A warm welcome: Summer students start at the HZB
Die Sommerstudierenden erkunden Berlin. © privat
Besuch des Naturkundemuseums Berlin. © privat
On 1 July 2024, 18 summer students from 15 nations started their work at HZB. Until 23 August, they will be supervised in various research teams and take on their own small project. For many students, this is their first contact with research.
"We are delighted that there were so many applications for places this year. The summer students are highly motivated to gain new experiences at HZB and in Berlin," says Marieke Hoog Antink. Together with Cécile Dufloux, Jennifer Kusch and Ana Anselmo, she is member of the organisation team. After a brief welcome and an introduction to research at the HZB, the summer students moved on to the departments on the very first day. There they have eight weeks to work independently on a project. They then will present their results to the other students and HZB staff at the end of the programme.
An attractive framing programme is offered as well: they will visit the Einstein Park in Potsdam, followed by a tour of the Adlershof science campus, during which they will visit the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and BESSY II. At the Wannsee campus, the programme includes eye tumour therapy. The students will also attend a workshop on entrepreneurship offered by the HZB Technology Transfer department.
The summer students will blog about their experiences at work and during their spare time. Antonia Rötger from the Communications Department is offering an introduction to science communication.
We wish you a good time at HZB!
- Beyond Global Maxima: My ISSP Journey in BerlinBeing accepted into the 2026 International Summer Student Program (ISSP) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin was one of the best pieces of news I have ever received. I still remember waking up in the middle of the night, checking my email, and reading the acceptance letter. It didn't feel real.
- Finding the Stories Behind ScienceI've always thought about the correlation between art and science, and how art can symbolize science in ways that add to it and make it more than just the trials or the data you try to interpret.
And you can see this through a spin coater.
A machine designed for thin-film coating can create something that resembles a beautiful flower.
And that's where my story begins.
- From Curiosity to ContributionEvery morning begins the same way. I put on my lab coat, prepare my electrochemical setup, and wait for the first measurement of the day to appear on my screen. Even though I have repeated the procedure many times over the past weeks, I still find myself wondering: Will today's experiment behave differently from yesterday's?
That question has quietly become my favourite part of my internship at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.