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In: Summerstudents

By summerstudent Christina Papaefthymiou> When I applied for the HZB Summer Student Program in December 2023, I had no idea what was to come. Knowing that finding accommodation in Berlin is not an easy task, I felt very lucky to secure an apartment four months before my arrival. Deep inside, I knew that once I stepped foot in Berlin, everything would fall into place and my fears would go away. And so it happened. The only unexpected condition when I arrived was the warm weather….Read More →

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By summerstudent Muhammad Kashif Raza> Nothing worthwhile is accomplished easily, and this summer program at HZB served as a reminder of that. From visa issues as a non-European student to finding accommodation in bustling capital city Berlin, I faced numerous challenges. Literally, it took about four months getting visa and finding the dormitory. But real test started when I reached my apartment in Berlin and found no Pakistani food around…Read More →

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In: Careers, Conference, PhDlife, Science Communication

Even at scientific conferences, audiences sometimes appreciate a drawing that summarises complex issues in an original way. But what if you don’t have the time or experience to draw such illustrations yourself? Faidra Amargianou simply asks ChatGPT to create surprisingly well-functioning cartoons that convey the main messages of her work. Here she explains how she does it. Faidra is a PhD student in Tristan Petit’s group at HZB. In her final year, she is currently writing her thesis. When she presents her results, whether at conferences or for a press release, she sometimes makes cartoons to communicate the main messages. Question: Do you have aRead More →

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In: Careers, Diversity, Energymaterials, International, International Collaboration, Science Communication

The BESSY@HZB User Meeting welcomes 17 scientists from Kenya. They come from six different universities. One of them is Robert Ngure; he is a Master’s student in material science at Egerton university. He tells us more about his fascination for science and what he expects from his visit to Adlershof. Robert Ngure graduated in June 2019 and enrolled a few months later for a Master’s degree in science. In most universities in Kenya, you study for one year before you choose a specialisation. Robert’s decision was relatively straightforward: “I am convinced that material science is very relevant for my country. From the beginning, my goalRead More →

Portrait of Lucy Ombaka (right) next to Antje Vollmer (left)

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In: BESSYBeamlineScientists, Careers, Diversity, International, Science Communication

The 2023 User Meeting BESSY@HZB end of June welcomes Kenya as country of honour. Dr Lucy Ombaka from Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi tells us how she got to know about BESSY II light source and how she motivates women in science.  Early May 2023 when we talk, Lucy Ombaka is just back from Berlin, where she spent a few days with the Humboldt Foundation. In 2018 she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship there. Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Lucy holds a PhD in nanotechnology and catalysis. “I met Antje Vollmer1 from BESSY II during an online Humboldt-Symposium.Read More →

A group of diverse, unique people. Visualisation of diversity. Decorative.

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In: Careers, Diversity, Science Communication

Diversity is a very hot topic at the moment. All over we see campaigns about it, companies waking up to its profit potential, and institutions wanting to harness its creative power. What do we mean when we use the word diversity, what is its scope? Who do we want to reach and who feels spoken to when we say that diversity matters? Unique people living together Simply put, diversity is the existence of a wide variation of characteristics in a group of people. When we say diversity matters, we are recognizing and valuing that variation, and aiming at promoting fair treatment and full participation ofRead More →

Portrait foto of Mahmoud Hussein

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In: Careers, Diversity, International, PhDlife, Students

Mahmoud Hussein is a PhD candidate at the department for active materials and interfaces for stable perovskite solar cells. In this interview he talks about his experiences working in international teams and how different cultures can contribute to scientific progress by encouraging creative thinking. What is important to you about diversity? The most important aspect in diversity, for me, is having people from different cultures and from different backgrounds – and different science perspectives. That’s very important because this is one of the main driving forces of science. Why? Because when you take people. from different backgrounds, from different educational systems, different academic sub fields,Read More →

Portrait of Aarthi Nandy

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In: Careers, Diversity, International, Science Communication

Aarthi Nandy studied chemical engineering at the University of Bath in England and then lived and worked in the UK for several years. Aarthi Nandy has been working at HZB since March 2021, first in the procurement team of the dismantling project and now in the user coordination department. A talk about privilege at work and in professional context. What do you do at HZB? Since February 2023, I have been in the User Coordination department, which looks after measurement guests from all over the world. I am responsible for quality management. Our users are very international, which is very exciting! I’m also the deputyRead More →

A portrait picture of Ulli Schade

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In: Careers, Diversity

Dr Ulrich Schade has been with BESSY II from the beginning and has built up and further developed the IRIS beamline. A wide variety of materials are studied there with infrared or terahertz radiation, from biological cells to superconductors to archaeological finds. Today, he will talk with us about respect, diversity, and a good life in a collaborative environment. What is particularly important to you when it comes to diversity? In my environment, i.e. in research, this is not really a problem. I am very open about it and have never seen diversity as negative: Everyone has the same rights. But of course, discrimination happensRead More →

Portrait of Lisa Seelau

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In: Careers, Diversity, International, PhDlife, Science Communication, Students

Lisa Seelau is a HR specialist for personnel marketing and participates in the LGBTQ group at HZB. Diversity plays a big role in her everyday professional life. In this talk, she mentions how much a culture of openness and exchange about different perspectives enriches her. What is important to you when it comes to diversity? I firmly believe that diversity in a company brings new ideas and perspectives. It changes the view that has existed for a long time, the heteronormative view of the cis-white male. There are also numerous studies showing that diversity makes companies more successful. Diversity works best when there is trainingRead More →