An internship abroad is an integral part of the Master's program "Integrated Immunology". Students are offered the opportunity to work with renowned international scientists and build an international network. Katharina Knab, a 2020 graduate, reports on her experiences at the Weizmann Institute in Israel and the hurdles she had to overcome due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
The practical project work was my personal highlight of the Master's program! A professor from our program initiated the contact for an internship at Prof. Steffen Jung’s Lab at the Weizmann Institute in Israel in spring 2019. This was the beginning of a scientifically and culturally impressive journey for me. Supported by the Master's program and the lab in Israel, I boarded the plane to Israel in November 2019 with a visa, Erasmus scholarship, and a place in a student apartment.
Once on site, I used the first two weeks to get to know the cultural treasures of Israel and to find my way around the institute. Particularly, the campus of the Weizmann Institute impressed me. There are beautiful green areas, various life science facilities, gyms and even a science park. My own student apartment on campus was also only a few minutes away from the lab.
The Weizmann Institute of Science is one of the world's leading research institutions. I was fortunate to attend several guest lectures by internationally renowned guest speakers and even several mini-symposia. Such events provided a great opportunity to establish international contacts and discuss the latest research findings with each other in a relaxed atmosphere.
On my first day, the international research group warmly welcomed me. Everyone took time to give me insights into their projects. During my daily work in the lab, I was able to extend my scientific knowledge, practice new techniques and gain hands-on experience, allowing me to even start my own project. I really appreciated this cooperative and welcoming environment! In addition, the weekly group meetings and the regular internal retreats helped me to delve deeper into the subject matter.
When the planned three months of my internship were about to end, I was offered an exciting project for my master's thesis. Excited by the team and the research topic, I decided to take this opportunity and stay in Israel for six more months to study macrophages and their role in autoimmune diseases. However, shortly thereafter, the first restrictions occurred due to the Corona pandemic. When I wanted to re-enter Israel after a short visit to Germany, I first had to spend two weeks in quarantine in my student apartment. During this time I was well cared for by friends, colleagues and the International Office of the Weizmann Institute. The pandemic resulted in some restrictions in my work and personal life, but thanks to the support of my colleagues and the Institute's International Office, I was able to successfully complete my master's thesis project on time. With a Corona-compliant farewell dinner together with the lab members, a few exciting months full of new experiences came to an end.
Even after returning to Germany, I am still in regular contact with the lab to keep this cooperation alive, also in my doctoral thesis. Altogether, my time in Israel was very enlightening. I experienced how one of the globally leading labs in immunology works, gained insights into scientific methodology and learned a lot about many cultures working together. I feel optimally prepared to built on my network and to establish new international collaborations during my doctoral thesis. Personally, the stay abroad was a very special experience: I was able to discover other cultures and expand my personal and scientific network, with whom I continue to exchange ideas on a regular basis.
