Following last year’s successful Winter Retreat in Bayrischzell, this year’s Winter Retreat took place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen from 13th to 16th of February. The event is part of the Cluster’s Graduate Program and has welcomed 23 PhD students and 11 invited speakers!
Networking and collaborations lie at the heart of e-conversion, and what better place to connect with fellow PhDs than at the yearly winter retreat? In a lovely village in the German Alps, surrounded by nature and a beautiful landscape, the participants eagerly discussed their scientific visions, questions, and challenges in this open and informal format. It also served as the perfect opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and networking. “With plenty of time for discussion during poster sessions and breaks, we hope many new collaborations will arise from the multitude of preparation and characterization techniques available within e-conversion,” said Pablo Vezzoni, spokesperson of the student board. To let off some steam and cool down from the heated discussions, the participants also set on a journey and explored the mountains during the informal sessions, and many joyful memories were made.
Creative input & all about the life after the PhD
The student board had put together a varied program with workshops and talks. Two workshops provided input on important non-scientific topics in the life of researchers – such as “job application and interview strategies for scientists” and “intercultural communication skills”. The e-conversion office presented its work and set impulses on how PhD students can realize themselves in science communication. In addition, inspiring talks by young industry representatives and speakers from BMW, Qualcomm, Qlibri, and Quantum Diamonds kindly accepted to provide an overview of what the industry offers for those not aiming at an academic career. Finally, a special thank you goes to Anna Abfalterer (LMU), Irina Martynenko (LMU), Kenichi Endo (MPI), and Waldemar Kaiser (TUM) for presenting their research. In light of the positive feedback and hoping everybody had a wonderful time, the student board looks forward to organizing further activities and get-togethers, particularly welcoming any ideas of the graduate school’s members.
Highly positive feedback & New ideas
Even though organizing such an event involves additional work and difficulties, the retreat was a great success. “It was challenging initially, but we’re glad everything worked well. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event very much,” states Duc Hien Nguyen from the student board. Inspired by the participants’ feedback, the student board plans additional career talks from academia and industry in the future and a small get-together this summer.
We are looking forward to reporting on another successful winter retreat next year!
