An antihydrogen adventure
During the summer of 2022 I had the opportunity to live in Geneva, Switzerland, for the purpose of researching at CERN. It is predicted that following the Big Bang, equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been created; however, the universe is dominated by matter and there is much less of its counterpart. Antihydrogen is created and analyzed by the ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser PHysics Apparatus) collaboration at CERN to look for asymmetries by comparing its spectra with hydrogen’s. To produce antihydrogen you need the opposite of the components present in a hydrogen atom: antiprotons (instead of protons) and positrons (instead of electrons). CERN is the only facility in the world that can provide a constant beam of antiprotons to the experiment day and night. For this reason, I needed to travel to Switzerland this summer to complete my research.
My personal research mainly focused on the installation of hardware to inject microwaves into the first ever vertical antihydrogen trap. This trap will eventually be used to complete the first gravity measurement on antihydrogen, a goal that all collectively researched towards this summer. CERN is a world class international facility for physics research that provides the opportunity for collaboration amongst physicists globally. I can personally attest to this as I worked closely with many other
researchers from a broad array of countries in my group. It was inspiring to see individuals travel to CERN from all over the world to work towards a single goal. While the work was undoubtedly challenging I learned more than I ever could have imagined.
My favorite part of living in Geneva was jumping in the lake after long hot summer days. I felt so lucky that the research I am passionate about afforded the chance to stay in such a beautiful and historic city. Of the many incredible experiences I had, some of the most memorable, outside of research, were the trips I took to Interlaken and Montreux. Interlaken was extremely beautiful; I went with friends and enjoyed a weekend of hiking and kayaking. The day I went Montreux was one of the most scenic day trips I have ever taken. Switzerland is a fantastic country to travel around; it is easily accessible by train and reliably provides a picturesque journey as well as a picturesque destination.
Particle Physics (Antimatter) – CERN ∞ University of Calgary
A unique summer experience
On my flight to Geneva , I was expecting this research experience to be no different from others, but on my way back I realized I was wrong. Going to Switzerland for research is more than a change in one’s surroundings; I experienced a lot that can’t be found anywhere else.
I was amazed by the work-life balance in Switzerland. Everyone works hard, but they also enjoy a healthy lifestyle. It was not uncommon for the labmates to have lunch together by the beautiful Lac Léman when the weather was nice or to go for a hike together in the mountains. There are also daily coffee breaks where people chat about their research and all the fun activities happening around the city. Having been raised in China and studied in the US, I am used to people staying up late and working after hours, but to my surprise that was not the case in Switzerland. It is not that they don’t like their work; rather, it’s an environment free of peer pressure that allows them to have time to themselves.
Switzerland also provides a truly international community. People in my lab were from all over the world—my advisor once proudly told me that they have people from every continent except for Antarctica. My most memorable experience was hearing the colleagues sing the Happy Birthday song in different languages to one of my labmates on his birthday. It was sung in Polish, German, Italian, Chinese, English, etc. The mixture of international cultures is extremely welcoming, and I got to learn about Poland, Lebanon, Nigeria, and other places in the world.
I am thankful for the ThinkSwiss program, not only for providing funding, but also for organizing an amazing trip around Bern and Mount Titlis. Throughout the trip I was exposed to how the Swiss education system works, why the road signs in Bern come in multiple colors, the fact that old buildings are made of sandstone, and other fun facts. Moreover, it also provided a great opportunity to connect with other awardees and chat about their research and experience in Switzerland.
I am glad that I had the privilege to spend a summer doing research in Switzerland, which turned out to be one of the best experiences I have had. I look forward to going back to the cool glass building of Campus Biotech some day for future collaborations.
Computational Neuroscience – EPFL ∞ Carnegie Mellon University
A transformative experience in a top research institution
August 6, 2022. 18:48. Air Canada flight AC421 arrives at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Descending from the plane, I set foot on Canadian soil for the first time in over three months. Same me, but with some notable differences. Looking back, it’s easy to see how my experience this summer could be described as “life-changing.” While I am not fond of the term, I have no doubt that my time in Switzerland has been transformative. As I unpack my gains, literally and metaphorically, over the next couple of weeks, my growth as a researcher and person will become only more apparent. 
First, let us unpack the big question. Why Switzerland?
Switzerland has a strong education system and Swiss universities score highly on international rankings. My host institution, EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) is world-renowned for its research and the diversity of its student body.
While at the EPFL, I worked in the Laboratory of Electrophiles and Genome Operation (LEAGO) under the supervision of Prof. Yimon Aye. My research investigated the mechanism by which endogenous electrophilic chemical modification of a nuclear protein elicits reduced protein local translation. Detailed understanding of this biomolecular chemistry promises to accelerate the discovery of new drugs to treat human malignancies, including cancer.
Outside the lab, I spent weekends in Lausanne, in Switzerland, or other countries in Europe. Through ThinkSwiss, I met a host of other interns in Switzerland, including the EPFL Excellence Research Internship Program and EPFL Summer in the Lab interns. I am proud to call them my colleagues, companions, and friends. Their diverse backgrounds have lent valuable perspective to my experiences.
My time in Switzerland has been incredible. Rather than telling you more about my journey, I encourage you to experience Switzerland yourself. Consider a research experience in Switzerland; I cannot recommend the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship strongly enough.
Biochemistry – EPFL ∞ University of Toronto
Switzerland on a Macro and Micro Scale
When you think of paradise, you don’t usually think of a landlocked country. Yet Switzerland is my perfect paradise and I had an amazing summer doing research in Lausanne. The Laboratory of Experimental Biophysics hosted my stay at EPFL where I researched mitochondrial dyes using super resolution microscopy. While I spent my research looking at cells on a micro level, I got to experience Switzerland on a macro scale. I became immersed in Swiss culture and had many opportunities to travel around the country.
My typical week would be Monday through Friday working in the lab and then heading to the mountains for the weekend. In the lab, I did a lot of cell culture work, imaging on a microscope, and then data analysis. I was able to hone-in my lab skills and learn new techniques. I also went to lab meetings, journal clubs, and most importantly, BBQs and aperos. I will cherish the friendships I made in lab and continue to stay connected with them after my trip. I had so much fun going for drinks after work and spending lunches talking about science, the outdoors, and each other’s culture from our home countries.
After the workweek, weekends were for exploring. I am from Colorado and love the outdoors, so I found mountain huts to be the perfect weekend activity. The Swiss Alpine Club has over 150 huts scattered throughout the country in remote areas. You have to hike, climb, or traverse glaciers to get to these huts perched high on mountains, but once you are there you are greeted by a warm welcome. The hut wardens provided dinner, breakfast, and a place to sleep. You sleep in dormitory-style beds with other mountain enthusiasts, so it made it easy to talk to new people with your same passion for the outdoors. I stayed at the Hörnlihütte, Rotstockhütte, Almgallerhütte, and Cabane FXB Panossiere as well as going to Chamonix, Menton, and Perouge, France. The Oeschinensee lake was another highlight!
Living in Lausanne had its own adventures and the beauty of Lac Léman never failed to impress me. Evenings after work often looked like walking down to the lake for a swim and ice cream. I also rode my bike to work along the lake and always found the roads to be safe, even during rush hour.
This opportunity helped not only shape me as a researcher, but my identity. Even though I was born in Zürich, I haven’t had many chances to go back and learn about where I am from. I was able to become immersed in Switzerland’s culture and practice speaking one of their national languages. I fell in love with the country and I will definitely come back to live here again. Switzerland’s charm will always have a hold on me and I am endlessly grateful for the experience the ThinkSwiss scholarship gave me.
Biophysics – EPFL ∞ University of Colorado Boulder
The Growth of a Lifetime in the Land that Married the Nature and the City
From walking along Lake Zurich at sunset; to eating gelato while watching the swans calmly float by; to munching on a “Brötchen” on the SBB train while admiring the picturesque scenery out the window; to hiking mountains in the company of friends (and cows); to admiring the incredible views of the Alps and beautiful lakes from the top of various peaks… My two-month summer stay in Switzerland was a dream come true, and the best summer of my life so far.
This past summer, I conducted an individual project on sustainable finance under the guidance of Asst. Professor Sebastian Utz from the University of St Gallen. I studied the effects of negative firm social practices on firm performance and investor behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic using whistleblower complaints as a proxy for negative firm practices. I was incredibly thankful to be able to work with someone whose expertise was exactly in this area for my first independent project in this field. Over the two months, I honed my skills in R by trouble-shooting numerous errors and obstacles, which proved to be useful for my pre-doctoral research assistant applications later on. I also took the two months to learn more about the process of conducting research in a quantitative social science field as opposed to “hard” lab-based STEM, which I have had more exposure to since high school. The invaluable research experience I gained cemented my desire to pursue a PhD in a business-related field.
However, what was life-changing was undoubtedly the new experiences I’d gained beyond research. It was a period of many firsts—from travelling alone to a European country, to making new friends though various ways (during an ongoing global pandemic), to living in a mixed shared flat with diverse and friendly flatmates. Simply put, I had grown. I’d grown to enjoy being on my own, grown in my worldview, and grown in my independence thanks to the ThinkSwiss Scholarship.
Why Switzerland? Well, Switzerland is a unique country with the best choices to offer. First, it’s an international business hub that integrates busy, modern city centers with charming, medieval old towns and peaceful, breathtaking nature. It also has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh (how cool is that?). And lastly, the Swiss (and Europeans) have an admirable dedication to work-life balance and rest. After a long and productive week of work, people escape the hustle bustle of city life on weekends to spend time in nature with their loved ones. Switzerland offers a spread of non-mutually exclusive choices that is hard to find anywhere else.
At this point, I could go on forever about my experience in Switzerland, but I’m sure that’s unnecessary to convince anyone to apply for the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. So, what are you waiting for? Maybe you’ll also get to spend the summer of your lifetime in this beautiful country.
Economics – University of St.Gallen ∞ Northwestern University
COVID-19 Impact on Retinal and Choroidal Microvasculature among Swiss Military Personnel
I was very fortunate to spend the summer of 2021 conducting clinical research at the University Hospital Zurich Department of Ophthalmology through the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship. I collaborated with an incredible team of researchers to conduct an epidemiological study aiming to assess the impact of COVID-19 on retinal and choroidal microvasculature among Swiss military personnel.
Under the guidance of Dr. Sandrine Zweifel, I learned how to perform clinical ophthalmological examinations, take different measurements of the eye’s structure, distinguish between retinal layers, and recognize common pathological findings. I also learned how to perform structural optical coherence tomography (OCT), as well as imaging of retinal and choroidal circulations using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
It was a privilege to work alongside the exceptionally welcoming and supportive researchers, faculty, and staff at the University Hospital Zurich. Over the course of two-and-a-half months, I gained an in-depth understanding of the visual system, ocular disease, and retinal pathology. I even had the opportunity to use a virtual reality simulator for cataract surgery training! Outside of the hospital, dinners and outings by Lake Zurich provided the perfect opportunity to connect with the team of researchers and explore the beautiful city around me.
I am incredibly grateful to the ThinkSwiss Scholarship for providing me with the opportunity to collaborate with scientists in Switzerland, a nation that is a global leader in scientific research, technology, and innovation. The high degree of international collaboration at Swiss universities, combined with the country’s investment in and prioritization of scholarly research, make it an ideal environment to conduct cutting-edge research. Furthermore, I am appreciative of the connections I was able to form with the other scholarship recipients and for the opportunity to explore the breathtaking nature as well as the rich culture and history of Switzerland. Some of my favorite memories include swimming in the River Limmat, hiking in Lugano and Interlaken, exploring the capital city of Bern, and, of course, eating the uniquely smooth and creamy chocolate that Switzerland has to offer. My stay in Switzerland was incredibly enriching and fostered both my professional and personal development; I can’t wait to go back soon!
Epidemiology and Clinical Research – University Hospital Zurich: Department of Ophthalmology ∞ Stanford University
Investigating Attacks on Encrypted Database Schemes
Thanks to ThinkSwiss, I got to spend my summer conducting research in the Applied Cryptography group at ETH Zurich.
Under the guidance of Prof. Kenneth Paterson I investigated attacks on encrypted database schemes. Although these schemes offer some level of security, they also typically leak some information about the underlying data. To date, there is no systematic way of analyzing what can be learned from this information and proving what an attacker might be able to learn is still an active research area. During my stay, I developed an attack on one such scheme that encrypts graphs and supports shortest path queries.
Thanks to this project, I walked away feeling more confident in my abilities as a researcher and having learned a lot about leading a project from end-to-end. I also felt truly welcomed by everyone I met; I joined in on the lab hikes, helped organize a social event for the department, and even participated in a department-wide running dinner!
I am grateful to my supervisor, lab mates, and others I met during this time for making my visit an incredible experience—on both a professional and a personal level. I know that the next time I eat a piece of Lindt chocolate or see a picture of the impressive Alps, I will reminisce fondly about the wonderful time I had in Switzerland.
This Says it All: I'm Extending My Stay for Another Two Years
Full of rewarding research experiences, countless adventures, and incredible friendships; I’ll never forget the three months I spent in Bern. I am an undergraduate student in chemistry at the University of Ottawa and applied to the ThinkSwiss program to do research in the Albrecht group at the University of Bern. Although my stay took place amidst the pandemic, any worries or uncertainties I had about my trip melted away as soon as I arrived.
In the Albrecht group, I had the opportunity to make contributions to the growing field of sustainable chemistry and, with the help of my wonderful lab-mates, enhance my analytical and technical skills in inorganic chemistry. Though the lab work was in English, I had many chances to practice my French and learn some Swiss German. I was learning something new every step of the way! During my time there, I made many friends in and out of the lab with whom I shared many amazing memories and of course many raclettes and fondues. From nights out on the town to rafting down the Aare to weekends away with friends; there was never a dull moment. Outside of the lab, I spent almost every weekend in the mountains trying new adventures, including alpine hiking, mountain running, swimming in glacier lakes, via ferratas and one of my favorite memories: camping in the Alps to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
Because of the incredible experience I had during my time in Bern, I will be applying for my Master’s there next fall and will hopefully get to live the dream for another two years. My time in Switzerland through the ThinkSwiss program accounted for some of the most exciting, fulfilling, and memorable months of my life. I would wholeheartedly recommend applying to this program to anyone looking for a unique research experience and an amazing adventure.
From Cheese to the Sac Taxé: Countless First-Hand Experiences About Swiss Culture
Although this was not my first time in Switzerland, it was my first time fully immersing myself in Swiss culture. Two summers ago, I came to Lausanne, Switzerland with my undergraduate institution, Pepperdine University, to do an internship in Geneva. After two months of living in Switzerland, like every other tourist who has ever tried Cailler chocolate or a pain au chocolat for breakfast or taken the Intercity train from Lausanne to Geneva, I fell in love with Switzerland. But coming to Switzerland the second time around through the ThinkSwiss research scholarship allowed me to develop an even greater appreciation for Swiss culture. So, to also convince you to come for the first or tenth time, here are just a few of the things I learned about Switzerland from interning at the Cognitive and Affective Research Laboratory (CARLA) with Dr. Billieux and Dr. Stolz.
On Sundays, hiking is a must. After a busy week reading research articles on the LGBTQ+ community and attending lab meetings on the future of “deception detection” in the field of psychology, I looked forward to the weekend, especially Sundays. On Sundays, at the train station, it is common to see everyone from children to adults geared up with their hiking boots, walking sticks, and backpacks ready for a day of adventure in the mountains. I had the awesome opportunity to go hiking through the Lavaux vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with some friends I made in Lausanne.
Another important aspect of Swiss culture is cheese, and this time around, I got to see how fondue is made. On a Saturday evening in September, I had the honor of dining with Dr. Billieux, my advisor, and lab colleagues at Dr. Billieux’s house. Dr. Billieux was kind enough to host the entire team and make fondue for all of us to celebrate our arrival at the University of Lausanne. I got to see the type of pot the Swiss use for fondue, the types of cheese one should or shouldn’t mix, and the best type of wine to use – yes, there is a special fondue wine. While the dish was spectacular, what was even more splendid was the people I shared fondue with: in the end, the company is what makes fondue, fondue.
Lastly, I learned about the Swiss way of recycling. To throw away your household trash in the canton of Vaud, you must purchase a special government trash bag called a sac taxé, something that was new to me. This is an effective policy, because the bag costs a hefty amount, which encourages people not only to recycle but also to compost their food waste, to avoid filling up their sac taxé too quickly. I was happy to see an effective way government can encourage people to recycle more and preserve our planet.
I have had many first-hand experiences that have taught me about Swiss culture. From cheese to the sac taxé, I realize there are so many aspects to Swiss culture inside and outside of the laboratory, and I am thankful to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship for allowing me to experience this.
Magnetic Thin Films, Stunning Hikes, and More
Thanks to the ThinkSwiss program, I was able to spend the summer of 2021 working in Professor Pietro Gambardella’s research group in the Department of Materials at the ETH Zurich. I worked on magnetic thin films, which play a key role in the development away from traditional semiconductor-based computational devices and toward more efficient new technology for computationally demanding tasks, such as neuromorphic computing. I felt very welcomed by everyone in the group and was able to start working right away. I was impressed by the combination of state-of-the-art equipment and custom-built parts to meet the needs of every researcher. Despite the exhausting bike ride up the steep Hönggerberg in the morning, I enjoyed every day of my stay and learned so much about the measurement technique I was using.
Riding up a hill in the mornings of course meant that in the evening I got to cruise down it while enjoying a great view of the city with the lake and mountains in the background. I went to the lake almost every day after work to swim, paddle board, or stand-up paddle with a beautiful view of the Alps. I used my free time on the weekends to explore the country using the very punctual Swiss public transport system. I was often drawn to the mountains and thoroughly enjoyed every hike I went on. The views of snow-covered peaks, crystal-clear lakes, and steep valleys are unforgettable memories that I shared with newly made friends.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend an entire summer in Switzerland, which turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life so far. I highly encourage anyone to apply for the program and spend a few months experiencing the amazing opportunities Switzerland has to offer.
