{"id":96401,"date":"2025-12-12T03:30:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T07:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=96401"},"modified":"2025-12-13T13:59:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T17:59:19","slug":"utoledo-senior-gains-international-experience-at-german-engineering-firm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/12_12_2025\/utoledo-senior-gains-international-experience-at-german-engineering-firm","title":{"rendered":"UToledo Senior Gains International Experience at German Engineering Firm"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Toledo senior Nico Francis-Emonds spent his time as a Rocket blending two passions \u2014 mechanical engineering and German \u2014 into one global learning experience.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, the Toledo native completed a research and development internship at Ingpuls GmbH, a leader in nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (SMA) in Bochum, Germany.<\/p>\n

\"Graduation

CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2025 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at fall commencement<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Working alongside senior engineers, Francis-Emonds researched how different SMAs respond to temperature and stress.<\/p>\n

More recently, he designed and prototyped a new method for manufacturing a seamless, braided nickel-titanium stent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been exciting to contribute to projects that can be scaled for real-world use,\u201d Francis-Emonds said. \u201cThe combination of my UToledo engineering foundation and German language skills has allowed me to participate in technical discussions, translate presentations and even facilitate communication between engineers and customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his first year at UToledo, Francis-Emonds earned a First-Year Summer Research Experience Award, which sent him to Germany for research and sparked his interest in international engineering opportunities.<\/p>\n

Graduating Saturday with with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor of arts degree in German, Francis-Emonds credits UToledo\u2019s integrated co-op program and supportive faculty mentors for opening doors abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the strong background in German language and culture I gained through UToledo, navigating everyday life and contributing in the workplace here would have been much more difficult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In the College of Engineering, Geoffrey Humphrys, director of engineering co-ops, guided Francis-Emonds through a complex academic and co-op schedule that allowed him to finish two degrees with honors in just 3.5 years. Humphrys also introduced him to the Roy and Marcia Armes Engineering Leadership Institute (ELI), where Francis-Emonds expanded his leadership skills and international outlook.<\/p>\n

Through those connections, Francis-Emonds was introduced to Dr. Mohammed Elahinia, dean of the College of Engineering, whose collaboration with Dr. Burkhard Maa\u00df, CEO of Ingpuls GmbH, led to his most recent internship.<\/p>\n

Dr. Friederike Emonds, an associate professor of German in the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education, provided instruction and mentorship throughout Francis-Emonds\u2019 advanced language studies. Under her guidance, he conducted research in Germany, traveled extensively and organized interdisciplinary ELI workshops that highlighted the benefits of studying foreign languages.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait

Nico Francis-Emonds, who graduates Saturday with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and German, recently completed an internship at Ingpuls GmbH in Germany.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBoth Mr. Humphrys and Dr. Emonds have been instrumental in shaping my academic career and international experiences,\u201d Francis-Emonds said. \u201cI am deeply grateful for their support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNico is a stellar student in a myriad of aspects,\u201d Humphrys said. \u201cHe possesses all the characteristics to be successful in his life and career \u2014 strong ethics, extreme ambition, superior organization, exceptional communication skills (in two languages) and a high drive for continuous learning and education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith his membership in the Engineering Leadership Institute (ELI), Nico has gained real leadership skills. Through domestic and international business travel, high-level leadership training from industry professionals and self-reflection opportunities, he has maximized the type of leadership development that Roy and Marcia Armes envisioned as their objective for ELI. This, coupled with Nico\u2019s U.S. and German co-ops, will make him a sought-after talent in the engineering field,\u201d Humphreys added.<\/p>\n

As he approached graduation, Francis-Emonds said his UToledo experience prepared him for a career that crosses both borders and disciplines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking on cutting-edge SMA technologies while gaining international work experience and strengthening my bilingual and bicultural fluency has been incredibly valuable \u2014 both for my career development and personal growth,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m thankful to UToledo, my mentors and the team at Ingpuls for making this experience possible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Portrait<\/a>

The College of Engineering’s integrated co-op program opened doors abroad for Nico Francis-Emonds, who is set to graduate on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":756,"featured_media":96402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,34,69,356,498,1,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/756"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96401"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96417,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96401\/revisions\/96417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}