Bastien Oppenhauser, a senior in mechanical engineering at the Institut Français de Mécanique Avancée in Clermont-Ferrand, France, is experiencing an internship like no other. He is the first student to intern with the College of Engineering’s Formula SAE (AUFSAE) racing team.

Oppenhauser’s French university offers students the opportunity to study abroad for a year, spending six months working with a company and five at a university. Since April, he has been splitting his time between Michelin’s U.S. headquarters in Greenville, S.C., and Auburn’s Formula SAE team, where he provided engineering support to prepare the 2013 racecar for competition in Michigan and Nebraska, where the team placed second overall. Oppenhauser will also assist the team with the fabrication of next year’s vehicle.

“This internship represents a continuing partnership between AUFSAE and the Michelin Corporation,” said Peter Jones, Woltosz War Eagle Motor Sports professor and faculty adviser to Auburn’s Formula SAE racing team.