Eurocup, Lab Bonding, and Extracellular Vesicles
After spending six months in Switzerland from February to July 2021, I have already booked my return flight to Zurich. On weekdays, I spent my time at ETH Zurich researching extracellular vesicles (EVs), lipid membrane vesicles endogenously produced by cells to transport proteins, RNA, and other molecules between cells. These characteristics make EVs an excellent candidate for drug delivery, but we do not yet understand the biogenesis of EVs, which was what my worked focused on. I was researching how to optimize EV production through different bioreactor settings, and developed methods of purification through chromatography and quantification methods using flow cytometry. Despite my short time in the lab, I felt fully integrated and was happy to spend time on the weekend to culture the cells.
Arriving in Switzerland in the midst of the COVID pandemic was interesting, but my lab still hosted some small, outdoor social events so we could bond with each other, and finally in June we were all vaccinated and celebrated with a lab barbeque, where I taught everyone how to make s’mores. I spent the weekends exploring Switzerland, going as far as Geneva and Lausanne, and as close as Loorenkopf near my flat in Zurich. I went kayaking in Interlaken, paragliding in Lauterbrunnen, explored the old towns of major Swiss cities, and hiked peaks in nearly all the cantons. Training for a half marathon in Zurich helped me to explore the city as well. The accessibility of hikes through public transportation in Switzerland is something I will miss while finishing my degree in the United States.
Working for an Italian PI in a Swiss lab, we were rooting for Italy in Eurocup, and during the months of June and July we spent multiple evenings having beers at Frau Gerolds Garten, which culminated in Italy winning Eurocup and us on the streets of Langstrasse celebrating. I learned so much about Europe; working directly with an Italian and an Estonian, we had exchanges about the different cultural ideals in the US and Europe. I learned about the major differences in higher education between our continents, a personal interest of mine as I plan to become a professor in chemical engineering. My lab had people from ten different countries, and it was exciting to interact with people from around the world who share a similar passion and interest in research. There are few people working on EVs in the world, and this experience confirmed my interest in this field, and is what I plan to pursue for my PhD thesis. After finishing my ThinkSwiss research experience, I backpacked through Europe, visiting eight other countries. Although they each brought their own culture and experiences, I am happy to say Switzerland was my favorite and I look forward to returning for Christmas this year.
Switzerland: The Land of Science and Scenery
This summer I researched a supramolecular self-assembled triaxial weave at ETH Zürich in the Wennemers Group.
Beyond the scientific jargon, I essentially designed Lego pieces (molecules) that then built themselves into strings and braided themselves together (a triaxial weave). At first, I was very nervous to move across the world without knowing anyone. Luckily for me, the Swiss welcomed me with open arms and I quickly became a part of the Zürich community. My favorite activities to do after work included jumping into the Limmat on sunny days, enjoying fresh cheese and divine chocolate by the lake, spending late nights with friends at the Opera Plaza, and trying all of the amazing food Zürich has to offer. My lab group was also a warm and welcoming community that quickly helped me assimilate. In addition to their work, the lab members organized weekly coffee chats, volleyball and soccer games, and dinners. Each time someone visited another country, they would bring back delicious, signature treats from that culture. I felt as if I was able to taste all of Europe without ever leaving Switzerland!
My favorite activity on the weekends was exploring the breathtaking landscape. I am native to Chicago, a city adjacent to the corn fields of Illinois where all of the land is flat. Moving to a country dominated by mountains was scary and unfamiliar. My love of nature drove me to take advantage of the beautiful scenery around me, but I had little experience with hiking. I can confidently say that during the three months I spent abroad, I became one with the mountains. I looked forward to every weekend when I would venture out into the countryside and conquer a new peak. Each place I went was more exciting than the last. My most memorable hike was at Beverin, where I spent the whole day searching for crystals.
Moving to Switzerland for the summer changed the course of my life; I am now applying to PhD schools for chemistry because of how much I loved doing research at ETH Zürich. I cannot wait to visit my home away from home again.
More than a 3-Month Project: A Lifetime Lesson
While searching for research opportunities off campus, I found myself in a somewhat limited position due to the fact that I am not a US citizen. Though I’m studying at an undergraduate program at an American university, I am an international student from Vietnam. There are plenty of summer research programs in the US, but they require applicants to be Americans, so I could not apply to any. However, thanks to ThinkSwiss Scholarship’s inclusiveness to all nationalities, I got a valuable opportunity to do research outside my university and even outside the US. This gave me the chance to explore Switzerland, the eighth country I have traveled to, and Europe, a third continent that I had not truly experienced before.
What is the most refreshing and relaxing experience after living in a city with walls, traffic, and pollution for too long? For me, it is staying in a forest for a summer. For my research, I worked in the Geneva Observatory, which is located in the middle of a small forest (due to the nature of astronomy study) and is located about 30 minutes from Geneva. Walking or biking across the forest during a breezy morning is the best way to relieve any stress and get the energy to start a new day. In the evening, the sun goes down behind the Jura mountain range, diffusing a mesmerizing orange color and making the forest golden. At night, the Milky Way and thousands of stars shine beautifully across the sky. The scenery is so peaceful and gorgeous that it made me appreciate any time I spent there.
At the observatory, I was very grateful to work with Dr. Laurent Eyer and his team on selecting variable white dwarfs with data from Gaia, a successful and unprecedented space mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). I learned from him not only the technical knowledge to do the project but also important advice for life and the pursuit of science in general. I worked in a professional academic environment and interacted with a research team, which greatly helped me prepare for my career path. Regarding the project, I presented posters at two European Astronomical Society Meetings and we submitted a paper to a scientific journal. Furthermore, as European countries are closely connected and Geneva is an international city, I had a chance to talk to a lot of students and researchers around the world, from France, Italy, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and even Japan. Even though I stayed in Switzerland during my trip, I learned about cultures in many different countries.
One may say that Switzerland is small, but it does not mean that it has fewer things to explore. In contrast, the country is richly packed with culture. Every part of Switzerland can be very different from the other parts. For example, even though Bern is only 3 hours by train from Geneva, you really feel like you have just travelled to another country. All aspects such as food, architecture, and even the language are different. This makes traveling in Switzerland a never-ending and exciting adventure.
Three months passed so quickly yet were full of memories. One summer is definitely not enough to explore Switzerland, so I hope I will come back soon. Thank you ThinkSwiss for giving me such an amazing journey and allowing me to fully experience it. What I learned from it was not just a 3-month project, but rather a lifetime lesson.
ThinkSwiss, Act Swiss
The opportunity to study in Switzerland during these challenging times, thanks to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, has been a real blessing. At the University of Lausanne (UNIL), I had the chance to collaborate with some great colleagues and professors in the field of archaeology and ancient history, who welcomed me with open arms.
At UNIL, I dedicated my time to my research on art, urbanism, and social spaces in the Roman Republic, writing an important part of my dissertation project. This research was made possible by consulting the personal archive of a professor, who kindly donated to me the result of his 30 years-long work on the topic. At UNIL, I found an ideal environment for my work. The didactic offer is of the highest quality and covers much of the spectrum of classical studies. Also, the kindness and availability of many professors allowed me to enhance my research through weekly meetings and meaningful suggestions. Thanks to this exchange period, I developed relationships, both personal and academic, that are certainly going to last. What is more, collaborating with people from other Swiss institutions, I could appreciate the high academic level and the unique resources of many universities. On my side, I did my best to create a bridge between my hosting department (Lausanne), my home (Columbia University), and my alma mater (Sapienza University, Rome).
Finally, with my UNIL colleagues and the many friends I made during my stay, I was also able to enjoy the best Switzerland offers, from Lac Léman to the beautiful mountains of the Chantun Grischun. In Lausanne, Geneva, and Zurich, I found an international environment and people from all over the world, yet still a strong sense of belonging and tradition. Bonding with Swiss and international friends has been a truly enriching and inspiring experience. Lausanne and Geneva, where I spent most of my time, are two cities with an immense cultural offer, a millennial history ready to be explored, and a very high quality of life.
None of this would have been possible without the contribution of ThinkSwiss. I have to thank them not only personally —for the chance they gave me—but most importantly for the wonderful projects they work on. Their contribution to the internationalization, movement and networking of people from North America to Switzerland is invaluable. It connects two research and educational systems that are different yet full of potential and mutually enriching when put together.
Receiving the ThinkSwiss Scholarship Was Like a Sign that Things Were Starting to Look Up
I wasn’t sure what awaited me in Switzerland this past summer in a post-COVID world. As, one-by-one, everything was cancelled or closed in 2020, receiving the ThinkSwiss scholarship was like a sign that things were starting to look up.
I spent three months performing research this past summer at BioRob, a robotics laboratory at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) that focuses on biomimicry and bio-integrated robotics. I had the opportunity to design novel motion mechanisms for an increased-mobility wheelchair. I loved being able to follow an idea from initial sketches, to CADing, to prototyping and testing. One of my favorite parts about being at EPFL was that everyone around me was always working on something amazing. I would get coffee with different lab members each day and feel inspired to go back to work afterwards. The research gave me the autonomy to make design and manufacturing choices and taught me that things often can go wrong during research (and that’s okay): sometimes the 3D printer refuses to work, or the part you spent weeks designing just does not fit how it’s supposed to. These are the things I look back on and laugh at, for while the rewarding lab work kept me occupied, the people and the Swiss outdoors were always there to keep me centered. Switzerland has quickly become one of my favorite places because of its diversity: the mountains and lakes, the thousands of adventures that are often only a 20-minute train ride away, and the opportunity to learn foreign languages. There are physical souvenirs from my summer that I’ll keep with me: the Swiss flag I bought for when the Swiss team advanced to the quarterfinals in the Euro cup; the postcard of the refuge I felt like I almost died hiking to; the cork from the first wine bottle shared with friends. I’m going to miss Switzerland: not just the lab, or the research, or even the lake; most of all, I’m going to miss the people. It’s the people at my lab who gave me confidence, ideas, and affirmations when I wasn’t sure what to try next. It’s the people in my apartment building who shared their recipes, late-night musings, and morning coffees with me. It’s the Mountain Club members who were willing to slow down to teach me the basics, who pushed me to the top of every peak, and who helped me learn that it’s important to laugh sometimes when you feel lost. I’m amazed with the connections I was able to make over such a short period of time and can’t want to meet up with everyone again. I am so grateful to ThinkSwiss, which made my entire experience possible; it has been a summer of personal and professional growth that I will never forget!
Extracting Climatic Information from Wood Anatomy
I spent two months during the summer of 2021 at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL). While at WSL, I learned valuable lessons in the dendrosciences and built a skill set that I otherwise could not have attained. Finally, I engaged with highly regarded scientists in my field and gained from these academic exchanges. Working in an environment where scientists from all over the world come together to find societal solutions inspired me as a young scientist who will soon be entering a career in applied research. This research visit was a significant milestone in my life and was foundational in developing a strong network of researchers for future collaborations on global environmental issues.
During my visit, I worked on two projects. The first project focused on understanding trees at the cellular level during the growing season. Understanding xylogenesis is critical for extracting high-resolution (weekly) information from tree rings and their surrounding environment. Tree rings are essential contributors to our understanding of past environmental conditions relevant to human timescales and well-being. The second project focused on refining the method of extracting climatic information from wood anatomy. The hands-on experience I gained, and the exposure to various methodologies, equipment, and knowledge in wood anatomy was invaluable. As a proxy scientist, this knowledge will enable my future research to take a more well-rounded, multi-proxy approach using many sources of information (e.g., sediment, tree-rings) to build robust chronologies of past environmental change. The dendrosciences groups at WSL made me feel like a part of the team during my time in Switzerland. Even though meetings took place online at the time of my visit, the outdoor lunches and, on occasion, post-work barbecues were a great way to connect with other international students and researchers at the research institute. On weekends, I explored many beautiful Swiss cantons and natural landscapes, including the breathtaking Swiss Alps. I am grateful to all who made this research visit possible for me. It was truly a life-changing experience.
A Half-Year of Hiking, Harmony, and... Herpes?
Through the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, I spent February-July 2021 working with Prof. Dr. Cornel Fraefel at the Institute of Experimental Virology at the University of Zurich. My project studied the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the virus that causes oral herpes, inside infected cells. Specifically, I used a very fancy confocal microscope to look within individual nuclei and measure cellular influences on the formation and maintenance of viral replication compartments. This research has the potential to uncover novel antiviral targets for HSV-1 infection, which currently has no cure. I was welcomed with open arms into my research community and entrusted with great responsibility for my project, managing my own experimental design and data analysis as well as contributing to lab meetings. I really appreciated the culture of work-life balance in my lab, and I grew close with my coworkers from the Institutes of Virology and Parasitology, sitting and chatting outside the building for hours on Friday evenings and watching the Euro 2020 football tournament together in the seminar room. On top of developing new skills and gaining independence in the lab, I developed proficiency as a culturally adaptable scientist and person during my six months in Switzerland, which will be extremely valuable moving toward a research career.
My weekends consisted of waking up in the early hours of the morning and taking a ride on the beautiful and efficient Swiss public transport system to all corners of the country. I toured charming medieval towns like Stein am Rhein, went sledding down the Rigi with a panoramic view of the Alps ahead, and hiked along the iridescent green-blue waters of the Valle Verzasca, among many other trips. Too many times to count I looked out the train window or rounded a corner on a hike and was taken aback by the sheer beauty in front of me; there is no other place quite like Switzerland. The moments I remember most fondly are those when Swiss music found its way into my life. I was initially disappointed to be unable to attend concerts and other aspects of the Swiss arts culture due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, throughout my ThinkSwiss experience, I ran into multiple outdoor music performances completely by accident, making each one uniquely special. While hiking in Appenzell one Sunday, I happened upon Wildkirchli, a chapel carved into the side of the cliff. With the early morning fog hanging over the mountains and the gentle sound of water droplets falling from the rocks, a man and woman in traditional Swiss costume played the accordion and yodeled as a prelude to the service. In Grindelwald, after hiking from Schynige Platte to Faulhorn and watching the sun rise over the Alps the following morning, I hiked down to the gorgeous Bachalpsee, where a man placed the end of his alphorn at the surface of the water and played us all an impromptu concert, his music echoing back from the mountains. I truly felt like I was in a different world; I had never seen nor heard anything like it before, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced those moments.
A huge thank you to the ThinkSwiss program – I’m so grateful for the opportunity to explore such a beautiful country while pursuing my passion for research. I look forward to the next opportunity to come back to Switzerland!
Switzerland's Scales
Switzerland is a country of scales. Despite being one of Europe’s smaller nations, Switzerland boasts an impressive number of the continent’s tallest peaks. For centuries, these iconic mountains have been both awe-inspiring and terrifying to citizens and tourists alike. Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein detailed the immense power of “the mighty Alps” which appeared as if they ought to belong “to another earth” when seen through the eyes of a Genevan. Yet notably brave world traveler Anthony Bourdain admitted to having a “morbid fear” of Switzerland’s alpine vistas and pristine lakes.
The Switzerland that I found certainly wasn’t bereft of these classic and imposing sights. Heart-pounding hikes which covered elevation that was best measured in kilometers led to some of the most spectacular scenes that I have ever witnessed. But perhaps the most baffling scales that I saw would not have been included in a classic novel or in an episode of Parts Unknown. Buried one hundred meters below the surface of Geneva, I came face-to-face with the largest machine that mankind has ever created: the Large Hadron Collider. This immense contraption, despite its size, was built to study some of the smallest pieces of our universe: subatomic particles whose behaviors tell us about the origin and properties of our world. Forty million times each second, the Large Hadron Collider smashes together two protons which have been accelerated nearly to the speed of light. Data recorded by an intricate set of detectors then lets teams of physicists from around the world uncover the universe’s hidden secrets in a triumph of both modern science and cross-cultural collaboration. My research stay working on CERN’s Large Hadron Collider showed me something uniquely Swiss. As I worked on the development of the experiment’s newest detector, the New Small Wheel, I worked in a neutral meeting ground where teams effortlessly collaborated across cultural boundaries. In the shadow of the United Nations Headquarters just down the street, I worked with Italians, Greeks, Portuguese, and French on a project that was bigger than any of our teams. Together, we developed the software and tested the hardware necessary for the new detector’s operation. After years of work, together, we rejoiced as the one hundred thousand kilogram detector was hoisted into the air — like a small yet awe-inspiring mountain above CERN — and prepared to be lowered deep underground. Soon, this detector will help push the boundaries of modern physics as one of Switzerland’s greatest wonders, far off the beaten path detailed by Fodor’s Guides and TripAdvisor pages. Thank you to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship for giving me the incredible opportunity to spend my summer working in Geneva.
Asymmetric Organocatalysis and Unforgettable Experiences Outside the Lab
I am Hayato Shiotsu, a junior studying chemistry at Harvard. From February to July of 2021, I was fortunate to receive the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, which allowed me to take a gap semester to pursue a research project as an invited visiting student at the Wennemers Group in the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at ETH Zurich. Outside of the lab I wa blessed to meet many exchange students from all over Europe and the world. Many of the students I met were eager to explore Switzerland and we went on countless ski trips, city visits, and hikes. The Swiss infrastructure that allowed us to go by train to some of the best natural spots in the world is something that I will surely miss! One of the best experiences was a two-night hiking trip that we did in the Bernese Oberland. The views of the Jungfrau, Eiger, and Mönch were simply stunning and words cannot describe the natural beauty that I witnessed in the area. Overall, I am so grateful to ThinkSwiss for aiding my expenses during this period that allowed me to have such an amazing experience. I will recommend research experiences in Switzerland, and especially Zurich, with no reservations. Thank you so much for an unforgettable semester.
