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By summerstudent Felipe Mata Mata > I study the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). If you’re wondering what that is and why anyone would bother with it, let me explain: The OER is a crucial step in water electrolysis – Yes, think back to your chemistry classes at school! Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and splitting it has become a hopeful way to produce clean fuels. By using sunlight or wind to supply the necessary voltage, we can generate hydrogen without relying on fossil fuels, this is known as green hydrogen. That’s a big step toward sustainable energy using theRead More →

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By summerstudent Myrto Mangana> One cultural shock I experience every time I travel to other European countries is the lack of water in people’s everyday habits – and how it is replaced by other beverages. 9 out of 10 waters are sparkling, and usually quite expensive. But for me, water is everywhere. I spend half my day drinking it. So, to satisfy my thirst here in Berlin, I carry around a one-liter bottle that I refill from taps wherever I go. Still, I think we can all agree that tap water in some countries has a weird taste and it might not always be superRead More →

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By summerstudent Fernando Alonso Cordova Mariño > In recent years, science in my country, Peru, has begun to gain relevance. More and more young people are drawn to scientific careers, motivated by curiosity and a passion for continuing to learn. However, those of us who decide to take this path know it’s not easy. Limited infrastructure, funding, and recognition have been constant obstacles to growth. I remember a phrase a professor told us in the first years of university: “We have to learn to do science with sticks, ropes, and stones.” He wasn’t just referring to the lack of resources, but also to the creativityRead More →

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By summerstudent Alex Giron > After studying Physics for many years, I feel tired. I hope I’m not the only one, but it’s really exhausting. Sometimes it’s just solving exams but not always understanding the importance of what I am learning, or seeing it far removed from real life. That was how I felt before coming here. I realized that I was lacking motivation. I really missed the feeling of my early days as a physics student, when I fell in love whit it. But, luckily, I always try to be optimistic, so I decided to find experiences that could make me feel motivated again.Read More →

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By summerstudent Beatriz Silveira Augusto > January 14th. That’s when I got the news: I was going to Berlin! Could there be a better way to start the year? I started planning everything in advance, since I would have about six months to prepare, in Brazil, the foundation for my experiments at the HZB. I thought I would be calm, ready, and organised when the time arrived. In theory, it was the perfect plan. In practice… not so much. Nothing worked at first I had to establish a protocol to express, purify, and crystallise a protein in order to run a fragment screening at HZB,Read More →

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By summerstudent Lluïsa Nieddu Vicent > 8:10 a.m. I arrive at Zehlendorf train station and suddenly hear the train approaching. I am almost on the stairs when a question pops into my mind: Should I run to catch this train or wait for the next one? I start running and when I reach the platform, I hear the sound of the doors closing. Aargh, missed it! But wait, the train was heading toward Oranienburg, and I needed to go to Wannsee… So in the end, I was lucky. That moment, full of uncertainty and instinct, reflected  the rhythm of my summer in Berlin. A rhythmRead More →

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By summerstudent Liam Collin > If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. A motto instilled into me by my grandpa. Resilience is the key to success he said, as we sat by the fire and looked up to the stars at the family home in Solihull. A man small in stature with the biggest heart, he came from humble beginnings: growing up in poverty by the docks in Glasgow, he longed for a better life for himself and his family. During the day, he would work to provide for his mother and younger siblings. As the day turned to night, heRead More →

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By summerstudent Mariella Herrera > I remember that when I was little, it was a tradition to spend Christmas at my grandparents’ house. The Christmas tree was decorated with thousands of ornaments and hundreds of colored lights… or at least that’s what it seemed like when I was six. Presents were overflowing under the tree, and I was sure at least three of them were for me. As dinner time approached, my grandparents’ house filled with family, the aroma of the juicy turkey my grandmother had spent all day cooking, the tamales we all made (like any good Mexican family), and the buñuelos that wereRead More →

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Moses Oladele Alfred came to HZB on a Georg Forster Research Fellowship. The Nigerian chemist is an expert in low-cost materials for remediating environmental damage. But scientific expertise alone is not enough, he says: You also have to convince policymakers. He found support in a special program, training african scientists in communication and knowledge transfer. Read the full interview here >Read More →

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Manuel Vasquez Montoya and Mayara da Silva are two PhD students at HZB. They have been selected this summer to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting and came back with new ideas and contacts. Among the highlights were the walks with Nobel Laureates in a small group. In this short interview they resume their experiences.Read More →