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Tida Heckmann, school intern at the Institute of Chemistry Tida Heckmann, school intern at the Institute of Chemistry
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Tida Heckmann, school intern at the Institute of Chemistry in the laboratory University of Oldenburg / Matthias Knust
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Tida Heckmann, school intern at the Institute of Chemistry during laboratory work University of Oldenburg / Matthias Knust
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Tida Heckmann, school intern at the Institute of Chemistry and Pia Ebert, employee at the Institute
Tida Heckmann: School intern at the Institute of Chemistry
Tida Heckmann (11th grade student) completed her school internship at the Institute of Chemistry. During her stay, she was supervised by junior research group leader Dr Lars Mohrhusen and his colleagues(P. Ebert, J. Klimek, N. Kruse and O. Johannesen), whose research and scientific work focuses on hybrid catalysts:
"I was primarily assigned to Dr Lars Mohrhusen's research group. However, the stay was very varied, so that I was also able to gain many different insights into the entire Institute of Chemistry and even the Institute of Physics," says Tida Heckmann, who is not visiting the Institute for the first time: "As I had already taken part in two competitions at the University of Oldenburg, I already knew that the Institute had great programmes for students. I then discovered on the website that you can also do an internship there. As I am enthusiastic about chemistry, the decision was made quickly and fortunately the application was very straightforward."
The internship definitely confirmed my preference for chemistry. Working on modern research topics, such as nanochemistry, showed me how versatile the subject is and strengthened my desire to study chemistry later on.
During their stay at the Institute of Chemistry, the students work together with their supervisors at the Institute. They have the opportunity to work more intensively on a subject over a longer period of time. This was also the case for Tida Heckmann: "Chemistry is definitely one of my favourite subjects! I particularly like the opportunity to use chemistry to explain the world around us. It's great to use chemical processes to understand how plastics are broken down, for example, or how we can use energy more efficiently. It gives you the feeling of really understanding how things work and perhaps even actively contributing to solutions."
During their stay at the Institute of Chemistry, school interns gain insights into the latest research work and research results. They find out what motivates and motivates the researchers in their work, how they work together and how they in turn incorporate the latest findings into teaching and studies at the Department of Chemistry. "A real highlight was the time spent in the student laboratory on the topic of nanochemistry in cancer medicine (AG Didactics of Chemistry). Everything was explained in a very student-friendly way and I particularly enjoyed being active in this area myself," reports Tida Heckmann, adding: "Working on modern research topics such as nanochemistry showed me how versatile the subject is and encouraged me in my desire to study chemistry later."
Tida Heckmann was able to confirm her preference for the subject of chemistry during her school internship at the Institute of Chemistry. The practical work in the laboratory was motivating for her and showed her that the scientific depth that goes beyond school lessons is extremely exciting for her and that she would like to explore this area more.
For Dr Lars Mohrhusen, supervising school internships is particularly important "...to present the wide range of career opportunities in chemistry and related natural sciences in a tangible way for the pupils. We try to realise as authentic an insight as possible with a lot of personal experience, e.g. through largely independent experimentation under close professional supervision. In this way, we offer our colleagues of tomorrow the best opportunities to make an informed choice for an apprenticeship or degree programme and at the same time encourage their motivation for study and career prospects in the STEM field."