In the lab I was involved in two separate projects. One concerned the development of asymmetric catalysts to synthesize chirally enriched thioesters. The other project was on the development of peptide catalysts to promote asymmetric oxidation reactions. With my great mentors, I was able to learn so much about organic synthesis, peptide catalysis, and just in general how to manage myself in a research setting. I thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic group atmosphere and work-life balance that was promoted in the group. I was fortunate to enjoy the group soccer sessions, barbecues, and swimming on the Limmat river. Working in the Wennemers Group was one of the best decisions I made during my college years.
Weekdays in the 3D Printing Lab & Weekends in the Mountains
I received the ThinkSwiss scholarship for my research in 3D Printing of Orthopedic Implants at a chaotic moment, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. While trying to finish my Ph.D. as the pandemic was going on and with all the travel restrictions in place, I was not sure how my planned research trip would work. But thanks to the experienced ThinkSwiss family, who helped and supported me through my journey this fall, the research trip was still possible. I spent two months at the 3D Print Lab at the University Hospital of Basel, where I had also previously conducted research. With regard to daily life, what can I say? I love Switzerland. Since my exchange year in 2008, I have visited the country many times and I am in love with it. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to hike by myself in the mountains every weekend. Each weekend, I planned a hiking trip and explored new places. I also visited my friends, my host family from my exchange year, who always make me feel like I am at home. This time especially, I practiced my biking skills and used my bike to get around on a daily basis. That was quite fun and a challenge for me. Over the course of these two months, I was able to float along the Rhine in early September and see the first snow of the winter in Gimmelwald along with the best views of my life. Thank you to the ThinkSwiss scholarship—it was such an exceptional research and life experience!
With the help of Dr. Florian Thieringer and the University of Basel (UB), I was able to collect the last dataset for the model that I utilized for my Ph.D. thesis over the past two months. To further support my research, I took a short trip to visit a company in Karlsruhe, Germany, that develops medical 3D printers. The international lab environment of both Dr. Thieringer’s and other labs, which provided a lot of help, was incredible. I learned how to use a thermal camera on a 3D printer and how to analyze the temperature readings of a 3D printed implant for my thesis with the UB graduate students’ help and collaboration. I was pleased to be part of such an interdisciplinary area, where I was able to spend my time both at the University Hospital with craniomaxillofacial surgeons and at the University of Basel with biomedical engineers. These two months were full of fruitful research experiences. 
Traditional Farmer's Markets and Neuroengineering: How I Fell in Love with Switzerland
It is hard to say goodbye to Switzerland. All the worries I had before my stay disappeared immediately in my immediate attachment to this wonderful place, and I already look forward to returning.
Over the course of my 2-month stay, I experienced 13 hours of lab work in one day; I also sometimes sneaked out early to enjoy the sunshine while wandering by the lake. I celebrated lab members’ submissions of their latest research papers and worked through the difficulties I faced on my Robotics project with my colleagues and friends in the lab. Every day I strove to explore the dynamics of drosophila locomotor behaviors and central pattern generators, along with ideas about how to improve uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. I also enjoyed Wednesday lab meetings, Thursday journal clubs, barbeques, and an endless list of other fun activities. I remember fondly the afternoon breaks, sneaking out for a cup of coffee, planning lab retreats, and the Color Run. The Neuroengineering Lab at EPFL is where biologists, mathematicians, physicists, neuroscientists, and engineers gather and interact. Scholars from diverse cultures who have had an array of experiences encounter and share their insights with one another. From being immersed in such a supportive environment, I gained inspiration, friendships, and life-long lessons. I am immensely grateful.
I regularly went to the local farmer’s market on Saturdays, buying fresh cheese and fine chocolates; I also used to jog through Lausanne in the mornings and at night. I went to the market so often that my favorite shop owner immediately knew the bread that I wanted; and when I ran by Ouchy, fellow runners would greet me with a hearty “Bonjour”. At those moments I identified myself as part of the city, not a mere visitor. I took in the mountain views in Vallorbe, walked along Jet d’Eau Fountain in Geneva, enjoyed the Rose Garden in Bern, and strolled through music festivals with dear friends. These experiences were unique and unparalleled. Without the generous funding from ThinkSwiss to support my travel to Switzerland, I could not have had the opportunity to form these new friendships and explore this fascinating place.
I was amazed by breathtaking natural views, intelligent vibrancy, and inclusiveness in Switzerland. I fell in love with this country and everything it represents. My friends and I made a promise to meet up again in Switzerland, and I have started to plan a return visit.
A Tale of Interdisciplinary Research, Friendships, and Breathtaking Landscapes
The two weeks I spent at the University of Bern for the International Bachelor School program greatly exceeded my hopes and expectations. I was uncertain about what to expect, but my time spent in the lively city of Bern proved to me what may be one of the best decisions I made for myself. By working closely with groups of students and leaders from all over the world on matters regarding climate change, I had the opportunity to understand and engage in this matter from a range of disciplines. The interdisciplinary aspect of climate change, from science to policymaking, demonstrated how multi-layered this issue is. I learned very quickly that mitigating climate change and protecting the planet we live on requires all hands on deck.
I learned ENSO modelling using statistical methods to understand which types of models produced good forecasts for the development of El Niño in climates like the Southern Oscillation. The workshops led by group leaders encouraged problem solving, while a great deal of support and constructive feedback was also provided. So much was completed in a short period of time while fast friendships were also made along the way as we worked as a team and relied on each other. It was fulfilling to be able to present projects within two weeks, and have discussions on the different aspects relating to climate sciences and policies. Most of all, this experience encouraged me to speak up on issues confronting climate change to those around me.
The group of international students and the staff within the program also made my time in Bern as enjoyable as can be. This included the early morning lectures, outdoor lunches, after-class excursions to the lake, and the visit to the high alpine research station in the Bernese Alps. There was so much to see and much to learn! I look forward to returning very soon.
Unexpected Findings: Switzerland through the Archive
Although this summer began with international travel appearing close to impossible, as Covid-19 forced many plans to be cancelled or postponed, I was lucky to be able to use the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship to spend three months, from June to August 2020, at the University of Zurich (UZH).
At UZH’s Forschungsstelle für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, I sought to draw on the institute‘s strengths in 20th-century European history and seize the opportunity to discuss my burgeoning dissertation project on the history of the modern refugee with experts in the field. Upon my arrival, the wonderful staff at the institute made sure that I received my own workspace and facilitated access to university libraries and other institutional resources. Beyond logistical support, I received generous intellectual mentorship from Prof. Dr. Svenja Goltermann, my host at the institute, who was eager to discuss my initial findings and offered advice on historical context and interpretation. 
I originally came to Switzerland to follow particular strands of in-depth archival research on the ways in which the very definition of the refugee, which was declared by the United Nations in 1951, had been influenced by then-contemporary theories and practices in the field of demography. Yet, I ended up finding much more than I expected. At the Archive for Contemporary History, which is housed by the neighboring Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), I spent many hours poring over boxes upon boxes full of notes by refugees, humanitarians, and bureaucrats. Reading through them, I was surprised to discover how controversial an issue the granting of refuge and indeed the assignment of “refugee status” was in 1940s Switzerland, and how much the perception of who fell into this category was intertwined with local counting and registration practices.
Outside of academic duties, I enjoyed the much-lauded Swiss lifestyle that persisted even in the midst of a global pandemic. I took daily advantage of the country’s superior bread, cheese, and chocolate offerings, which sustained me during long days in the archive. I enjoyed Swiss hospitality during socially distanced Grillabende in backyards and public parks. And I often floated down the Limmat on a rubber draft, which was a welcome reprieve during this year‘s hot summer days—a thought shared by many on August 1, Swiss National Day, which saw the river covered by inflatable parrots and unicorns.
Beyond Zurich, the picturesque train route along Lac de Neuchâtel and Lac Léman from the country’s north to its most western tip became familiar to me, as I prepared for future research in the Swiss city of Geneva, home to so many international organization that are pivotal to my dissertation. And despite having left Zurich at the end of August, I am certain to return to UZH soon, where I have been invited to discuss and present preliminary findings of my historical research as my dissertation continues to take shape.
From Political Science to Environmental Law: Changing the Outlook on Life
Very infrequently have I had an experience that has completely changed my outlook on life. I cannot stress how much the 2019 Bern University Climate Change Summer school was one of those experiences. As a political science major who wants to become a lawyer specializing in environmental law, this program could not have been better suited to my interests. Not only did I learn more about how current environmental policy affects climate change, I was also able to participate in a workshop focused on the World Trade Organization. Over the course of the workshop, I learned how its legal proceedings influence environmental trade and analyzed a legal case in its entirety. Even if I am not yet a law student, I feel much more prepared to choose a legal track that could help me reach my professional goals.
However, the program offered much more. The city of Bern is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have been to in Europe. Every day, the group would eat lunch on the lawn of the University admiring the views across the city of Bern, and after class we did an array of fun activities such as swimming in the river. My favorite experience was the visit that the university organized to the Jungfraujoch (the top of Europe) to learn how the scientists at the Sphinx research center have been tracking a variety of data since the 1950s. The view was amazing, and I was impressed by how many countries and universities shared this space to learn about the environment.
Without a doubt the aspect of the program that blew my expectations was the quality of friendships that I made. Our group was an excellent blend of international students and Swiss nationals. Not only did I learn from other cultures, but I felt comfortable expressing myself in the environment that we cultivated. The people I met came from all walks of life, and I will always cherish the relationships that I made during the program, so much so, that I have no doubt that I will be organizing reunions soon in the future.
I was impressed by how well the Climate Change Summer School was organized, and I am deeply grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. Without the financial aid that I received from the program, traveling from the United States to Switzerland would have been impossible. I have no doubt that I will encourage all my friends at the University of California Merced to apply for this opportunity. I am sure it will change their outlook on life, as it did for me. Thank you, University of Bern.
Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Law
The Lucerne Academy for Human Rights Implementation at the University of Lucerne is a three-week program that focuses on the domestic implementation of international human rights law. Each year the academy is organized around a central theme, this year’s was business and human rights. I was incredibly excited about the theme as I only had preliminary knowledge surrounding the topic.
The academy is divided into three separate parts: course work, lunch seminars with professionals and experts in the field of international human rights law, and a moot court.
For the course work, students are enrolled in a mandatory introductory course and then pick three electives. Each student is required to take the introductory course on the European Convention on Human Rights, taught by Dr. Sebastian Heselhaus. This class took place during this first week of the academy and helped prepare us for our electives and the moot court, which involved claims under the Convention. This class also included case studies, so we could see how the European Convention on Human Rights is applied in practice. 
In addition to the introduction class, I also took a class on indigenous people’s rights, human rights litigation, and business and human rights. Each class was incredibly unique and taught me something different that will be useful in my further studies. The class on indigenous people’s rights provided a thorough overview on the evolution and development of these rights in international human rights law, with a case study on the Awas Tingi case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Human rights litigation was taught by Dr. Helen Keller, a judge on the European Court of Human Rights and a former member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2008-2011), who gave a detailed course on the admissibility criteria before the court and practical litigation advice for arguing before the court. As someone who wishes to pursue a career in litigation, I found this class very useful as it combined both the theory behind bringing the case to the Court and the practical skills necessary to successfully argue a case.
Lastly, the class on business and human rights provided an overview of how the issue of business and human rights has evolved in international law, beginning with the strengthening of investor’s rights in international investment law, to John Ruggie’s basic principles on business and human rights, and the development of a legally binding international human rights treaty on the topic. This class was taught by Dr. Olivier De Schutter, an international human rights law scholar who was the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2010-2016 and is presently a member of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It was an honor to be able to learn from esteemed members of the international human rights community.
The lunchtime seminars allowed us to hear from experts in different parts of the international human rights field, included academics, lawyers, and practitioners working with nongovernment organizations. The lunch seminars covered a broad range of topics, including corporate social responsibility, rights of gender and sexual minorities in Africa, and lawyers litigating cases in the field of business and human rights. The lunch seminars were also helpful as our visiting professors would sit and eat lunch with us. This allowed us to connect with our professors on both an academic and social level.
The moot court exercise was an incredible experiential learning opportunity. On the first day of class, we received a fictitious case, our team, and deadlines. We had ten days to write a memorial on five legal issues. This exercise allowed us to research the legal claims we were discussing thoroughly, including reading jurisprudence, academic articles, and doctrine on the topics. After we submitted our memorial, we had one week to prepare oral pleadings. We received individual coaching that allowed us to develop both the content of our arguments and our presentation style. During my oral pleadings, I remembered how much I love public speaking and advocating for victims of human rights violations.
Additionally, it was my first time working in a team of three for a moot court with people who have varying levels of experience. The experience improved my teamwork and collaborative skills. Not only that, but as I was the most experienced student on my team, I was able to improve my coaching skills and help my teammates develop their moot court skills. I have coached moot court in the past and this experience reminded me of how much I enjoy helping others improve their skills.
The Lucerne Academy also included excursions to Strasbourg, France, to see the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe, as well as a trip to Geneva to visit the Palais des Nations and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These trips allowed us to see for ourselves where the decisions that we studied in class were made. We were also able to hear from individuals who work at these institutions and see what a day in the life is like for a professional in the field of international human rights law.
I can truly say that the weeks spent at the Lucerne Academy were some of the best weeks of my life. Being able to participate in such an enriching academic environment while being surrounded by students from every continent was amazing. Living in residence with the other students, we became a family. Many nights we cooked dinner together and had meaningful conversation. Some of my most treasured memories from the experience include everyone gathered around our kitchen table and laughing as we talked about our days. In our spare time, we explored Switzerland together, from hiking Mount Rigi, visiting Mount Pilatus, and taking a day trip to Bern.
As a whole, the Lucerne Academy reinforced my desire to pursue a career in the field of international human rights. The program combined everything I love most about academic programs: engaging coursework and professors, experiential learning opportunities, and a moot court exercise. Each component of the program was equally important and made me a more well rounded individual in the field of human rights. Not only did I learn about current human rights issues; I also worked on the skills necessary to help advocate and improve the situation of human rights globally. I look forward to bringing the knowledge I learned to further education and a future career in the field.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations against Diseases caused by Climate Change
My attendance at the 2019 Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern, generously funded by the ThinkSwiss scholarship program, was inarguably the highlight of my summer. Upon arriving in Switzerland, I was overwhelmed by the Alpine landscapes and the beautifully conserved Swiss heritage – but the experience I would have for the following two weeks was much more than feeling like a protagonist of Heidi.
As a student of global health, it is important that I know about the current state of intergovernmental efforts to protect vulnerable populations against diseases due to climate change. From a broader perspective, it is also important to know what each government has to say about climate change. As a hub of intergovernmental institutions, Switzerland was a perfect place to meet and build connections with those engaged in similar conversations. I was able to attend keynote lectures taught by renowned professionals on climate change, including Professor Thomas Stocker, the former co-chairman of one of the working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Professor Peter Van den Bossche, Director of Studies at the World Trade Institute. I was in awe of the obstacles they had faced in trying to convince decision-makers of the severity and consequences of climate change but was disappointed to realize that it would be impossible to meet the best economic and environmental solutions to climate change due to the various conflicts of interest.
The hands-on activities taught via workshops were also very insightful and provided me with skills applicable to other fields of research. As part of one of the ten workshops, I analyzed the discourse network of two administrations surrounding an important climate change issue. My task was to compare and contrast the discourse network of the Trump and Obama administrations surrounding the Paris Agreement; Obama signed the Paris Agreement, and Trump withdrew from it. By analyzing the density of the connections we had between the actors and concepts, the distance between the concepts, and so on, we were able to observe which actors and concepts about the Paris Agreement were shifting the dynamics of the discourse. I thank the summer school for inviting me to participate in this workshop, as these skills are valuable for any research on how individuals and concepts play a pivotal role in a topic of interest.
Finally, the one-day excursion to Jungfraujoch! This was certainly the most memorable experience of the summer school. We were able to observe the devastating effects of climate change and global warming at the tip of Europe, and see the state-of-art technology for measuring pollutants, greenhouse gases, and temperatures with minimal interference from urbanization. Researchers who had been at the research station for a number of years told us about the sudden and drastic changes in climate they had observed: they do not need to clean the roads every morning anymore due to the lack of snow, and the Alps occasionally surprise them with night rain showers, which is unheard of and outside of the normal pattern. I felt a great weight on my shoulders and the responsibility to be more cautious about the by-products of consumption, not only to preserve this overwhelming beauty of nature, but also to prevent the butterfly effect of a global temperature rise on local ecosystems and the global population.
I strongly encourage anyone who has an interest in learning more about climate change to apply to the Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern. You will learn that climate change mitigation is much more urgent than you think, and that getting involved in this great cause would have a greater global impact than you might think. Moreover, you will make lifelong friends who are always there to share brilliant ideas about how to change the world!
Computational Modeling Defining Developmental Mechanisms of the Lungs
This past summer, I was very grateful to receive the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship provided by the Embassy of Switzerland. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to research at a top university in Switzerland has shaped my scholarly and cultural perspective of the world.
I interned in Dr. Dagmar Iber’s Computational Biology Group at the ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland. My research involved combining high-end imaging technologies and computational modeling to define basic developmental mechanisms of the lungs (lung organogenesis). This experience contrasted greatly with my research in the US, which was in an oncology wet lab. Despite having had no previous experience in this research area, through the mentorship of the posdoc Dr. Aleksandra Sapala I was able enhance my skills in basic image analysis and computational modelling, and also learn about the mechanics and physics behind cellular growth of lungs in just 3 months!
By the end of the internship, I was able to give a technical presentation on the work I did to the lab group and I feel more confident in taking on the challenges of graduate school. In addition, I was drawn in by the kind and welcoming nature of my lab group and the D-BSSE Department of ETH Zürich. We frequently met for lunch, walked to the local Coop supermarket for ice cream on hot summer days, and even held a barbeque outing. To share my own cultural tradition, I made Texan-style breakfast tacos for my lab group—and they loved it!
