Three US-American exchange students are currently involved in research at the MAINZ Graduate School
29.07.2010
The Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" (MAINZ) of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz currently hosts three exchange students from the United States of America within the framework of the RISE – "Research Internships in Science and Engineering" – program, a cooperation between the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). RISE offers unique opportunities for undergraduate students from North America and Great Britain to work with research groups at German universities and top research institutions on specific research topics in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, geosciences, engineering sciences, and life sciences. RISE interns are matched with doctoral students of the German hosting institution whom they assist and support in their experimental work, and who serve as their mentors. The interns normally stay for one and a half to three months during the summer.
Xavier van Meerbeek studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. During his stay in Mainz, for which he holds a scholarship of the American Chemical Society (ACS), he is hosted by MAINZ Ph.D. students Alexander Birkel and Dominik Koll. In August 2010, van Meerbeek will present the results of their joined RISE research project in a poster presentation at the ACS conference in Boston, USA. From May 24 to August 28, Birkel and Koll are also supported by Daniel Jacobs of the University of Pittsburg, scholarship holder of the MAINZ Graduate School. Both Meerbeek and Jacobs work on the development of new materials to be used in solar cells.
Renugan Raidoo studies at the University of Iowa. He received a MAINZ scholarship to assist Kerstin Schneider and Thomas Schladt from May 17 to August 6. Raidoo works on so-called "intelligent" nanoparticles to be potentially used in medicine. These nanoparticles might be able to transport drugs directly to tumor cells.
All three students are working at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry in Professor Dr. Wolfgang Tremel's research group. From July 15-18, the American guest students and German Ph.D. students of the MAINZ Graduate School had a chance to intensify their scientific collaboration during a Ph.D. seminar in Geseke near Paderborn. Here, the American guests also presented their research work.
The RISE program provides students from North America and Great Britain with the opportunity to actively take part in research projects at German universities and research institutions. The goal of the program is not only to help them gain practical experience in their subject area and build contacts to German students and researchers, but also to experience life and work in Germany first-hand. RISE is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany through funding from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.