Lilian Magnus

First of all I would like to say that I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to come to NIG. The six weeks that I spent in Japan were incredibly valuable both academically and socially.

The internship taught me about the daily life in a laboratory, how to go about certain research questions, how to handle the equipment as well as how to interpret the results. My lab was very helpful and patient to guide me through my project. Additionally, through attending seminars, presentations and poster sessions I have gained further insight in how I should present my research. In practical terms, I could immediately apply that knowledge to the final presentation we were asked to do. However, I also learned a lot by interacting with the PhD students and post docs that I made friends with. As they are at the position that I want to be in later in life, they helped me figure out exactly how to achieve my goals and what to expect. All in all this internship really shaped me and my future perspectives.

But the internship was not only great for my academic career, the experience in itself was wonderful. The whole of NIG and especially my Lab and the education office were very welcoming and made me directly feel at home. I made a lot of friends with other interns, students and employees with whom I visited Tokyo, Nagoya, and went to summer festivals, fireworks, restaurants and climbed Mt. Fuji. With them I could further experience and fall in love with Japanese culture and cuisine. I value this time a lot.

I can only recommend this internship to any dedicated student who is interested in participating in cutting edge research while experiencing Japanese culture.