On the weekends, I would travel with my other fellow scholars in Switzerland and explore its picturesque and breathtaking landscape. My most unforgettable trips were touring the vineyards of Lausanne, hiking with Swiss locals at Lake Oeschinen, conquering an 18km hike near the Matterhorn in Zermatt, having a picnic with a view of the Bernese Alps in Mürren, and the ThinkSwiss Scholar Retreat in Bern and Mt. Titlis.
Thank you to the amazing ThinkSwiss Program for providing me with an experience I will never forget!
A Swiss Science Soirée and the Fine Art of Frolicking with Failure
On clear summer mornings the turquoise lake burst out from below the rippling deep green hills, its circumference sprinkled with the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Burnese Alps, as I whipped around the bend and zipped downhill on my bicycle.
Sound like a rêverie? This was just my daily bike commute from my dreamy residence at the hilltop Neuchâtel Botanical Garden Villa to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Photovoltaic Laboratory (PV-Lab) during my ThinkSwiss 2019 Internship. The sizzling sunbeams that beat upon me during my ride were the same sort of sunbeams that I summoned with semiconductors that summer.
Sunrise (or set?) over Lac Neuchatel – a watercolor by Swiss artist Frank Vindayer depicting my morning commute view (none of my photos came close to depicting the beauty, so this will have to do)
PV-Lab is a world-class facility, not just in the tools it possesses but in the expertise of its scientists, who come from all corners of the world. It’s been around since 1984, and many of the staff have pioneered breakthroughs in the field of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and, more recently, in perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. As a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley studying new materials for solar energy technology, I took this internship as an opportunity to dive into something new and interact with experts in the SHJ community—my research group at home in Berkeley studies computational materials science, but doesn’t specialize in PV. At PV-Lab, I aimed to better understand the greatest challenges facing PV science and engineering today, while gaining hands-on experience that could inform my own research in other types of PV and my STEM outreach pursuits (see below!).
Frolicking up Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps overlooking Mts. Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
My project at the lab was to investigate new transparent “hole-selective” contact materials for SHJ solar cells, under the supervision of Dr. Angela Fioretti and Dr. Mathieu Boccard. Absorbing sunlight with silicon has been very well optimized, but extracting the photo-generated electrons and holes (i.e. missing electrons in a semiconductor) without efficiency losses is trickier. That’s why we need better selective contacts. I had proposed to grow and optimize a material called boron phosphide using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the cleanroom, and determine whether it could work as a contact material.
Me as a lab rat in the cleanroom that was closed for renovations, a sputter plasma changing colors as I introduce nitrogen gas into the vacuum chamber, and some oversized gloves holding almost finished solar cell samples.
Well, we would not find out. I failed to incorporate a good contact into SHJ. Instead, I’d discover something a bit more personal.
Right before my internship started, we learned that the cleanroom where I’d need to conduct planned experiments had to close for renovations. All summer…. So we quickly shifted our focus to another material system using a vacuum deposition method called “sputtering” that I was more familiar with (backup plan #1). But when I arrived at the lab, manufacturers informed us that the necessary sputtering precursors were delayed at least five weeks, more than half of my two-month visit. Thus began a continuous cycle of brainstorming new backup plans (6 in total!) and handling hiccups. It was almost comical.
Science research is a game of adaptation. Conditions change, and sometimes the experiment you planned to do gets derailed due to broken equipment, renovations, unexpected delays, personnel shortage, illness, personal life stuff, or the entire country of Switzerland shutting down its supply of nitrogen gas (yes, this actually happened). Sometimes the experiments do work, but yield results that counter your expectations and leave you baffled. You have to give up what you thought was constant.
Embracing failure as a tool for growth is something that is not talked about enough in science. It is so important to experience letdowns in the lab, not only because they are realistic and happen to everybody, but because they provide an opportunity to zoom out, realign with your goals and priorities and, if necessary, revamp your approach and start fresh in a new direction. To practice adaptability, flexibility, and versatility.
So despite the six-layer cake of backup plans and multiple false starts, my real discovery was my own versatility as a researcher. I decided to stick with the resources I had, circumvent the fluctuating conditions in the lab, and address my research questions using an alternative method that would still allow me to conduct an investigation even if the entire lab somehow shut down. That is, computational simulation of SHJ contact junctions (aka backup plan #6). My supervisors and colleagues were incredibly supportive throughout, and a postdoc in the group kindly helped me get up to speed. Simulations have their limitations, in particular because we have to make a slew of iffy assumptions, but the method I pursued could still give me insight into the physical mechanisms at play in solar cells.
Chowing down some classic Neuchâtelois fondue (aka Fonduechâtel) with PV-Lab colleagues!
All-in-all, I was fortunate to accomplish most of the goals I came into my ThinkSwiss Internship with: I got to connect with experts in the field and participate in-depth conversations about solar energy in society (as well as fondue gobbling sessions!). The head of the lab, Professor Christophe Ballif, generously donated SHJ solar panels to sponsor my STEM outreach organization Cycle for Science (I biked across the Netherlands with two professors and a masters student, teaching hands-on solar cell demos to kids along the way! Check our blog posts and an article from EPFL with a shoutout to ThinkSwiss!). The series of “failures” led the way to a simulations-focused manuscript that I am currently writing with my colleagues at PV-Lab (incorporating bits of backup plans #5 and #6!).
3/4 of Cycle for Science’s Netherlands team pictured with EPFL PV-Lab’s solar cells
Despite the frustrations, it was hard to be disappointed with a summer in magnificent Switzerland. At lunch I’d plunge into that turquoise lake visible from my bike commute, letting the clear water clear out any residual stress. Living in a botanical garden for the summer was incredible. I discovered the symmetry of seeding mustard plants, read papers beside the shimmering lilypad pond, and took in countless sunsets over the sea of flowers from the hammock draped across the balcony. The Jura mountains were quite literally my backyard, and my bicycle and I got lost swirling through their steep slopes after work. And those snow-sprinkled mountains in the distance? Well, they became my weekend escape. Between the labs and blabs I was able to squeeze in three trips up: hut-hopping and backpacking around Mt. Eiger, scampering up Roches de Naye, and ascending the Appenzeller Alps.
And more-over, I was able to experience and practice the Swiss mentality of being active and truly present in the natural world. This mindset allowed me to refresh and recharge, and gave me the clarity of mind that I needed to confront the ebbs and flows of failure and success that are inevitable with science research. It also deeply reminded me of what I am fighting for with my solar research: a renewable energy future and a healthy sustainable world for all.
My home for the summer in the dreamy Jardin Botanique Villa! And biking through my backyard, the Jura.
Alp-hopping with Professor Rafaella Buonsanti of EPFL, a collaborator from my past job at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Roches de Naye)
Scenes from an Alpsolutely stunning summer (Appenzeller, Bernese Alps)
A Life Changing Experience
With the support of the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, I spent this past summer in Prof. Dr. Johann Kolar’s Power Electronics System Laboratory at ETH Zurich. Power electronics are ubiquitous to our modern, electrified economy, yet remain largely unknown to the public. They are the “brick” that charges your phone and laptop, the key to integrating solar and wind power into the grid, and the foundation of both electric vehicles and cloud computing. In short, every single electric device, in some way, relies on the efficiency, size, and reliability of power electronics. Over the summer, my work focused on power supplies for data centers (which are expected to consume 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030), the physical properties and limitations of next-generation materials for power semiconductors, and circuits for solar inverters and electric vehicle motors.
Prof. Kolar’s group epitomized my ideals of Switzerland – the students, staff, researchers, and faculty were all incredibly welcoming, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and, in the end, made Zurich feel like home to this foreigner. The attention to detail, technical rigor, and drive to excel place the lab at the top of our field, and I was privileged to learn daily from experienced graduate students and Professor Kolar himself. The daily lab lunches, coffee breaks, presentations, and frequent outings were all opportunities to connect, learn, and lay the groundwork for future friendships and collaborations.
Among the best adventures were a Swiss National Day rafting trip on the Aare River, which fittingly ended in the capital of Bern with a view of the Parliament Building. Our Swiss colleagues also led tours to the Ballenberg open-air museum, where we checked out architecture from all generations and regions of the country, and to the Waldhusli of Zurichberg for a lab-wide barbeque, volleyball match, and fireside chat. On weekends without a lab event, I would hop on a Saturday morning train to explore another amazing destination, including Konstanz, Germany, the mountains and lakes of Wallensee, and a once-in-a-generation festival in Vevey on Lake Geneva.
The exchange at ETH Zurich – which could not have happened without the ThinkSwiss Scholarship – was, without exaggeration, a life-changing experience, professionally and personally. This summer will form the foundation for an ongoing collaboration between my home lab at Stanford University and Prof. Kolar’s group at ETH Zurich, and I anticipate working with many of my mentors and lab mates far into our future careers. In the next few years, I hope to return to Switzerland to live at some point, and carry home a new appreciation for the approaches to work, family, and community that I learned during the exchange.
Laboratory For Synchrotron Radiation
This fall I had the opportunity to spend three months working at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, less than an hour north of Zurich, in the group of Prof. Helena van Swygenhoven. Her research group has a few very unique capabilities that made my exchange incredibly productive, interesting, and beneficial to my PhD research. First is the custom built metal 3D printer constructed by PhD student Samy Hocine, which has the ability to print very small structures (less than 1x1cm) for research purposes. Second is the access to the Swiss Light Source, a powerful synchrotron used to study many different research projects. While in Switzerland I was granted beam time at the synchrotron for two different weeks: the first to use a larger x-ray beam to investigate the printing process through melting and solidification, and the second to use a much smaller, more focused x-ray beam to understand the spatial variation of the printing process. Between my offline and online 3D printing, I was able to further my PhD work and establish valuable connections with this team of experts that I will continue to use in the future.
In addition to my work at PSI, I got to travel through Europe for both personal and professional reasons. In September I traveled with my PSI colleagues to Goteborg, Sweden, for the Alloys in Additive Manufacturing Symposium. As it was my first conference ever, I met many experts in the field and presented my poster to PhD students and professors who I will certainly cross paths with many times in my career. And as it was my first time in Sweden, I was treated to beautiful sunsets, delicious fish (salmon! Shrimp!), and a boat cruise around the southern archipelago courtesy of the conference organizers. I also visited a PhD friend from Northwestern who is spending the year on an exchange to Perugia, Italy, and he took me to Rome, Florence, and Milan while introducing me to the beautiful architecture, art, and food of Italy.
I also had the opportunity to travel within Switzerland on the weekend. I explored Zurich and hiked the local mountain (Uetliberg); learned about antimatter and the future of the Lower Hadron Collider at CERN Open Days, an open house that only occurs once every 5 years; visited family friends in Lausanne, hiked in the vineyards, and enjoyed many kinds of cheese from the market; and spent a weekend in Basel and Colmar, known as “little Venice” for its many small canals.
Overall I had a great experience in Switzerland and I am very grateful to the ThinkSwiss organization for providing me with this opportunity.
Personality Assessment Research and Exploring Unparalleled Natural Beauty
Thanks to the Think Swiss scholarship, I was able to work with Dr. Willibald Ruch at the Personality and Assessment lab at the University of Zurich. This lab studies personality psychology through the lens of positive psychology and has a strong focus on test construction.
I joined two pre-existing projects and was also able to design and execute my own research project. The first study I worked onfamiliarized me with the process of test construction– this project sought to create a measure to assess an individual’s ability to accurately recognize character strengths in another person. Another study sought to measure the efficacy of character strength interventions, daily practices aimed at increasing overall well-being by targeting specific thought patterns and processes associated with each of the twenty-four character strengths. I was also able to design my own study, examining the character strengths associated with greater psychological resilience and lower levels of burnout in social justice activists. This was a particularly valuable experience, as the problem-solving skills necessary when designing and implementing a study are best learned via trial and error—I learned an immense amount from the small setbacks I experienced while conducting the study and feel much more confident in my ability to take on a leadership position with other projects in the labs I am involved in at my home university. The ThinkSwiss grant allowed me to get a glimpse of what graduate school will be like, and I was so lucky to have such wonderful doctorate students and post-docs in the lab to work with and learn from. The program itself also provided a great experience! The group trip to Bern and Lucerne was both fun and informative, as we got to meet and learn from Swiss government officials about all of the work Swiss embassies do with young researchers around the world. Switzerland is also without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I feel so lucky to have been able to hike and explore such dense natural beauty. I will never forget my time in Switzerland, the people I was lucky enough to travel with, and those I met along the way.
The Best Summer I Ever Had
The summer researching in Switzerland sponsored by ThinkSwiss is the best summer I have ever had. I gained substantial knowledge and skills, went on amazing hikes and travels, learned and experienced many cultures, and made so many great friends.
I conducted research under Prof. Dr. Laura Heyderman at the Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems, a lab in the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, with most of my work done at PSI. My project was on an antiferromagnet (AFM)-like square lattice built from chirally coupled nanomagnets. I designed sample geometries and demagnetization protocols, used magnetic force microscopy and magneto-optic Kerr effect microscopy for characterization, and developed a suite of recognition, calculation and simulation MATLAB programs to understand the energetic contributions.
I loved my research group. Academically, I learned so much through discussions and even from just observing other group members and asking questions. They welcomed all my naïve questions and even ardently shared their tricks and insights on all aspects of research: how to identify research topics to pursue, how to keep track of data, where to draw the line for the conclusion of a project… I benefitted immensely from their insights, which helped me develop into a more experienced researcher. Beyond work, my colleagues were an extremely lively and fun group. We went on excursions, cooked and had dinners together, floated down the Aare river next to PSI, had fun at Züri Fäscht… They were also extremely diverse, in terms of culture, background, hobby, everything. Our group members came from 12 different countries across the whole world, and that helped us bond together readily and tightly. We picked up different groups of people from all over PSI campus for lunch every day and sit together around a long table, we all gathered in a PhD office for coffee after lunch, we went together after work to watch a group member’s choir performance or to celebrate a member’s paper being accepted by Nature…
Besides at work, I also made so many great friends in my leisure time. The PSI guesthouse was my home for the summer, a lovely living space I shared with interns, students, and scientists around the world. We had so many fun and eye-opening discussions on science, culture, sports, hobbies, and I found myself learning something new after every random conversation. We went running, climbing, swimming, and barbequing together, and organized transcontinental dinners where everyone cooked dishes or brought food from their own culture. It was such a diverse and lively experience that I miss dearly.
And of course, the nature. There are no words that can describe the spectacular mountains, rivers, canyons, caves, and glaciers in Switzerland. I went on so many hikes across the country, and every single time, I felt an urge to cry out loud because the scenery was so beautiful.
The whole experience, I loved it. But what I have been able to put down to words is nothing compared to what I felt. You have to live it to feel it. And hopefully I will go back some time in the future, to experience more, and to grow more.
Solving Ribonucleic Acids For Future Cancer Treatments
My name is Jevon Marsh and I am a Canadian student of chemistry. Over the summer of 2019, I was grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss scholarship, which provided me with the amazing opportunity to call Zürich my home and to contribute to the advancement of a really cool project. My research involved solving a unique structure formed by ribonucleic acids (known as guanine quadruplexes) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy; by solving and characterizing this structure, we have provided a new therapeutic target that can be used to treat various forms of cancers in the future. From start to finish, my host lab provided oversight for my work and taught me important techniques and skills that will prove beneficial to my future career in research. I also spent an entire week at the International Conference in Biological Inorganic Chemistry (ICBIC-19) in Interlaken, which provided me with a chance to explore the many topics in my field, and network with professionals from all over the world. The kindness and generosity of the researchers in my lab and even those in the city really made my summer enjoyable… and made it feel like a home away from home!
My experiences in Switzerland enriched my life in many ways, from both a professional and a personal perspective. Not only was I given the opportunity to learn new and exciting things and grow as a researcher; I was also given the opportunity to become a part of a community of people that have since remained very close friends. The summer is all about research and learning, but it is equally as important to go on as many adventures as you can, and take full advantage of the unique opportunity you have been given. Almost every weekend I was either hiking somewhere in Switzerland to embrace the stillness of the country and to admire the beauty of nature that exists everywhere around you… or heading out to another town in Switzerland or another country with friends, embracing many different cultures and making memories! Of course I embraced Swiss culture, with as many hikes as possible, eating lots of chocolate and cheese.. and even waking up at 5am to paraglide off a mountain in the Swiss Alps… simply enjoying every single moment!I highly encourage all future scholars to do exactly that: seize the moment, have many laughs and make memories with all of the new people you meet who will become great friends.
Challenge yourself with speaking a foreign language… try new foods (the raclette and fondue are amazing… and please try the salted caramel white chocolate from Läderach)… participate in everything you can (especially the weekend trips they organize)… just simply enjoy the entire experience you have been given. This scholarship is an opportunity for personal and professional development; an opportunity to be exposed to a new culture and experience the world we live in; an opportunity to build and become a part of an amazing community. I am very thankful for the scholarship and for the experience it has given me… I will be visiting Switzerland again very soon.
I wish you all an *amazing* experience in Switzerland!
Jevon
Research on Kindergartners' Self-Regulation
My Think Swiss journey started two summers ago in Zürich when I was a co-facilitator of a workshop for a Special Interest Group conference with the European Association of Learning and Instruction. Within the first couple of hours of being in Zürich, I made a call to my parents to tell them that I had never felt so at home in a new city – and I’ve lived in a few cities! I told them that one day, I would live there. Only a few months later, I received an email with details about the Think Swiss scholarship. It was the first time I had ever heard of the program and I felt like it was made just for me.
During my research stay, my projects included co-authoring a manuscript on kindergartners’ self-regulation and preparing a literature review on the function of routines in teachers’ instructional regulation. To complete these projects, I actively participated in team meetings to learn about the vast yet specific research backgrounds of each team member and dove deep into new literature, with the team acting as my lifeguards. We supported each other by providing feedback on our work, sharing papers that offered new perspectives and discussing future directions in educational psychology. This created a channel of sharing and equality that I have begun to embody more deeply with my own team at McGill.
