UA Engineering Student Selected for International Mercedes-Benz Co-Op

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Chase Jennings, a University of Alabama junior majoring in industrial engineering, was recently selected for a co-op program in Germany with Mercedes-Benz.

Jennings is the first student to be chosen for this new, international co-op program. He will stay for a year at the Sindelfingen, Germany plant, where most of the Mercedes models are built. During his stay, Jennings will rotate through several departments to learn about each aspect of the Mercedes-Benz production system.

“This is a great honor to our department and college,” said Dr. Paul Ray, professor of industrial engineering. “We offer our hearty congratulations to Chase and wish him spectacular success at Mercedes-Benz in the future.”

A native of Gurley, Ala., Jennings previously interned with Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa, where he received the co-op of the semester award. Additionally, Jennings is president of Alpha Pi Mu Industrial Engineering Honor Society and a member of the Alpha Lambda National Academic Honor Society. He is a member of the leadership team for Calvary Baptist College Ministry.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.