Global Program (HEGP) office here in Texas A&M. It was a very intriguing opportunity that I thought would fit best in my interests, as the program focus was on materials and manufacturing. I was able to get accepted by filling out an application and conducting an interview.

AFAM: What did you do as a participant of the IRES program? What did you enjoy the most? What was the most challenging part?

Adam: As a participant of this program, I worked under the guidance of Arts et Métiers faculty on a project related to  surface hardening and nitriding. The thing that I enjoyed the most was getting to experience the work culture in France, and getting to know a lot of people in ENSAM. The most challenging part was having to learn some preliminary information and  literature review to familiarize myself with the topic at hand.

AFAM: was it your first time being in France, in Aix? How did you like the country and the city of Aix?

Adam: It was not my first time in France. I had been to a couple of big cities such as Paris and Nice, but it was my first time in Aix! I really enjoyed the the city, and even though I visited some other big cities during my stay in the summer, I feel like Aix-en-Provence is my personal favorite. If I wanted to go back and live in France, Aix would probably be my first choice!

AFAM: thank you, Adam!

Photo taken from artsetmetiers.fr website

Adam (third from right) with other American students who took part in IRES project at Arts et Metiers in Aix-en-Provence

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Published: 15 August 2023

The 2023 year was a very successful year for the Shasta program. Currently there are fifteen Arts et Metiers interns in the United States, including students, apprentice students and recent alumni pursuing VIE. Eight of the students who are currently pursuing internships in the USA have been helped by Shasta mentors and six received Shasta grants. Some of the students could take benefit of the gadz'arts network and find internship opportunities.

We are very proud of our students and would like to wish all of them very successful internships and all the luck in their future endeavors!

Here are some of the testimonials we would like to share with you:

Testimonial #1:

"My goal was to find an internship in the United States. I have always wanted to visit the country and many of my acquaintances were moving to north America to pursue double degrees or work. An international experience was mandatory for my master’s degree that seemed like the right opportunity to do it. I was told finding an internship in the US was very difficult and consequently a very rewarding experience. I got in touch with the American Friends of Arts et Métiers association, which aims at promoting the school and students in the USA. And I found the internship offer on the website...AFAM community manager Albina Patou-Chebykina has connected me to a handful of alumni that could help me with my career plan. From August 2022 to January 2023, I completed my internship at OndaVia Inc, in California. The experience went so well that I extended my stay for 6 additional months"

Testimonial #2:

"AFAM helped me find my internship. We built my project through calls and mails, and I finally found a company near Detroit. Albina and my mentor were very reactive even on the weekend. I recommended this program to the apprentice director of my school, and I hope many students will follow this program. In a few words, this was a very good experience and I enjoyed it a lot! "

Testimonial #3:

"I was able to benefit from the support of AFAM as part of my search for an end-of-study internship at Arts et Métiers. I have always dreamed of doing an internship in a country like the United States and this dream has come true thanks to the help received from AFAM. I am very satisfied with the support received by AFAM, Albina has always been there to inform me, answer my questions, send me offers, give me contacts or even share my CV. My mentor has also always been there to advise me, encourage me and give me feedback on his experiences from the US. I therefore take this opportunity to thank them once again."

Testimonial #4:

"I had an incredibly enriching experience with the AFAM Shasta mentorship program. With the help of my mentee, I not only succeeded in finding a fitting professional project but also acquired the skills necessary to create persuasive and cohesive applications. We dedicated several months to fine-tuning my resume, enhancing my project portfolio, and preparing for interviews. As a result, I achieved my goal of finding an internship in the US and taking my first step into the professional world in the best possible way.  I highly recommend this program to any Arts et Metiers student looking for a first professional experience in the US !"

Testimonial #5:

"My mentor, Robert Stelly, has been crucial in helping me secure an internship in the US. His structured approach, regular meetings, and invaluable guidance on my resume, cover letter, and company targeting have been instrumental in my search. Additionally, his assistance with procedures and insightful tips for preparing my stay have given me confidence. I am immensely grateful for Robert's dedication, expertise, and continuous support, which have shaped my journey and will greatly contribute to my future success. I would like to express my gratitude for his invaluable support."

We would like to invite our students to check out our Shasta program and contact us to join it! If you are thinking about pursuing an internship in the United States in summer or fall 2024, it is the time to contact us!

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Published: 30 July 2023

Our next interviewee is Guénaël Prince ( Cl 201), co-founder and CEO of Waga Energy Inc (US affiliate of Waga Energy SA). 

AFAM: Hello Guénaël and thank you for agreeing to answer my questions. Please tell us more about your company and your job. 