Beyond the formal academic work, my stay saw me taking lunch and sipping coffee each day with the lab members whom I quickly began to refer to as friends. I had the chance to play Frisbee while swimming down the Reuss River with those friends, and to play the drums in a make-shift band we put together one evening. I quickly came to understand that the timely and pragmatic nature of the Swiss allows them to focus on the finer things in life: connecting with friends, usually while eating delicious food, and spending time grounded in nature. I’m grateful to know that I now have an academic family abroad who is cheering me on in all my endeavors.
Though this trip certainly supported the development of my academic skills, some of the most important things I learned and experienced were with the people I met and during the time I spent alone. I walked in my first demonstration at the women’s strike and met wonderful friends whom I later danced with at the many open-air festivals, and street parades. I explored coffee shops, pubs and clubs, and I’ve never seen so many cell phone-less tables at meals. I swam a lot and got comfortable with falling off my bike. I climbed a mountain to sleep in a remote hut, played alp-golf terribly, and acquired the worst blisters I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve seen colours of sunsets that are emblazoned in my memories, and I was gifted with an impeccable amalgamation of music that is the soundtrack of my memories. I’ve fallen in love with countless people, places and things but most importantly I fell more deeply in love with myself.
Although I’ve been working on withholding unsolicited advice, I’m going to offer some to this year’s applicants/awardee’s. My takeaway from the Think Swiss journey is that you don’t need to understand a foreign language to understand food or friendship. You will appreciate how hard some people will work to have a conversation with you in English. Be sure to tell them you appreciate it; their smile will be worth it. It’s fun to walk everywhere for the first week, but buy a bike – you’ll thank me later. You may find yourself feeling afraid to be vulnerable, but do it anyway. The worst thing you can do for yourself is not be authentic. Allow people to support you if you feel out of place, miss home or don’t know to order a coffee. It might sting when the time approaches that you must leave, but don’t run away from the feeling. Instead, reframe it; remind yourself that it stings because it’s worthwhile. And lastly, I can assure you that when you fall in love with Switzerland, you will take that love with you no matter how far away you should wander.
Wishing you all the best of luck,
Kelsey Losenno
A Life In Three Months
Thank you to the Embassy of Switzerland for the incredible opportunity of a lifetime. During my stay at the University of Fribourg, I worked with Dr. Raphael Berthele collecting data for a project on narrative fiction and language. My research project examined whether reading a story in a second (foreign) language impacts narrative transportation, which is the extent to which an individual feels “transported” into a fictional world. Fribourg was the perfect place to recruit participants because the majority are native French speakers with German, Italian, or English as foreign languages. My host supervisor provided a fresh new perspective on multilingualism research. We had wonderful conversations about Open Science, the dissemination of research to the general public, and the importance of taking into account the linguistic context when conducting research.
The Institute of Multilingualism routinely held talks, workshops, and public lectures that were informative in guiding my research questions and served as networking opportunities. I was able to present my project to the research group during one of the “lunch talks”. I particularly enjoyed connecting with other researchers within the Institute and from abroad. What I found to be fascinating was that even though we were researchers from various parts of the world, the issues, critiques, and challenges we faced when conducting multilingualism research were very similar.Coming from Toronto, a city that is very fast-paced, it was gratifying to take a step back and enjoy the beautiful landscape that Switzerland has to offer. With such an efficient train system, I was able to travel during the weekends to Montreux, Gruyeres, Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zermatt. I fell in love with the majestic mountains, the cheese (fondue), and of course the chocolate! Although the change in scenery definitely helped with the transition to living abroad for a couple of months, it is the people I met there who made my stay truly unforgettable. I will miss the board game nights, Monday night jam sessions, and hiking adventures. One of my favourite memories was attending a talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at the University of Fribourg. It was such an honour to hear her speak about her thoughts on the writing process, graduate school, and social issues.
On a more personal note, I was delighted to be exposed to multiple languages, including French, on a daily basis. In elementary school, I was enrolled in a school where the language of instruction was strictly French. After switching to an Anglophone school, I was no longer as comfortable conversing in French. My stay in Fribourg has motivated me to use French again and I am happy to announce that I will continue to do so when I return to Canada.
As one of my colleagues from York University said, “This exchange experience won’t simply be 3 months in your life, but a life in 3 months!” This statement perfectly encapsulates my journey! I am truly grateful for this unique opportunity that has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. Without hesitation, I would recommend applying to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship.
Nephrology, Friends and Exploration
This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to intern in a nephrology lab at the University of Zürich’s Institute of Physiology.
What immediately struck me was how open and welcoming my lab was. We all gathered to have lunch every day, had frequent brunches, and even did an outing to the Swiss Alps in Interlaken. The conversations I had with my colleagues at the lab also gave me a more global perspective and made me more aware of the importance of having cultural diversity in any setting. While there, I was able to take on a research project alongside other students and faculty from around the world and gained exposure to a plethora of new techniques and technologies. My mentor was supportive and willing to show me the ropes and answer my slew of questions. One of the lab members from our IT group also gave me weekly mini-German lessons, which were quite fun and helped me to integrate into the community. Outside of the lab, I spent my time exploring downtown Zürich, sampling chocolates, and relaxing by the lake during the week. It was great just hopping on a train to Uetliberg and taking in the city views, eating raclette, and chatting with friends by the water after a long day at work. On the weekends, I bonded with other ThinkSwiss scholars as we travelled around Switzerland and to other European countries. Within the country, we enjoyed hiking around the vineyards of Lausanne, canoeing at Lake Oeschinen, picnicking by the Bachalpsee in Grindelwald, and watching fireworks during Züri Fäscht. Honestly, the whole experience felt surreal; I still miss connecting with all the awardees and cherish the memories we had together. 
Working On A Potential Alzheimer's Treatment
I am an undergraduate studying computer science and biology at MIT. This summer ThinkSwiss funded my work, as a part of its summer research program, in the Gräff Lab at EPFL studying neuro-epigenetics. The work was interesting and varied—from computational analyses, to molecular validation techniques, to imaging. I learned a lot; and working on a potential Alzheimer’s treatment was very exciting! Everyone in the lab was welcoming and helpful—I couldn’t have asked for a better work environment. The ThinkSwiss program combined cutting-edge research, Friday afternoon seminars, and social activities. Living together with the rest of the students also fostered long-lasting friendships. From cooking together most evenings, to kayaking on Lake Geneva, to movie nights, to watching fireworks on Swiss National Day, our program really bonded together.
This was my first time in Lausanne, and I enjoyed my eight weeks in the city immensely. It’s small enough that you start to recognize people on the metro who have the same schedule as you, but big enough that there are plenty of fun things to do. I can’t count the number of times I walked by the Flon to see a festival in progress. Lausanne, and EPFL, are both very international so it was easy to feel at home. After all, Switzerland itself is a nation with four languages. Most evenings I would take a long walk through the city and was surprised by how much there was to see. The view of the mountains across Lake Geneva never gets old.
On weekends I usually explored other parts of Switzerland. So far, I have seen Bern, Luzern, Geneva, Lake Brienz, CERN, Lauterbrunnen, the Matterhorn (the mountain featured on Toblerone chocolate), Basel, cheese and chocolate factories and so much more… I’ve eaten lots of high-quality cheese, chocolate, and ice cream, but it’s ok because I also got into hiking since coming here (warning: hiking means something different in Switzerland than America!).
The beauty of the nature here is unparalleled. At first Switzerland did seem expensive, but if you plan ahead (and cook meals at home), it’s definitely manageable. Never in my life have I traveled to a different place every weekend! Thank you ThinkSwiss for the best summer experience!!
Confronting Climate Change – From Science To Policy
The Summer School program at the University of Bern organized by the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research and the World Trade Institute. Sounds pretty daunting right? I remember being both excited and nervous when I found out that I was one of the 36 participants selected to travel to Bern. Entitled “Confronting Climate Change – from Science to Policy,” the summer school consisted of a series of keynote lectures and workshops on various areas of expertise, culminating in a simulation negotiation. Meeting my fellow participants, who stayed in the same residential building, started off the two weeks on the perfect note. It was incredible to hear from people from countries including Italy, Canada, South Africa, the United States, Germany, and India. I strongly feel I made some friends for life. They made my experience thoroughly enjoyable.
We were split into 9 workshops, with each group assigned to a specific topic according to their area of expertise. Although intense at times, I found myself astonished at how simply the professors explained some complex concepts, some of whom even worked with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Among the many highlights from the program, the trip to Jungfraujoch was one that will live long in our memories. We were given the chance to visit the research station at an altitude of about 3000 feet, where researchers from around the world conduct experiments and record data. To witness first-hand the impact of climate change on the glaciers there left an impression in our minds that is hard to shake. Outside of the classroom, we were given the freedom to explore the city of Bern and all it has to offer. The river Aare and the immaculate public pools that surround it were one of our favourites. Hours of chatting, sharing stories and swimming in the pools would go by in a flash. I was amazed by how much the city had to offer and made the most of every opportunity. The Buskers Music Festival was another highlight. The streets of Bern were filled with people, music, food, and most of all, excitement. We settled on a South African band and danced our hearts out until 12 am. It was a moment every one of us cherished. We even got to take a picture with the band at the end! All in all, this summer school was unlike any other I’ve experienced previously. It was incredibly well organized, informative, and most of all, enjoyable. There was so much to take away from the lectures and workshops that I can apply to my academic pursuits. These two weeks have impacted my life deeply and I will always be grateful for having been given the opportunity to be a part of this experience.
Six Weeks In Geneva Studying European Paleofloods
This past summer, I had one of the most enriching and memorable experiences living abroad for six weeks in Geneva, Switzerland where I was a guest researcher at the University of Geneva working with the Institute of Environmental Sciences C-CIA lab group. As a visitor to the C-CIA lab group, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Markus Stoffel, Dr. Juan Ballesteros Canovas, and an amazing team of PhD and Master’s students from all across the world. During my visit, I created a meta-database of European paleoflood case studies, which is a direct extension of my thesis research, “Holocene paleofloods and their relevance to flood mitigation, risk assessment, and policy.” This database will be a valuable resource to European hydrologists, policymakers, statisticians and stakeholders in making decisions about flood risk and mitigation in Europe. This data will also greatly improve and expand the Past Global Changes (PAGES) working group database on floods. Over the Swiss National Day holiday weekend, I traveled to Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg, and Grindelwald to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and topography of the Swiss Alps. This area of Switzerland was like no other part of the world I have ever seen, and I was captivated by the rugged magnificence of the mountain valley. This is easily the most gorgeous place I have ever traveled to. In my opinion, Geneva was a very easy city to live and feel comfortable in. The city is small but cosmopolitan, bustling with diversity and unique things to do like visiting the United Nations building, perusing art and history museums, partaking in weekend festivals, and enjoying plenty of food and drink options. There are a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and events happening almost daily in the summer. Plus, it’s hard to beat the scenery offered by the expansive Lake Geneva. Every night, I walked along the lakeside from the city center to my residence in Perle Du Lac, admiring the stillness of the pristine turquoise water filled with white swans and beautiful sailboats. One of the things I valued the most while living in Geneva was how safe I felt walking around exploring the town. Everyone is cordial, friendly, and exceptionally helpful to everyone, including non-French speakers like myself. The public transportation system is also very efficient, making it easy to get around the city. Overall, I am incredibly happy and grateful I got the chance to embark on such a fruitful international research visit. I can’t express enough gratitude towards the ThinkSwiss program for supporting me financially, allowing me to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I strongly recommend the ThinkSwiss program to anyone looking to expand their own academic interests as well as their personal growth.
Gaining Independence as a Scientist
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) for 8 weeks as an undergraduate research intern in a biology lab. I am immensely grateful for funding from the SwissThink organization and from the Columbia University Center for Career Education’s Summer Funding Program.
The 2019 Summer Research Program consisted of fellow students from all over the world, including Turkey, Belgium, Pakistan, China, and Russia. Whether through deep conversation or through travel, every day included some form of cultural immersion. I also gained a huge appreciation for nature and the great outdoors. Some of my best memories included group hikes and water activities. During this time, I gained a lot of independence as a scientist. Although my advisors gave me general guidance and provided me with background information, I was left with the autonomy to define the goals of my project and design my own experiments. I also presented my results regularly at group meetings. Ultimately, this experience gave me critical thinking skills, communication skills, and a sense of autonomy that I will carry throughout my career in science. On the second week, our cohort toured Campus Biotech in Geneva. Home of Intel’s Blue Brain Project, their central goal is to create an interface between the human brain and the computer. We were able to try on their virtual reality and brain recording equipment. On our fourth week, my cohort traveled to Geneva and visited CERN, home of the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. We saw the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and spoke with physicists about their projects, which all aim to uncover the origin of our universe. My summer doing research in Switzerland has shaped my future career in scientific research tremendously. I learned to work autonomously as a scientist and take ownership of my project. Most importantly, I have made connections to fellow scientists and peers from all over the world whom I look forward to working with in the future.
During my final week, I presented a poster of my work. I discussed my findings and conclusions with various faculty members and peers. My only disappointment was that the duration of the internship (8 weeks) was too short to complete a full research project. During the symposium, discussion of my work sparked ideas for future experiments that can only be followed up by future students. I am overwhelmed with excitement for future long-term projects that will span years.
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Traditional Farmer's Markets and Neuroengineering: How I Fell in Love with Switzerland
It is hard to say goodbye to Switzerland. All the worries I had before my stay disappeared immediately in my immediate attachment to this wonderful place, and I already look forward to returning.
Over the course of my 2-month stay, I experienced 13 hours of lab work in one day; I also sometimes sneaked out early to enjoy the sunshine while wandering by the lake. I celebrated lab members’ submissions of their latest research papers and worked through the difficulties I faced on my Robotics project with my colleagues and friends in the lab. Every day I strove to explore the dynamics of drosophila locomotor behaviors and central pattern generators, along with ideas about how to improve uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. I also enjoyed Wednesday lab meetings, Thursday journal clubs, barbeques, and an endless list of other fun activities. I remember fondly the afternoon breaks, sneaking out for a cup of coffee, planning lab retreats, and the Color Run. The Neuroengineering Lab at EPFL is where biologists, mathematicians, physicists, neuroscientists, and engineers gather and interact. Scholars from diverse cultures who have had an array of experiences encounter and share their insights with one another. From being immersed in such a supportive environment, I gained inspiration, friendships, and life-long lessons. I am immensely grateful.
I regularly went to the local farmer’s market on Saturdays, buying fresh cheese and fine chocolates; I also used to jog through Lausanne in the mornings and at night. I went to the market so often that my favorite shop owner immediately knew the bread that I wanted; and when I ran by Ouchy, fellow runners would greet me with a hearty “Bonjour”. At those moments I identified myself as part of the city, not a mere visitor. I took in the mountain views in Vallorbe, walked along Jet d’Eau Fountain in Geneva, enjoyed the Rose Garden in Bern, and strolled through music festivals with dear friends. These experiences were unique and unparalleled. Without the generous funding from ThinkSwiss to support my travel to Switzerland, I could not have had the opportunity to form these new friendships and explore this fascinating place.
I was amazed by breathtaking natural views, intelligent vibrancy, and inclusiveness in Switzerland. I fell in love with this country and everything it represents. My friends and I made a promise to meet up again in Switzerland, and I have started to plan a return visit.
A Tale of Interdisciplinary Research, Friendships, and Breathtaking Landscapes
The two weeks I spent at the University of Bern for the International Bachelor School program greatly exceeded my hopes and expectations. I was uncertain about what to expect, but my time spent in the lively city of Bern proved to me what may be one of the best decisions I made for myself. By working closely with groups of students and leaders from all over the world on matters regarding climate change, I had the opportunity to understand and engage in this matter from a range of disciplines. The interdisciplinary aspect of climate change, from science to policymaking, demonstrated how multi-layered this issue is. I learned very quickly that mitigating climate change and protecting the planet we live on requires all hands on deck.
I learned ENSO modelling using statistical methods to understand which types of models produced good forecasts for the development of El Niño in climates like the Southern Oscillation. The workshops led by group leaders encouraged problem solving, while a great deal of support and constructive feedback was also provided. So much was completed in a short period of time while fast friendships were also made along the way as we worked as a team and relied on each other. It was fulfilling to be able to present projects within two weeks, and have discussions on the different aspects relating to climate sciences and policies. Most of all, this experience encouraged me to speak up on issues confronting climate change to those around me.
The group of international students and the staff within the program also made my time in Bern as enjoyable as can be. This included the early morning lectures, outdoor lunches, after-class excursions to the lake, and the visit to the high alpine research station in the Bernese Alps. There was so much to see and much to learn! I look forward to returning very soon.
Unexpected Findings: Switzerland through the Archive
Although this summer began with international travel appearing close to impossible, as Covid-19 forced many plans to be cancelled or postponed, I was lucky to be able to use the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship to spend three months, from June to August 2020, at the University of Zurich (UZH).
At UZH’s Forschungsstelle für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, I sought to draw on the institute‘s strengths in 20th-century European history and seize the opportunity to discuss my burgeoning dissertation project on the history of the modern refugee with experts in the field. Upon my arrival, the wonderful staff at the institute made sure that I received my own workspace and facilitated access to university libraries and other institutional resources. Beyond logistical support, I received generous intellectual mentorship from Prof. Dr. Svenja Goltermann, my host at the institute, who was eager to discuss my initial findings and offered advice on historical context and interpretation.
I originally came to Switzerland to follow particular strands of in-depth archival research on the ways in which the very definition of the refugee, which was declared by the United Nations in 1951, had been influenced by then-contemporary theories and practices in the field of demography. Yet, I ended up finding much more than I expected. At the Archive for Contemporary History, which is housed by the neighboring Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), I spent many hours poring over boxes upon boxes full of notes by refugees, humanitarians, and bureaucrats. Reading through them, I was surprised to discover how controversial an issue the granting of refuge and indeed the assignment of “refugee status” was in 1940s Switzerland, and how much the perception of who fell into this category was intertwined with local counting and registration practices.
