Here, participants in the Voluntary Scientific Year (FWJ) report on their experiences in the Allergology and Immunodermatology working group at the University of Oldenburg.

Why did you decide to do a Voluntary Scientific Year?

I always knew that I wanted to study something scientific. However, as you unfortunately gain little or no experience of the work of scientists during your time at school and an internship in a laboratory didn't give me enough insight, I decided to take a look behind the scenes of research in a working group and also gain experience of practical work in the laboratory myself.

Where are you employed and what are your areas of responsibility?

We are researching skin and autoimmune diseases such as allergies, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We are trying to better understand the role of individual immune cell types (e.g. basophilic granulocytes). To do this, we first have to isolate these cells from the blood so that we can then carry out various experiments with them. I help with many of the work steps. When I'm not working in the lab, I usually read scientific articles to get a better understanding of the current state of research.

What challenges have you faced so far?

The biggest challenge for me was getting used to the work rhythm. At school, you're only used to a fully organised week with a timetable and lots of breaks. However, as you work full-time in the FWJ, you have to or are allowed to work 8 hours a day, but only have a half-hour break. In addition, the week-long holidays are replaced by 20 days of leave. You have to get used to that, especially as there are also days that simply last longer due to experiments (of course you can work less on other days).

What surprised you positively?

I was positively surprised by the fact that I am actually allowed to collaborate a lot and am also involved in many processes. Of course there are times when you have nothing to do, but basically everyone tries to explain and show me their work. I've been able to gain a lot of experience so far, especially when it comes to laboratory work. I was also allowed to go to a meeting of various working groups at the beginning of my year, all of whom are researching itch diseases.

What do you think this year will bring you?

I believe that this year will give me a very realistic insight into university research and, at the same time, into working life. I can also attend lectures and talks at the university and prepare for my studies.

What have you learnt so far during your voluntary service?

I have learnt how to work with blood, isolate immune cells, create cell cultures, prepare buffers and carry out immunofluorescence staining. I also research and read a lot of literature (also in English), which means I now know a lot about immunology and allergology.

What advice would you give to future volunteers?

Contrary to what you sometimes hear, volunteering is not a wasted year in which you only have to do simple and boring tasks. This year can give you a comprehensive insight into science. You have many opportunities to look at different areas at university and orientate yourself, learn practical skills and experience the everyday life of a researcher if you want to. You should definitely take advantage of this opportunity.