Guénaël: Waga Energy is an innovative Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) producer specializing in landfill gas upgrading, with a global presence and a proprietary technology.  

We have developed a breakthrough technology the Wagabox, to recover landfill gas and turn it into RNG. Our projects have a double impact to help fight climate change: they capture landfills gas — a major source of greenhouse gas emissions — and produce a renewable substitute for fossil-based natural gas. 

Since we created Waga Energy with my 2 associates Mathieu Lefebvre and Nicolas Paget in 2015, we have successfully developed, built and we now operate 15 Wagabox in France, Spain, Canada and USA, with many more projects being in execution. 

Waga Energy is now expanding in Europe, and in North America, in order to accelerate the deployment of our solution. Global warming is here, we can every day measure or feel its impact; so we have no choice but to accelerate the development of renewable energies. And Waga is part of the answer. 

After having held the position of CTO, being in charge of developing the Wagabox technology, I am now in charge of the US affiliate: I hire the people and form a committed and motivated team that will move forward our project here in the US. 

AFAM:  Is working in the renewable energy sector your true passion or is it more about opportunities that you wanted to take advantage of? 

Guénaël: My motivation in working in the renewable energy sector was double: first I am concerned, like more and more people in the world, about the impact human activities have on the environment, and about the acceleration of the global warming. I am a father of 4 kids, I feel deeply concerned about their future, and I want to do something at my level. And then, my second motivation was to be able to put my technical knowledge at the service of a good mission. As an engineer, we can develop solutions to partially solve problems we’ve created in the past. So I can say it is a true passion! 

AFAM:  what do you enjoy the most about your job? 

Guénaël: Working with people! Waga Energy is a real adventure, with many challenges in very different areas. What I love the most is being able to work with multiple different people, with different backgrounds (technical, legal, commercial, financial…) and cultures. Waga Energy is a human project; it is a demanding challenge, however by having our employees embracing our culture and value, we can succeed.

 

AFAM: Any renewable energy startups/companies in the US or in France you are following or/and have been impressed by recently? Why? 

Guénaël: I am very impressed by the speed at which the electrification of usage is happening: it creates a lot of opportunities for small companies to position themselves, as big corporations will be slower to move. However, displacing the enormous quantity of fossil fuels consumed will require a lot of renewable energy; and the answer will come therefore in diversifying our renewable energy sources (biogas for example, in addition to solar and wind), and being soberer. And to help us in this sobriety pathway, it is great to see companies developing micro-mobility, last-kilometer delivery by cargo bikes, more efficient and lighter cars, ... 

AFAM:  How did being a gadz’art help you in your environmental career and in particular in your American journey? 

Guénaël: I was lucky to have been able to take one sabbatical year during my scholarship at A&M school, with two friends, that opened my eyes about the world surrounding us. It was a real adventure, and I experienced that with a high motivation and sound foundations, you could do great projects! It helped me not be afraid to undertake new projects, and to see the power of being an association in an entrepreneurial project. Two things that were helpful in funding Waga Energy! 

AFAM: every year we have several students looking for internships in the energy sector  in the US. Some of them are in our Shasta internship program. What would you suggest to these students? 

Guénaël: Happy to receive resumes! 

AFAM: Any future plans concerning your professional career you’d like to share with us? 

Guénaël: Waga Energy is only at the beginning of its story; we want to scale up the company to be in a position to address more markets. So I am fully focused in delivering our growth plan. 

AFAM: Thank you, Guénaël

Please read other interviews in "Green and Clean” series

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Published: 26 June 2023

AFAM CEO Xavier Wartelle (Li 82) while in Paris, met students and alumni at la SOCE. The event took place on June 15th. Cyril Poinsot (Cl 93) and Valérie Prulhière (Li 87), VP International, organized this conference. Xavier Wartelle talked about AFAM, its programs and his own American journey as well as about his current job as co-founder and CEO of Avatar Medical.

Participants were interested in different ways of coming and working in the USA and asked some questions about it. Besides, the audience asked the speaker about his entrepreneurship experience and whether it is a good way to start working for a big company before exploring entrepreneurship options.

AFAM would like to continue this tradition of having different meetings throughout the year between AFAM representatives and Arts et Metiers students/alumni on different campuses.

Next event with an Arts et Metiers alumnus, AFAM board member, Sequoia committee member and Atlanta gadz'arts representative Valentin Fehr (Cl 212) will take place on Cluny campus, on September 4th.

If you are on Cluny campus at the beginning of September, please stop by to say hello to Valentin and to learn more about our new Sequoia program.