Outside of academic duties, I enjoyed the much-lauded Swiss lifestyle that persisted even in the midst of a global pandemic. I took daily advantage of the country’s superior bread, cheese, and chocolate offerings, which sustained me during long days in the archive. I enjoyed Swiss hospitality during socially distanced Grillabende in backyards and public parks. And I often floated down the Limmat on a rubber draft, which was a welcome reprieve during this year‘s hot summer days—a thought shared by many on August 1, Swiss National Day, which saw the river covered by inflatable parrots and unicorns.
Beyond Zurich, the picturesque train route along Lac de Neuchâtel and Lac Léman from the country’s north to its most western tip became familiar to me, as I prepared for future research in the Swiss city of Geneva, home to so many international organization that are pivotal to my dissertation. And despite having left Zurich at the end of August, I am certain to return to UZH soon, where I have been invited to discuss and present preliminary findings of my historical research as my dissertation continues to take shape.
From Political Science to Environmental Law: Changing the Outlook on Life
Very infrequently have I had an experience that has completely changed my outlook on life. I cannot stress how much the 2019 Bern University Climate Change Summer school was one of those experiences. As a political science major who wants to become a lawyer specializing in environmental law, this program could not have been better suited to my interests. Not only did I learn more about how current environmental policy affects climate change, I was also able to participate in a workshop focused on the World Trade Organization. Over the course of the workshop, I learned how its legal proceedings influence environmental trade and analyzed a legal case in its entirety. Even if I am not yet a law student, I feel much more prepared to choose a legal track that could help me reach my professional goals.
However, the program offered much more. The city of Bern is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have been to in Europe. Every day, the group would eat lunch on the lawn of the University admiring the views across the city of Bern, and after class we did an array of fun activities such as swimming in the river. My favorite experience was the visit that the university organized to the Jungfraujoch (the top of Europe) to learn how the scientists at the Sphinx research center have been tracking a variety of data since the 1950s. The view was amazing, and I was impressed by how many countries and universities shared this space to learn about the environment.
Without a doubt the aspect of the program that blew my expectations was the quality of friendships that I made. Our group was an excellent blend of international students and Swiss nationals. Not only did I learn from other cultures, but I felt comfortable expressing myself in the environment that we cultivated. The people I met came from all walks of life, and I will always cherish the relationships that I made during the program, so much so, that I have no doubt that I will be organizing reunions soon in the future.
I was impressed by how well the Climate Change Summer School was organized, and I am deeply grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. Without the financial aid that I received from the program, traveling from the United States to Switzerland would have been impossible. I have no doubt that I will encourage all my friends at the University of California Merced to apply for this opportunity. I am sure it will change their outlook on life, as it did for me. Thank you, University of Bern.
Very infrequently have I had an experience that has completely changed my outlook on life. I cannot stress how much the 2019 Bern University Climate Change Summer school was one of those experiences. As a political science major who wants to become a lawyer specializing in environmental law, this program could not have been better suited to my interests. Not only did I learn more about how current environmental policy affects climate change, I was also able to participate in a workshop focused on the World Trade Organization. Over the course of the workshop, I learned how its legal proceedings influence environmental trade and analyzed a legal case in its entirety. Even if I am not yet a law student, I feel much more prepared to choose a legal track that could help me reach my professional goals.
However, the program offered much more. The city of Bern is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have been to in Europe. Every day, the group would eat lunch on the lawn of the University admiring the views across the city of Bern, and after class we did an array of fun activities such as swimming in the river. My favorite experience was the visit that the university organized to the Jungfraujoch (the top of Europe) to learn how the scientists at the Sphinx research center have been tracking a variety of data since the 1950s. The view was amazing, and I was impressed by how many countries and universities shared this space to learn about the environment.
Without a doubt the aspect of the program that blew my expectations was the quality of friendships that I made. Our group was an excellent blend of international students and Swiss nationals. Not only did I learn from other cultures, but I felt comfortable expressing myself in the environment that we cultivated. The people I met came from all walks of life, and I will always cherish the relationships that I made during the program, so much so, that I have no doubt that I will be organizing reunions soon in the future.
I was impressed by how well the Climate Change Summer School was organized, and I am deeply grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. Without the financial aid that I received from the program, traveling from the United States to Switzerland would have been impossible. I have no doubt that I will encourage all my friends at the University of California Merced to apply for this opportunity. I am sure it will change their outlook on life, as it did for me. Thank you, University of Bern.
Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Law
The Lucerne Academy for Human Rights Implementation at the University of Lucerne is a three-week program that focuses on the domestic implementation of international human rights law. Each year the academy is organized around a central theme, this year’s was business and human rights. I was incredibly excited about the theme as I only had preliminary knowledge surrounding the topic.
The academy is divided into three separate parts: course work, lunch seminars with professionals and experts in the field of international human rights law, and a moot court.
For the course work, students are enrolled in a mandatory introductory course and then pick three electives. Each student is required to take the introductory course on the European Convention on Human Rights, taught by Dr. Sebastian Heselhaus. This class took place during this first week of the academy and helped prepare us for our electives and the moot court, which involved claims under the Convention. This class also included case studies, so we could see how the European Convention on Human Rights is applied in practice.
In addition to the introduction class, I also took a class on indigenous people’s rights, human rights litigation, and business and human rights. Each class was incredibly unique and taught me something different that will be useful in my further studies. The class on indigenous people’s rights provided a thorough overview on the evolution and development of these rights in international human rights law, with a case study on the Awas Tingi case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Human rights litigation was taught by Dr. Helen Keller, a judge on the European Court of Human Rights and a former member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2008-2011), who gave a detailed course on the admissibility criteria before the court and practical litigation advice for arguing before the court. As someone who wishes to pursue a career in litigation, I found this class very useful as it combined both the theory behind bringing the case to the Court and the practical skills necessary to successfully argue a case.
Lastly, the class on business and human rights provided an overview of how the issue of business and human rights has evolved in international law, beginning with the strengthening of investor’s rights in international investment law, to John Ruggie’s basic principles on business and human rights, and the development of a legally binding international human rights treaty on the topic. This class was taught by Dr. Olivier De Schutter, an international human rights law scholar who was the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2010-2016 and is presently a member of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It was an honor to be able to learn from esteemed members of the international human rights community.
The lunchtime seminars allowed us to hear from experts in different parts of the international human rights field, included academics, lawyers, and practitioners working with nongovernment organizations. The lunch seminars covered a broad range of topics, including corporate social responsibility, rights of gender and sexual minorities in Africa, and lawyers litigating cases in the field of business and human rights. The lunch seminars were also helpful as our visiting professors would sit and eat lunch with us. This allowed us to connect with our professors on both an academic and social level.
The moot court exercise was an incredible experiential learning opportunity. On the first day of class, we received a fictitious case, our team, and deadlines. We had ten days to write a memorial on five legal issues. This exercise allowed us to research the legal claims we were discussing thoroughly, including reading jurisprudence, academic articles, and doctrine on the topics. After we submitted our memorial, we had one week to prepare oral pleadings. We received individual coaching that allowed us to develop both the content of our arguments and our presentation style. During my oral pleadings, I remembered how much I love public speaking and advocating for victims of human rights violations.
Additionally, it was my first time working in a team of three for a moot court with people who have varying levels of experience. The experience improved my teamwork and collaborative skills. Not only that, but as I was the most experienced student on my team, I was able to improve my coaching skills and help my teammates develop their moot court skills. I have coached moot court in the past and this experience reminded me of how much I enjoy helping others improve their skills.
The Lucerne Academy also included excursions to Strasbourg, France, to see the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe, as well as a trip to Geneva to visit the Palais des Nations and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These trips allowed us to see for ourselves where the decisions that we studied in class were made. We were also able to hear from individuals who work at these institutions and see what a day in the life is like for a professional in the field of international human rights law.
I can truly say that the weeks spent at the Lucerne Academy were some of the best weeks of my life. Being able to participate in such an enriching academic environment while being surrounded by students from every continent was amazing. Living in residence with the other students, we became a family. Many nights we cooked dinner together and had meaningful conversation. Some of my most treasured memories from the experience include everyone gathered around our kitchen table and laughing as we talked about our days. In our spare time, we explored Switzerland together, from hiking Mount Rigi, visiting Mount Pilatus, and taking a day trip to Bern.
As a whole, the Lucerne Academy reinforced my desire to pursue a career in the field of international human rights. The program combined everything I love most about academic programs: engaging coursework and professors, experiential learning opportunities, and a moot court exercise. Each component of the program was equally important and made me a more well rounded individual in the field of human rights. Not only did I learn about current human rights issues; I also worked on the skills necessary to help advocate and improve the situation of human rights globally. I look forward to bringing the knowledge I learned to further education and a future career in the field.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations against Diseases caused by Climate Change
My attendance at the 2019 Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern, generously funded by the ThinkSwiss scholarship program, was inarguably the highlight of my summer. Upon arriving in Switzerland, I was overwhelmed by the Alpine landscapes and the beautifully conserved Swiss heritage – but the experience I would have for the following two weeks was much more than feeling like a protagonist of Heidi.
As a student of global health, it is important that I know about the current state of intergovernmental efforts to protect vulnerable populations against diseases due to climate change. From a broader perspective, it is also important to know what each government has to say about climate change. As a hub of intergovernmental institutions, Switzerland was a perfect place to meet and build connections with those engaged in similar conversations. I was able to attend keynote lectures taught by renowned professionals on climate change, including Professor Thomas Stocker, the former co-chairman of one of the working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Professor Peter Van den Bossche, Director of Studies at the World Trade Institute. I was in awe of the obstacles they had faced in trying to convince decision-makers of the severity and consequences of climate change but was disappointed to realize that it would be impossible to meet the best economic and environmental solutions to climate change due to the various conflicts of interest.
The hands-on activities taught via workshops were also very insightful and provided me with skills applicable to other fields of research. As part of one of the ten workshops, I analyzed the discourse network of two administrations surrounding an important climate change issue. My task was to compare and contrast the discourse network of the Trump and Obama administrations surrounding the Paris Agreement; Obama signed the Paris Agreement, and Trump withdrew from it. By analyzing the density of the connections we had between the actors and concepts, the distance between the concepts, and so on, we were able to observe which actors and concepts about the Paris Agreement were shifting the dynamics of the discourse. I thank the summer school for inviting me to participate in this workshop, as these skills are valuable for any research on how individuals and concepts play a pivotal role in a topic of interest.
Finally, the one-day excursion to Jungfraujoch! This was certainly the most memorable experience of the summer school. We were able to observe the devastating effects of climate change and global warming at the tip of Europe, and see the state-of-art technology for measuring pollutants, greenhouse gases, and temperatures with minimal interference from urbanization. Researchers who had been at the research station for a number of years told us about the sudden and drastic changes in climate they had observed: they do not need to clean the roads every morning anymore due to the lack of snow, and the Alps occasionally surprise them with night rain showers, which is unheard of and outside of the normal pattern. I felt a great weight on my shoulders and the responsibility to be more cautious about the by-products of consumption, not only to preserve this overwhelming beauty of nature, but also to prevent the butterfly effect of a global temperature rise on local ecosystems and the global population.
I strongly encourage anyone who has an interest in learning more about climate change to apply to the Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern. You will learn that climate change mitigation is much more urgent than you think, and that getting involved in this great cause would have a greater global impact than you might think. Moreover, you will make lifelong friends who are always there to share brilliant ideas about how to change the world!
Computational Modeling Defining Developmental Mechanisms of the Lungs
This past summer, I was very grateful to receive the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship provided by the Embassy of Switzerland. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to research at a top university in Switzerland has shaped my scholarly and cultural perspective of the world.
I interned in Dr. Dagmar Iber’s Computational Biology Group at the ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland. My research involved combining high-end imaging technologies and computational modeling to define basic developmental mechanisms of the lungs (lung organogenesis). This experience contrasted greatly with my research in the US, which was in an oncology wet lab. Despite having had no previous experience in this research area, through the mentorship of the posdoc Dr. Aleksandra Sapala I was able enhance my skills in basic image analysis and computational modelling, and also learn about the mechanics and physics behind cellular growth of lungs in just 3 months!
By the end of the internship, I was able to give a technical presentation on the work I did to the lab group and I feel more confident in taking on the challenges of graduate school. In addition, I was drawn in by the kind and welcoming nature of my lab group and the D-BSSE Department of ETH Zürich. We frequently met for lunch, walked to the local Coop supermarket for ice cream on hot summer days, and even held a barbeque outing. To share my own cultural tradition, I made Texan-style breakfast tacos for my lab group—and they loved it!
On the weekends, I would travel with my other fellow scholars in Switzerland and explore its picturesque and breathtaking landscape. My most unforgettable trips were touring the vineyards of Lausanne, hiking with Swiss locals at Lake Oeschinen, conquering an 18km hike near the Matterhorn in Zermatt, having a picnic with a view of the Bernese Alps in Mürren, and the ThinkSwiss Scholar Retreat in Bern and Mt. Titlis.
Thank you to the amazing ThinkSwiss Program for providing me with an experience I will never forget!
A Swiss Science Soirée and the Fine Art of Frolicking with Failure
On clear summer mornings the turquoise lake burst out from below the rippling deep green hills, its circumference sprinkled with the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Burnese Alps, as I whipped around the bend and zipped downhill on my bicycle.
Sound like a rêverie? This was just my daily bike commute from my dreamy residence at the hilltop Neuchâtel Botanical Garden Villa to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Photovoltaic Laboratory (PV-Lab) during my ThinkSwiss 2019 Internship. The sizzling sunbeams that beat upon me during my ride were the same sort of sunbeams that I summoned with semiconductors that summer.
Sunrise (or set?) over Lac Neuchatel – a watercolor by Swiss artist Frank Vindayer depicting my morning commute view (none of my photos came close to depicting the beauty, so this will have to do)
PV-Lab is a world-class facility, not just in the tools it possesses but in the expertise of its scientists, who come from all corners of the world. It’s been around since 1984, and many of the staff have pioneered breakthroughs in the field of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and, more recently, in perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. As a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley studying new materials for solar energy technology, I took this internship as an opportunity to dive into something new and interact with experts in the SHJ community—my research group at home in Berkeley studies computational materials science, but doesn’t specialize in PV. At PV-Lab, I aimed to better understand the greatest challenges facing PV science and engineering today, while gaining hands-on experience that could inform my own research in other types of PV and my STEM outreach pursuits (see below!).
Frolicking up Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps overlooking Mts. Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
My project at the lab was to investigate new transparent “hole-selective” contact materials for SHJ solar cells, under the supervision of Dr. Angela Fioretti and Dr. Mathieu Boccard. Absorbing sunlight with silicon has been very well optimized, but extracting the photo-generated electrons and holes (i.e. missing electrons in a semiconductor) without efficiency losses is trickier. That’s why we need better selective contacts. I had proposed to grow and optimize a material called boron phosphide using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the cleanroom, and determine whether it could work as a contact material.
Me as a lab rat in the cleanroom that was closed for renovations, a sputter plasma changing colors as I introduce nitrogen gas into the vacuum chamber, and some oversized gloves holding almost finished solar cell samples.
Well, we would not find out. I failed to incorporate a good contact into SHJ. Instead, I’d discover something a bit more personal.
Right before my internship started, we learned that the cleanroom where I’d need to conduct planned experiments had to close for renovations. All summer…. So we quickly shifted our focus to another material system using a vacuum deposition method called “sputtering” that I was more familiar with (backup plan #1). But when I arrived at the lab, manufacturers informed us that the necessary sputtering precursors were delayed at least five weeks, more than half of my two-month visit. Thus began a continuous cycle of brainstorming new backup plans (6 in total!) and handling hiccups. It was almost comical.
Science research is a game of adaptation. Conditions change, and sometimes the experiment you planned to do gets derailed due to broken equipment, renovations, unexpected delays, personnel shortage, illness, personal life stuff, or the entire country of Switzerland shutting down its supply of nitrogen gas (yes, this actually happened). Sometimes the experiments do work, but yield results that counter your expectations and leave you baffled. You have to give up what you thought was constant.
Embracing failure as a tool for growth is something that is not talked about enough in science. It is so important to experience letdowns in the lab, not only because they are realistic and happen to everybody, but because they provide an opportunity to zoom out, realign with your goals and priorities and, if necessary, revamp your approach and start fresh in a new direction. To practice adaptability, flexibility, and versatility.
So despite the six-layer cake of backup plans and multiple false starts, my real discovery was my own versatility as a researcher. I decided to stick with the resources I had, circumvent the fluctuating conditions in the lab, and address my research questions using an alternative method that would still allow me to conduct an investigation even if the entire lab somehow shut down. That is, computational simulation of SHJ contact junctions (aka backup plan #6). My supervisors and colleagues were incredibly supportive throughout, and a postdoc in the group kindly helped me get up to speed. Simulations have their limitations, in particular because we have to make a slew of iffy assumptions, but the method I pursued could still give me insight into the physical mechanisms at play in solar cells.
Chowing down some classic Neuchâtelois fondue (aka Fonduechâtel) with PV-Lab colleagues!
All-in-all, I was fortunate to accomplish most of the goals I came into my ThinkSwiss Internship with: I got to connect with experts in the field and participate in-depth conversations about solar energy in society (as well as fondue gobbling sessions!). The head of the lab, Professor Christophe Ballif, generously donated SHJ solar panels to sponsor my STEM outreach organization Cycle for Science (I biked across the Netherlands with two professors and a masters student, teaching hands-on solar cell demos to kids along the way! Check our blog posts and an article from EPFL with a shoutout to ThinkSwiss!). The series of “failures” led the way to a simulations-focused manuscript that I am currently writing with my colleagues at PV-Lab (incorporating bits of backup plans #5 and #6!).
