First encounter and lunch in the English Garden
Two weeks before the official opening event, Simone Müller (program speaker) and Kirsten Twelbeck (coordinator) initiated a Kick-Off workshop at LMU Munich to prepare the twenty new PhD students of the IDK "Rethinking Environment” to familiarize themselves with the program. The humanities and social sciences oriented doctorate program is a cooperation between the University of Augsburg and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (LMU).
For the doctoral students, it was the first opportunity to get to know each other and to familiarize themselves with the goals, concept and structure of the IDK. A poster session helped to explain the individual projects and stimulated lively discussions.
After the PhD students arrived at the main building of the LMU in the morning, program assistant Laura Bondl explained the historical significance of the building with regard to the White Rose resistance group and the Scholl siblings. Program speaker Prof. Dr. Matthias Schmidt (University of Augsburg), who was on a field trip at the time, wished the IDK PhD students much success in their common mission to contribute to solving current environmental problems with the methods and topics of the Environmental Humanities in a very personal video message. After a brief round of introductions, which revealed the environmental connection of many of the surnames represented in the group, the doctoral candidates presented their dissertation projects: Getting to the heart of one's research interest pictorially was a new and unfamiliar but very enlightening approach for many. During the presentation of the visually staged dissertation projects, lively discussions arose between the students. Already here it became clear how enriching the interdisciplinarity of the program will be for the individual projects.
The vegan-vegetarian lunch at the Monopteros in the English Garden provided an opportunity for personal discussions: It became apparent that the IDK is not only an association of researchers from different disciplines, but also of people with common visions and ideas.
After the break, coordinator Kirsten Twelbeck and IDK spokesperson Simone Müller encouraged the PhD students to start thinking about what they would like to achieve during the program for themselves as scientists, but also as individuals. The group was given plenty of space to think about their own hopes and expectations for the doctorate program and to exchange ideas. The wishes and ideas gathered afterwards are a valuable guide for the organization of the program. A subsequent visit to the Rachel Carson Center Munich, the project partner of the Environmental Science Center in Augsburg, complemented the Kick-Off meeting.
The next day, the doctoral students met for an online workshop on the topic of writing scientific papers like doctoral dissertations. Prof. Dr. Hubert Zapf, initiator of the IDK, and Prof. Dr. Christof Mauch, director of the Rachel Carson Center, gave valuable tips. In particular, the topics of time and organizational management, but also mental pressure and dealing with stress were on the agenda. In breakout rooms, the doctoral candidates had the opportunity to discuss their expectations in small groups.
Text: Laura Bondl, Kirsten Twelbeck (Environmental Science Center Augsburg).
