I was on cloud nine when I came to know that I was selected for the DAAD WISE scholarship. This meant that I got the opportunity to travel to Germany, to the University of Duisburg-Essen for a three-month summer internship at an institute of higher learning or research institute in Germany. This Working Internships in Science and Engineering (WISE) scholarship is for Indian students pursuing undergraduate programmes in engineering, mathematics and natural sciences from select Indian universities.
A two-campus university, the University of Duisburg-Essen has a plethora of academic programmes. The amount of research that is going on and the number of research papers they have published at this university has left me amazed. The interdisciplinary research system that is followed here provides individuals the opportunity to expand their knowledge and also to venture into newer avenues. The strong presence of international students sets the university apart. One will also be overwhelmed by the number of laboratories in each department. Labs are well-equipped and are constantly upgraded.
German punctuality
The best part of doing an internship at a foreign univerisity is that one gains not just international exposure but also the much-needed intercultural experience. Internship at a research lab in Germany, where people work on innovations is a completely different experience. Of all the qualities I came across, what impressed me most was the punctuality of Germans. Right from public transportation to work culture everything here runs like clockwork. This is further complemented by the commitment they show. Where work is fun, every student or lab associate shows supreme dedication to the research activity one is involved with and not a day passes by where one does not end up arriving with some improved results.
Travel
Living in Germany, located at the heart of Europe, one gets the opportunity to travel to nearby regions during the weekends. I was enchanted by the picturesque countryside and the vibrant city life. With the Schengen visa for the European Union I could cover almost the entire region. With an efficient train network system in place, I got to travel to many places. Though I was not fluent in any of the European languages, it did not deter me from travelling.
My internship went well, people here are amicable and no request went unanswered. Even when they did not know English, they were keen to communicate through signs. Hence the language barrier was never an issue. I am a vegetarian but coping up with the absence of home food was not that difficult either. For luckily the university mensa (canteen) served vegetarian dishes everyday.
The writer is pursuing his final year B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering at NIT Tiruchi. He did his summer internship at the Univesity of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, for three months under the DAAD WISE scholarship.