3/4 of Cycle for Science’s Netherlands team pictured with EPFL PV-Lab’s solar cells
Despite the frustrations, it was hard to be disappointed with a summer in magnificent Switzerland. At lunch I’d plunge into that turquoise lake visible from my bike commute, letting the clear water clear out any residual stress. Living in a botanical garden for the summer was incredible. I discovered the symmetry of seeding mustard plants, read papers beside the shimmering lilypad pond, and took in countless sunsets over the sea of flowers from the hammock draped across the balcony. The Jura mountains were quite literally my backyard, and my bicycle and I got lost swirling through their steep slopes after work. And those snow-sprinkled mountains in the distance? Well, they became my weekend escape. Between the labs and blabs I was able to squeeze in three trips up: hut-hopping and backpacking around Mt. Eiger, scampering up Roches de Naye, and ascending the Appenzeller Alps.
And more-over, I was able to experience and practice the Swiss mentality of being active and truly present in the natural world. This mindset allowed me to refresh and recharge, and gave me the clarity of mind that I needed to confront the ebbs and flows of failure and success that are inevitable with science research. It also deeply reminded me of what I am fighting for with my solar research: a renewable energy future and a healthy sustainable world for all.
My home for the summer in the dreamy Jardin Botanique Villa! And biking through my backyard, the Jura.
Alp-hopping with Professor Rafaella Buonsanti of EPFL, a collaborator from my past job at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Roches de Naye)
Scenes from an Alpsolutely stunning summer (Appenzeller, Bernese Alps)
A Life Changing Experience
With the support of the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, I spent this past summer in Prof. Dr. Johann Kolar’s Power Electronics System Laboratory at ETH Zurich. Power electronics are ubiquitous to our modern, electrified economy, yet remain largely unknown to the public. They are the “brick” that charges your phone and laptop, the key to integrating solar and wind power into the grid, and the foundation of both electric vehicles and cloud computing. In short, every single electric device, in some way, relies on the efficiency, size, and reliability of power electronics. Over the summer, my work focused on power supplies for data centers (which are expected to consume 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030), the physical properties and limitations of next-generation materials for power semiconductors, and circuits for solar inverters and electric vehicle motors.
Prof. Kolar’s group epitomized my ideals of Switzerland – the students, staff, researchers, and faculty were all incredibly welcoming, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and, in the end, made Zurich feel like home to this foreigner. The attention to detail, technical rigor, and drive to excel place the lab at the top of our field, and I was privileged to learn daily from experienced graduate students and Professor Kolar himself. The daily lab lunches, coffee breaks, presentations, and frequent outings were all opportunities to connect, learn, and lay the groundwork for future friendships and collaborations.
Among the best adventures were a Swiss National Day rafting trip on the Aare River, which fittingly ended in the capital of Bern with a view of the Parliament Building. Our Swiss colleagues also led tours to the Ballenberg open-air museum, where we checked out architecture from all generations and regions of the country, and to the Waldhusli of Zurichberg for a lab-wide barbeque, volleyball match, and fireside chat. On weekends without a lab event, I would hop on a Saturday morning train to explore another amazing destination, including Konstanz, Germany, the mountains and lakes of Wallensee, and a once-in-a-generation festival in Vevey on Lake Geneva.
The exchange at ETH Zurich – which could not have happened without the ThinkSwiss Scholarship – was, without exaggeration, a life-changing experience, professionally and personally. This summer will form the foundation for an ongoing collaboration between my home lab at Stanford University and Prof. Kolar’s group at ETH Zurich, and I anticipate working with many of my mentors and lab mates far into our future careers. In the next few years, I hope to return to Switzerland to live at some point, and carry home a new appreciation for the approaches to work, family, and community that I learned during the exchange.
Laboratory For Synchrotron Radiation
This fall I had the opportunity to spend three months working at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, less than an hour north of Zurich, in the group of Prof. Helena van Swygenhoven. Her research group has a few very unique capabilities that made my exchange incredibly productive, interesting, and beneficial to my PhD research. First is the custom built metal 3D printer constructed by PhD student Samy Hocine, which has the ability to print very small structures (less than 1x1cm) for research purposes. Second is the access to the Swiss Light Source, a powerful synchrotron used to study many different research projects. While in Switzerland I was granted beam time at the synchrotron for two different weeks: the first to use a larger x-ray beam to investigate the printing process through melting and solidification, and the second to use a much smaller, more focused x-ray beam to understand the spatial variation of the printing process. Between my offline and online 3D printing, I was able to further my PhD work and establish valuable connections with this team of experts that I will continue to use in the future.
In addition to my work at PSI, I got to travel through Europe for both personal and professional reasons. In September I traveled with my PSI colleagues to Goteborg, Sweden, for the Alloys in Additive Manufacturing Symposium. As it was my first conference ever, I met many experts in the field and presented my poster to PhD students and professors who I will certainly cross paths with many times in my career. And as it was my first time in Sweden, I was treated to beautiful sunsets, delicious fish (salmon! Shrimp!), and a boat cruise around the southern archipelago courtesy of the conference organizers. I also visited a PhD friend from Northwestern who is spending the year on an exchange to Perugia, Italy, and he took me to Rome, Florence, and Milan while introducing me to the beautiful architecture, art, and food of Italy.
I also had the opportunity to travel within Switzerland on the weekend. I explored Zurich and hiked the local mountain (Uetliberg); learned about antimatter and the future of the Lower Hadron Collider at CERN Open Days, an open house that only occurs once every 5 years; visited family friends in Lausanne, hiked in the vineyards, and enjoyed many kinds of cheese from the market; and spent a weekend in Basel and Colmar, known as “little Venice” for its many small canals.
Overall I had a great experience in Switzerland and I am very grateful to the ThinkSwiss organization for providing me with this opportunity.
Personality Assessment Research and Exploring Unparalleled Natural Beauty
Thanks to the Think Swiss scholarship, I was able to work with Dr. Willibald Ruch at the Personality and Assessment lab at the University of Zurich. This lab studies personality psychology through the lens of positive psychology and has a strong focus on test construction.
I joined two pre-existing projects and was also able to design and execute my own research project. The first study I worked onfamiliarized me with the process of test construction– this project sought to create a measure to assess an individual’s ability to accurately recognize character strengths in another person. Another study sought to measure the efficacy of character strength interventions, daily practices aimed at increasing overall well-being by targeting specific thought patterns and processes associated with each of the twenty-four character strengths. I was also able to design my own study, examining the character strengths associated with greater psychological resilience and lower levels of burnout in social justice activists. This was a particularly valuable experience, as the problem-solving skills necessary when designing and implementing a study are best learned via trial and error—I learned an immense amount from the small setbacks I experienced while conducting the study and feel much more confident in my ability to take on a leadership position with other projects in the labs I am involved in at my home university. The ThinkSwiss grant allowed me to get a glimpse of what graduate school will be like, and I was so lucky to have such wonderful doctorate students and post-docs in the lab to work with and learn from. The program itself also provided a great experience! The group trip to Bern and Lucerne was both fun and informative, as we got to meet and learn from Swiss government officials about all of the work Swiss embassies do with young researchers around the world. Switzerland is also without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I feel so lucky to have been able to hike and explore such dense natural beauty. I will never forget my time in Switzerland, the people I was lucky enough to travel with, and those I met along the way.
The Best Summer I Ever Had
The summer researching in Switzerland sponsored by ThinkSwiss is the best summer I have ever had. I gained substantial knowledge and skills, went on amazing hikes and travels, learned and experienced many cultures, and made so many great friends.
I conducted research under Prof. Dr. Laura Heyderman at the Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems, a lab in the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, with most of my work done at PSI. My project was on an antiferromagnet (AFM)-like square lattice built from chirally coupled nanomagnets. I designed sample geometries and demagnetization protocols, used magnetic force microscopy and magneto-optic Kerr effect microscopy for characterization, and developed a suite of recognition, calculation and simulation MATLAB programs to understand the energetic contributions.
I loved my research group. Academically, I learned so much through discussions and even from just observing other group members and asking questions. They welcomed all my naïve questions and even ardently shared their tricks and insights on all aspects of research: how to identify research topics to pursue, how to keep track of data, where to draw the line for the conclusion of a project… I benefitted immensely from their insights, which helped me develop into a more experienced researcher. Beyond work, my colleagues were an extremely lively and fun group. We went on excursions, cooked and had dinners together, floated down the Aare river next to PSI, had fun at Züri Fäscht… They were also extremely diverse, in terms of culture, background, hobby, everything. Our group members came from 12 different countries across the whole world, and that helped us bond together readily and tightly. We picked up different groups of people from all over PSI campus for lunch every day and sit together around a long table, we all gathered in a PhD office for coffee after lunch, we went together after work to watch a group member’s choir performance or to celebrate a member’s paper being accepted by Nature…
Besides at work, I also made so many great friends in my leisure time. The PSI guesthouse was my home for the summer, a lovely living space I shared with interns, students, and scientists around the world. We had so many fun and eye-opening discussions on science, culture, sports, hobbies, and I found myself learning something new after every random conversation. We went running, climbing, swimming, and barbequing together, and organized transcontinental dinners where everyone cooked dishes or brought food from their own culture. It was such a diverse and lively experience that I miss dearly.
And of course, the nature. There are no words that can describe the spectacular mountains, rivers, canyons, caves, and glaciers in Switzerland. I went on so many hikes across the country, and every single time, I felt an urge to cry out loud because the scenery was so beautiful.
The whole experience, I loved it. But what I have been able to put down to words is nothing compared to what I felt. You have to live it to feel it. And hopefully I will go back some time in the future, to experience more, and to grow more.
Solving Ribonucleic Acids For Future Cancer Treatments
My name is Jevon Marsh and I am a Canadian student of chemistry. Over the summer of 2019, I was grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss scholarship, which provided me with the amazing opportunity to call Zürich my home and to contribute to the advancement of a really cool project. My research involved solving a unique structure formed by ribonucleic acids (known as guanine quadruplexes) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy; by solving and characterizing this structure, we have provided a new therapeutic target that can be used to treat various forms of cancers in the future. From start to finish, my host lab provided oversight for my work and taught me important techniques and skills that will prove beneficial to my future career in research. I also spent an entire week at the International Conference in Biological Inorganic Chemistry (ICBIC-19) in Interlaken, which provided me with a chance to explore the many topics in my field, and network with professionals from all over the world. The kindness and generosity of the researchers in my lab and even those in the city really made my summer enjoyable… and made it feel like a home away from home!
My experiences in Switzerland enriched my life in many ways, from both a professional and a personal perspective. Not only was I given the opportunity to learn new and exciting things and grow as a researcher; I was also given the opportunity to become a part of a community of people that have since remained very close friends. The summer is all about research and learning, but it is equally as important to go on as many adventures as you can, and take full advantage of the unique opportunity you have been given. Almost every weekend I was either hiking somewhere in Switzerland to embrace the stillness of the country and to admire the beauty of nature that exists everywhere around you… or heading out to another town in Switzerland or another country with friends, embracing many different cultures and making memories! Of course I embraced Swiss culture, with as many hikes as possible, eating lots of chocolate and cheese.. and even waking up at 5am to paraglide off a mountain in the Swiss Alps… simply enjoying every single moment!I highly encourage all future scholars to do exactly that: seize the moment, have many laughs and make memories with all of the new people you meet who will become great friends.
Challenge yourself with speaking a foreign language… try new foods (the raclette and fondue are amazing… and please try the salted caramel white chocolate from Läderach)… participate in everything you can (especially the weekend trips they organize)… just simply enjoy the entire experience you have been given. This scholarship is an opportunity for personal and professional development; an opportunity to be exposed to a new culture and experience the world we live in; an opportunity to build and become a part of an amazing community. I am very thankful for the scholarship and for the experience it has given me… I will be visiting Switzerland again very soon.
I wish you all an *amazing* experience in Switzerland!
Jevon
Research on Kindergartners' Self-Regulation
My Think Swiss journey started two summers ago in Zürich when I was a co-facilitator of a workshop for a Special Interest Group conference with the European Association of Learning and Instruction. Within the first couple of hours of being in Zürich, I made a call to my parents to tell them that I had never felt so at home in a new city – and I’ve lived in a few cities! I told them that one day, I would live there. Only a few months later, I received an email with details about the Think Swiss scholarship. It was the first time I had ever heard of the program and I felt like it was made just for me.
During my research stay, my projects included co-authoring a manuscript on kindergartners’ self-regulation and preparing a literature review on the function of routines in teachers’ instructional regulation. To complete these projects, I actively participated in team meetings to learn about the vast yet specific research backgrounds of each team member and dove deep into new literature, with the team acting as my lifeguards. We supported each other by providing feedback on our work, sharing papers that offered new perspectives and discussing future directions in educational psychology. This created a channel of sharing and equality that I have begun to embody more deeply with my own team at McGill.
Beyond the formal academic work, my stay saw me taking lunch and sipping coffee each day with the lab members whom I quickly began to refer to as friends. I had the chance to play Frisbee while swimming down the Reuss River with those friends, and to play the drums in a make-shift band we put together one evening. I quickly came to understand that the timely and pragmatic nature of the Swiss allows them to focus on the finer things in life: connecting with friends, usually while eating delicious food, and spending time grounded in nature. I’m grateful to know that I now have an academic family abroad who is cheering me on in all my endeavors.
Though this trip certainly supported the development of my academic skills, some of the most important things I learned and experienced were with the people I met and during the time I spent alone. I walked in my first demonstration at the women’s strike and met wonderful friends whom I later danced with at the many open-air festivals, and street parades. I explored coffee shops, pubs and clubs, and I’ve never seen so many cell phone-less tables at meals. I swam a lot and got comfortable with falling off my bike. I climbed a mountain to sleep in a remote hut, played alp-golf terribly, and acquired the worst blisters I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve seen colours of sunsets that are emblazoned in my memories, and I was gifted with an impeccable amalgamation of music that is the soundtrack of my memories. I’ve fallen in love with countless people, places and things but most importantly I fell more deeply in love with myself.
Although I’ve been working on withholding unsolicited advice, I’m going to offer some to this year’s applicants/awardee’s. My takeaway from the Think Swiss journey is that you don’t need to understand a foreign language to understand food or friendship. You will appreciate how hard some people will work to have a conversation with you in English. Be sure to tell them you appreciate it; their smile will be worth it. It’s fun to walk everywhere for the first week, but buy a bike – you’ll thank me later. You may find yourself feeling afraid to be vulnerable, but do it anyway. The worst thing you can do for yourself is not be authentic. Allow people to support you if you feel out of place, miss home or don’t know to order a coffee. It might sting when the time approaches that you must leave, but don’t run away from the feeling. Instead, reframe it; remind yourself that it stings because it’s worthwhile. And lastly, I can assure you that when you fall in love with Switzerland, you will take that love with you no matter how far away you should wander.
Wishing you all the best of luck,
Kelsey Losenno
A Life In Three Months
Thank you to the Embassy of Switzerland for the incredible opportunity of a lifetime. During my stay at the University of Fribourg, I worked with Dr. Raphael Berthele collecting data for a project on narrative fiction and language. My research project examined whether reading a story in a second (foreign) language impacts narrative transportation, which is the extent to which an individual feels “transported” into a fictional world. Fribourg was the perfect place to recruit participants because the majority are native French speakers with German, Italian, or English as foreign languages. My host supervisor provided a fresh new perspective on multilingualism research. We had wonderful conversations about Open Science, the dissemination of research to the general public, and the importance of taking into account the linguistic context when conducting research.
The Institute of Multilingualism routinely held talks, workshops, and public lectures that were informative in guiding my research questions and served as networking opportunities. I was able to present my project to the research group during one of the “lunch talks”. I particularly enjoyed connecting with other researchers within the Institute and from abroad. What I found to be fascinating was that even though we were researchers from various parts of the world, the issues, critiques, and challenges we faced when conducting multilingualism research were very similar.Coming from Toronto, a city that is very fast-paced, it was gratifying to take a step back and enjoy the beautiful landscape that Switzerland has to offer. With such an efficient train system, I was able to travel during the weekends to Montreux, Gruyeres, Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zermatt. I fell in love with the majestic mountains, the cheese (fondue), and of course the chocolate! Although the change in scenery definitely helped with the transition to living abroad for a couple of months, it is the people I met there who made my stay truly unforgettable. I will miss the board game nights, Monday night jam sessions, and hiking adventures. One of my favourite memories was attending a talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at the University of Fribourg. It was such an honour to hear her speak about her thoughts on the writing process, graduate school, and social issues.
On a more personal note, I was delighted to be exposed to multiple languages, including French, on a daily basis. In elementary school, I was enrolled in a school where the language of instruction was strictly French. After switching to an Anglophone school, I was no longer as comfortable conversing in French. My stay in Fribourg has motivated me to use French again and I am happy to announce that I will continue to do so when I return to Canada.
As one of my colleagues from York University said, “This exchange experience won’t simply be 3 months in your life, but a life in 3 months!” This statement perfectly encapsulates my journey! I am truly grateful for this unique opportunity that has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. Without hesitation, I would recommend applying to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship.
Nephrology, Friends and Exploration
This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to intern in a nephrology lab at the University of Zürich’s Institute of Physiology.
What immediately struck me was how open and welcoming my lab was. We all gathered to have lunch every day, had frequent brunches, and even did an outing to the Swiss Alps in Interlaken. The conversations I had with my colleagues at the lab also gave me a more global perspective and made me more aware of the importance of having cultural diversity in any setting. While there, I was able to take on a research project alongside other students and faculty from around the world and gained exposure to a plethora of new techniques and technologies. My mentor was supportive and willing to show me the ropes and answer my slew of questions. One of the lab members from our IT group also gave me weekly mini-German lessons, which were quite fun and helped me to integrate into the community. Outside of the lab, I spent my time exploring downtown Zürich, sampling chocolates, and relaxing by the lake during the week. It was great just hopping on a train to Uetliberg and taking in the city views, eating raclette, and chatting with friends by the water after a long day at work. On the weekends, I bonded with other ThinkSwiss scholars as we travelled around Switzerland and to other European countries. Within the country, we enjoyed hiking around the vineyards of Lausanne, canoeing at Lake Oeschinen, picnicking by the Bachalpsee in Grindelwald, and watching fireworks during Züri Fäscht. Honestly, the whole experience felt surreal; I still miss connecting with all the awardees and cherish the memories we had together.
