Here, participants in the Voluntary Scientific Year (FWJ) report on their experiences at the Institute of Physics in the field of ultrafast nano-optics.

Why I thought: "Yes, I'll give it a go!"

I didn't want to study straight after school and first looked around for opportunities to do a voluntary year. However, I already knew that physics would be a good direction for me and that I didn't want to do a social year. When I came across the university's offer, I knew straight away that it was the perfect opportunity for me to familiarise myself with research work and the field. I come from Aachen, but have family in Oldenburg, so the decision was quickly made for me. Although there were no job advertisements for physics, I wrote to Marina (our FWJ coordinator) and she told me to simply write to the working groups. That worked really well and now I'm doing my FWJ in the "Ultrafast Nano-Optics" working group.

My "Wow, I'm really in science!" moment

We had a big measurement campaign in December where two working groups worked together on an experiment and I was allowed to be there when the measurements finally started. I was sitting in the lab and had long since lost track of the physics behind it all. Besides, it was getting late and being in the lab all day is a bit of a drag. I was already thinking about my dinner when I realised where I actually was: In a physics lab with real physicists, all looking excitedly at a screen and looking forward to the results. The three colleagues were discussing something and I really thought to myself "Wow, I'm in science. What a privilege to be able to look at this, even though I haven't studied or could contribute anything else."

My tip for future FWJ students

My tip for future FWJ students would be not to be afraid to approach people. Especially if you're joining a group that hasn't had any FWJ volunteers before, it's particularly useful to show initiative. People need to get used to you just as much as you need to get used to them. So don't be afraid to let them know if you don't understand something or if you get bored. Your colleagues want you to take something away with you, so give them the opportunity.