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Some students overcame big obstacles to join the International Summer Students Programme at HZB: Traveling 12 hours by bus across the Andes to obtain a visa in Bogotá, borrowing money from here and there to pay the fees for formalities, and maintaining hope when the visa was delayed. One student visited the embassy every day for two weeks, leaving a yellow envelope with a polite reminder each time. And even with a visa, problems could arise last minute. Another student was already at the airport when he was denied boarding because he did not have a return ticket yet. He called our HZB colleagues whoRead More →

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“The moment I stepped out of the lab, the sky above Berlin transformed. A sudden downpour ceased as swiftly as it had begun, leaving in its wake a vivid rainbow arching across the Berliner Himmel. It was my first unforgettable brush with the city’s “unberechenbar” weather—a local term for the unpredictable that I soon learned to embrace.” Having called two continents my home, I was now ready to immerse myself in the rhythm of a third. As summer unfolded, Berlin welcomed me—an eager research intern from distant shores, eager to dive into both the city’s vibrant culture and cutting-edge science.Read More →

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By summer student, Abdelrahman Mohamed Ishmael > My journey to Berlin started two years before joining HZB when I planned to get an international internship during my undergraduate life and worked strictly to make my dreams true. The first time I wandered Berlin streets, I was fascinated with its green natural sceneries and vibrant places inside. I felt no culture shock: What I have heard from travelers about the human and cultural diversity in Berlin has helped me cope more quickly as if I lived there before. Searching for stability I needed no time to get involved with the lab mates in the Young InvestigatorRead More →

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By summer student Sofia Muñoz Bonilla > Dear summerstudents, My name is Sofia Muñoz Bonilla, I’m a Colombian student of environmental engineering. Thanks to the HZB summer program for foreign students, I have had a wonderful experience in Berlin. But I’m not going to talk about how amazing Berlin is, because you will find out for yourselves. However, with the eyes of an environmental engineer, I see important avenues with trees, the parks with their own vibes thanks to the many different musicians, green areas, and moss that grows in the middle of the sidewalks. The first days, I couldn’t believe how far my feetRead More →

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By summer student Eduardo Montoya > Before coming to HZB, while having a coffee with one of my dearest friends who studied biomedical engineering, we got into jokingly into an argument of who was the most “engineer” out of the two of us. The big question was if she, having gone through a lot of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering programming and construction lectures, was the ultimate engineer. Or me, having studied materials sciences and engineering with my countless hours of solid states physics, thermodynamics and surface chemistry, was the ultimate engineer. I clearly lost this debate, and we came to the simple conclusion, that evenRead More →

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By summer student Jinlin Li> Life is filled with many firsts, which are worth recording and celebrating. As Armstrong famously said when he landed on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Similarly, Ronaldo’s favorite song “Stay” reflects the sentiment of leaving behind one’s old life: “It is not much of a life you are living…” This echoes the moment young Ronaldo left his hometown of Madeira to join Sporting CP and start his professional football career. In the Neapolitan Novels, Lenu takes a significant step by leaving her small town of Naples to move to the big cityRead More →

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By summerstudent Aman Kumar > Berlin, Germany, as per my understanding is the most important city from the 20th century and I think many of you will agree with me and if you don’t—I will explain my “controversial?” claim in a bit. But first about me. I am Aman. A master’s student. From India. Currently on the way to becoming a Physicist (Most probably!! Let’s keep our fingers crossed and pray for me. I don’t believe in God but if you do, then I think it should work). So, coming back to my claim. From the point of physics, Quantum Revolution happened here. On which ourRead More →

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By summerstudent Ralph Carlo Evidente > As the sun set over Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, I rushed past the iconic Weltzeituhr, drawn towards home by the last light reflecting off the Fernsehturm. That evening, as I settled in to watch the latest episode of House of the Dragon, the parallels between my own journey and the on-screen drama were unmistakable. In Episode 7, as Vermithor chose Hugh Hammer amid the flames, I saw a reflection of my own life choices— not aligning myself with mythical beasts, but with the field of sustainable energy.Read More →

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By summerstudent Rohn Cephas> After discovering the HZB summer student program in LINKEDIN; I did immediately apply: Since that moment, my eyes were glued to my email to see if my application would bear the result. I was more than happy when I was listed among the International Summer School Students 2024 followed by the VIPERLAB project. In HZB, I am working on a project on perovskite solar cells which I could barely do in my home country Kenya due to the unavailable conditions required for their fabrication: A clean room and an inert environment are nothing to even imagine in the labs I wasRead More →

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By summerstudent Samora Amanda Buthelezi> It took me three weeks to adapt in Berlin and the laboratory at HZB. Many times, I walked alone. I usually kept quiet and felt lonely while I was with others. I felt very bad thinking that other people would think that I was avoiding them on purpose. I realized that for me to adapt, I must be open-minded, expect some differences in a new place, try new things like eating new food, accept new ideas, and hang around with other local people. I am a person who is calm, shy, and gentle. I overcame shyness by communicating more withRead More →