Working On A Potential Alzheimer's Treatment
I am an undergraduate studying computer science and biology at MIT. This summer ThinkSwiss funded my work, as a part of its summer research program, in the Gräff Lab at EPFL studying neuro-epigenetics. The work was interesting and varied—from computational analyses, to molecular validation techniques, to imaging. I learned a lot; and working on a potential Alzheimer’s treatment was very exciting! Everyone in the lab was welcoming and helpful—I couldn’t have asked for a better work environment. The ThinkSwiss program combined cutting-edge research, Friday afternoon seminars, and social activities. Living together with the rest of the students also fostered long-lasting friendships. From cooking together most evenings, to kayaking on Lake Geneva, to movie nights, to watching fireworks on Swiss National Day, our program really bonded together.
This was my first time in Lausanne, and I enjoyed my eight weeks in the city immensely. It’s small enough that you start to recognize people on the metro who have the same schedule as you, but big enough that there are plenty of fun things to do. I can’t count the number of times I walked by the Flon to see a festival in progress. Lausanne, and EPFL, are both very international so it was easy to feel at home. After all, Switzerland itself is a nation with four languages. Most evenings I would take a long walk through the city and was surprised by how much there was to see. The view of the mountains across Lake Geneva never gets old.On weekends I usually explored other parts of Switzerland. So far, I have seen Bern, Luzern, Geneva, Lake Brienz, CERN, Lauterbrunnen, the Matterhorn (the mountain featured on Toblerone chocolate), Basel, cheese and chocolate factories and so much more… I’ve eaten lots of high-quality cheese, chocolate, and ice cream, but it’s ok because I also got into hiking since coming here (warning: hiking means something different in Switzerland than America!).
The beauty of the nature here is unparalleled. At first Switzerland did seem expensive, but if you plan ahead (and cook meals at home), it’s definitely manageable. Never in my life have I traveled to a different place every weekend! Thank you ThinkSwiss for the best summer experience!!
Confronting Climate Change – From Science To Policy
The Summer School program at the University of Bern organized by the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research and the World Trade Institute. Sounds pretty daunting right? I remember being both excited and nervous when I found out that I was one of the 36 participants selected to travel to Bern. Entitled “Confronting Climate Change – from Science to Policy,” the summer school consisted of a series of keynote lectures and workshops on various areas of expertise, culminating in a simulation negotiation. Meeting my fellow participants, who stayed in the same residential building, started off the two weeks on the perfect note. It was incredible to hear from people from countries including Italy, Canada, South Africa, the United States, Germany, and India. I strongly feel I made some friends for life. They made my experience thoroughly enjoyable.
We were split into 9 workshops, with each group assigned to a specific topic according to their area of expertise. Although intense at times, I found myself astonished at how simply the professors explained some complex concepts, some of whom even worked with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Among the many highlights from the program, the trip to Jungfraujoch was one that will live long in our memories. We were given the chance to visit the research station at an altitude of about 3000 feet, where researchers from around the world conduct experiments and record data. To witness first-hand the impact of climate change on the glaciers there left an impression in our minds that is hard to shake. Outside of the classroom, we were given the freedom to explore the city of Bern and all it has to offer. The river Aare and the immaculate public pools that surround it were one of our favourites. Hours of chatting, sharing stories and swimming in the pools would go by in a flash. I was amazed by how much the city had to offer and made the most of every opportunity. The Buskers Music Festival was another highlight. The streets of Bern were filled with people, music, food, and most of all, excitement. We settled on a South African band and danced our hearts out until 12 am. It was a moment every one of us cherished. We even got to take a picture with the band at the end! All in all, this summer school was unlike any other I’ve experienced previously. It was incredibly well organized, informative, and most of all, enjoyable. There was so much to take away from the lectures and workshops that I can apply to my academic pursuits. These two weeks have impacted my life deeply and I will always be grateful for having been given the opportunity to be a part of this experience.
Six Weeks In Geneva Studying European Paleofloods
This past summer, I had one of the most enriching and memorable experiences living abroad for six weeks in Geneva, Switzerland where I was a guest researcher at the University of Geneva working with the Institute of Environmental Sciences C-CIA lab group. As a visitor to the C-CIA lab group, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Markus Stoffel, Dr. Juan Ballesteros Canovas, and an amazing team of PhD and Master’s students from all across the world. During my visit, I created a meta-database of European paleoflood case studies, which is a direct extension of my thesis research, “Holocene paleofloods and their relevance to flood mitigation, risk assessment, and policy.” This database will be a valuable resource to European hydrologists, policymakers, statisticians and stakeholders in making decisions about flood risk and mitigation in Europe. This data will also greatly improve and expand the Past Global Changes (PAGES) working group database on floods. Over the Swiss National Day holiday weekend, I traveled to Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg, and Grindelwald to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and topography of the Swiss Alps. This area of Switzerland was like no other part of the world I have ever seen, and I was captivated by the rugged magnificence of the mountain valley. This is easily the most gorgeous place I have ever traveled to. In my opinion, Geneva was a very easy city to live and feel comfortable in. The city is small but cosmopolitan, bustling with diversity and unique things to do like visiting the United Nations building, perusing art and history museums, partaking in weekend festivals, and enjoying plenty of food and drink options. There are a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and events happening almost daily in the summer. Plus, it’s hard to beat the scenery offered by the expansive Lake Geneva. Every night, I walked along the lakeside from the city center to my residence in Perle Du Lac, admiring the stillness of the pristine turquoise water filled with white swans and beautiful sailboats. One of the things I valued the most while living in Geneva was how safe I felt walking around exploring the town. Everyone is cordial, friendly, and exceptionally helpful to everyone, including non-French speakers like myself. The public transportation system is also very efficient, making it easy to get around the city. Overall, I am incredibly happy and grateful I got the chance to embark on such a fruitful international research visit. I can’t express enough gratitude towards the ThinkSwiss program for supporting me financially, allowing me to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I strongly recommend the ThinkSwiss program to anyone looking to expand their own academic interests as well as their personal growth.
Gaining Independence as a Scientist
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) for 8 weeks as an undergraduate research intern in a biology lab. I am immensely grateful for funding from the SwissThink organization and from the Columbia University Center for Career Education’s Summer Funding Program.
The 2019 Summer Research Program consisted of fellow students from all over the world, including Turkey, Belgium, Pakistan, China, and Russia. Whether through deep conversation or through travel, every day included some form of cultural immersion. I also gained a huge appreciation for nature and the great outdoors. Some of my best memories included group hikes and water activities. During this time, I gained a lot of independence as a scientist. Although my advisors gave me general guidance and provided me with background information, I was left with the autonomy to define the goals of my project and design my own experiments. I also presented my results regularly at group meetings. Ultimately, this experience gave me critical thinking skills, communication skills, and a sense of autonomy that I will carry throughout my career in science. On the second week, our cohort toured Campus Biotech in Geneva. Home of Intel’s Blue Brain Project, their central goal is to create an interface between the human brain and the computer. We were able to try on their virtual reality and brain recording equipment. On our fourth week, my cohort traveled to Geneva and visited CERN, home of the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. We saw the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and spoke with physicists about their projects, which all aim to uncover the origin of our universe. My summer doing research in Switzerland has shaped my future career in scientific research tremendously. I learned to work autonomously as a scientist and take ownership of my project. Most importantly, I have made connections to fellow scientists and peers from all over the world whom I look forward to working with in the future.During my final week, I presented a poster of my work. I discussed my findings and conclusions with various faculty members and peers. My only disappointment was that the duration of the internship (8 weeks) was too short to complete a full research project. During the symposium, discussion of my work sparked ideas for future experiments that can only be followed up by future students. I am overwhelmed with excitement for future long-term projects that will span years.
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Traditional Farmer's Markets and Neuroengineering: How I Fell in Love with Switzerland
It is hard to say goodbye to Switzerland. All the worries I had before my stay disappeared immediately in my immediate attachment to this wonderful place, and I already look forward to returning.
Over the course of my 2-month stay, I experienced 13 hours of lab work in one day; I also sometimes sneaked out early to enjoy the sunshine while wandering by the lake. I celebrated lab members’ submissions of their latest research papers and worked through the difficulties I faced on my Robotics project with my colleagues and friends in the lab. Every day I strove to explore the dynamics of drosophila locomotor behaviors and central pattern generators, along with ideas about how to improve uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. I also enjoyed Wednesday lab meetings, Thursday journal clubs, barbeques, and an endless list of other fun activities. I remember fondly the afternoon breaks, sneaking out for a cup of coffee, planning lab retreats, and the Color Run. The Neuroengineering Lab at EPFL is where biologists, mathematicians, physicists, neuroscientists, and engineers gather and interact. Scholars from diverse cultures who have had an array of experiences encounter and share their insights with one another. From being immersed in such a supportive environment, I gained inspiration, friendships, and life-long lessons. I am immensely grateful.
I regularly went to the local farmer’s market on Saturdays, buying fresh cheese and fine chocolates; I also used to jog through Lausanne in the mornings and at night. I went to the market so often that my favorite shop owner immediately knew the bread that I wanted; and when I ran by Ouchy, fellow runners would greet me with a hearty “Bonjour”. At those moments I identified myself as part of the city, not a mere visitor. I took in the mountain views in Vallorbe, walked along Jet d’Eau Fountain in Geneva, enjoyed the Rose Garden in Bern, and strolled through music festivals with dear friends. These experiences were unique and unparalleled. Without the generous funding from ThinkSwiss to support my travel to Switzerland, I could not have had the opportunity to form these new friendships and explore this fascinating place.
I was amazed by breathtaking natural views, intelligent vibrancy, and inclusiveness in Switzerland. I fell in love with this country and everything it represents. My friends and I made a promise to meet up again in Switzerland, and I have started to plan a return visit.
A Tale of Interdisciplinary Research, Friendships, and Breathtaking Landscapes
The two weeks I spent at the University of Bern for the International Bachelor School program greatly exceeded my hopes and expectations. I was uncertain about what to expect, but my time spent in the lively city of Bern proved to me what may be one of the best decisions I made for myself. By working closely with groups of students and leaders from all over the world on matters regarding climate change, I had the opportunity to understand and engage in this matter from a range of disciplines. The interdisciplinary aspect of climate change, from science to policymaking, demonstrated how multi-layered this issue is. I learned very quickly that mitigating climate change and protecting the planet we live on requires all hands on deck.
I learned ENSO modelling using statistical methods to understand which types of models produced good forecasts for the development of El Niño in climates like the Southern Oscillation. The workshops led by group leaders encouraged problem solving, while a great deal of support and constructive feedback was also provided. So much was completed in a short period of time while fast friendships were also made along the way as we worked as a team and relied on each other. It was fulfilling to be able to present projects within two weeks, and have discussions on the different aspects relating to climate sciences and policies. Most of all, this experience encouraged me to speak up on issues confronting climate change to those around me.
The group of international students and the staff within the program also made my time in Bern as enjoyable as can be. This included the early morning lectures, outdoor lunches, after-class excursions to the lake, and the visit to the high alpine research station in the Bernese Alps. There was so much to see and much to learn! I look forward to returning very soon.
Unexpected Findings: Switzerland through the Archive
Although this summer began with international travel appearing close to impossible, as Covid-19 forced many plans to be cancelled or postponed, I was lucky to be able to use the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship to spend three months, from June to August 2020, at the University of Zurich (UZH).
At UZH’s Forschungsstelle für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, I sought to draw on the institute‘s strengths in 20th-century European history and seize the opportunity to discuss my burgeoning dissertation project on the history of the modern refugee with experts in the field. Upon my arrival, the wonderful staff at the institute made sure that I received my own workspace and facilitated access to university libraries and other institutional resources. Beyond logistical support, I received generous intellectual mentorship from Prof. Dr. Svenja Goltermann, my host at the institute, who was eager to discuss my initial findings and offered advice on historical context and interpretation.
I originally came to Switzerland to follow particular strands of in-depth archival research on the ways in which the very definition of the refugee, which was declared by the United Nations in 1951, had been influenced by then-contemporary theories and practices in the field of demography. Yet, I ended up finding much more than I expected. At the Archive for Contemporary History, which is housed by the neighboring Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), I spent many hours poring over boxes upon boxes full of notes by refugees, humanitarians, and bureaucrats. Reading through them, I was surprised to discover how controversial an issue the granting of refuge and indeed the assignment of “refugee status” was in 1940s Switzerland, and how much the perception of who fell into this category was intertwined with local counting and registration practices.
Outside of academic duties, I enjoyed the much-lauded Swiss lifestyle that persisted even in the midst of a global pandemic. I took daily advantage of the country’s superior bread, cheese, and chocolate offerings, which sustained me during long days in the archive. I enjoyed Swiss hospitality during socially distanced Grillabende in backyards and public parks. And I often floated down the Limmat on a rubber draft, which was a welcome reprieve during this year‘s hot summer days—a thought shared by many on August 1, Swiss National Day, which saw the river covered by inflatable parrots and unicorns.
Beyond Zurich, the picturesque train route along Lac de Neuchâtel and Lac Léman from the country’s north to its most western tip became familiar to me, as I prepared for future research in the Swiss city of Geneva, home to so many international organization that are pivotal to my dissertation. And despite having left Zurich at the end of August, I am certain to return to UZH soon, where I have been invited to discuss and present preliminary findings of my historical research as my dissertation continues to take shape.
From Political Science to Environmental Law: Changing the Outlook on Life
Very infrequently have I had an experience that has completely changed my outlook on life. I cannot stress how much the 2019 Bern University Climate Change Summer school was one of those experiences. As a political science major who wants to become a lawyer specializing in environmental law, this program could not have been better suited to my interests. Not only did I learn more about how current environmental policy affects climate change, I was also able to participate in a workshop focused on the World Trade Organization. Over the course of the workshop, I learned how its legal proceedings influence environmental trade and analyzed a legal case in its entirety. Even if I am not yet a law student, I feel much more prepared to choose a legal track that could help me reach my professional goals.
However, the program offered much more. The city of Bern is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have been to in Europe. Every day, the group would eat lunch on the lawn of the University admiring the views across the city of Bern, and after class we did an array of fun activities such as swimming in the river. My favorite experience was the visit that the university organized to the Jungfraujoch (the top of Europe) to learn how the scientists at the Sphinx research center have been tracking a variety of data since the 1950s. The view was amazing, and I was impressed by how many countries and universities shared this space to learn about the environment.
Without a doubt the aspect of the program that blew my expectations was the quality of friendships that I made. Our group was an excellent blend of international students and Swiss nationals. Not only did I learn from other cultures, but I felt comfortable expressing myself in the environment that we cultivated. The people I met came from all walks of life, and I will always cherish the relationships that I made during the program, so much so, that I have no doubt that I will be organizing reunions soon in the future.
I was impressed by how well the Climate Change Summer School was organized, and I am deeply grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. Without the financial aid that I received from the program, traveling from the United States to Switzerland would have been impossible. I have no doubt that I will encourage all my friends at the University of California Merced to apply for this opportunity. I am sure it will change their outlook on life, as it did for me. Thank you, University of Bern.
Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Law
The Lucerne Academy for Human Rights Implementation at the University of Lucerne is a three-week program that focuses on the domestic implementation of international human rights law. Each year the academy is organized around a central theme, this year’s was business and human rights. I was incredibly excited about the theme as I only had preliminary knowledge surrounding the topic.
The academy is divided into three separate parts: course work, lunch seminars with professionals and experts in the field of international human rights law, and a moot court.
For the course work, students are enrolled in a mandatory introductory course and then pick three electives. Each student is required to take the introductory course on the European Convention on Human Rights, taught by Dr. Sebastian Heselhaus. This class took place during this first week of the academy and helped prepare us for our electives and the moot court, which involved claims under the Convention. This class also included case studies, so we could see how the European Convention on Human Rights is applied in practice.
In addition to the introduction class, I also took a class on indigenous people’s rights, human rights litigation, and business and human rights. Each class was incredibly unique and taught me something different that will be useful in my further studies. The class on indigenous people’s rights provided a thorough overview on the evolution and development of these rights in international human rights law, with a case study on the Awas Tingi case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Human rights litigation was taught by Dr. Helen Keller, a judge on the European Court of Human Rights and a former member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2008-2011), who gave a detailed course on the admissibility criteria before the court and practical litigation advice for arguing before the court. As someone who wishes to pursue a career in litigation, I found this class very useful as it combined both the theory behind bringing the case to the Court and the practical skills necessary to successfully argue a case.
Lastly, the class on business and human rights provided an overview of how the issue of business and human rights has evolved in international law, beginning with the strengthening of investor’s rights in international investment law, to John Ruggie’s basic principles on business and human rights, and the development of a legally binding international human rights treaty on the topic. This class was taught by Dr. Olivier De Schutter, an international human rights law scholar who was the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2010-2016 and is presently a member of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It was an honor to be able to learn from esteemed members of the international human rights community.
The lunchtime seminars allowed us to hear from experts in different parts of the international human rights field, included academics, lawyers, and practitioners working with nongovernment organizations. The lunch seminars covered a broad range of topics, including corporate social responsibility, rights of gender and sexual minorities in Africa, and lawyers litigating cases in the field of business and human rights. The lunch seminars were also helpful as our visiting professors would sit and eat lunch with us. This allowed us to connect with our professors on both an academic and social level.
The moot court exercise was an incredible experiential learning opportunity. On the first day of class, we received a fictitious case, our team, and deadlines. We had ten days to write a memorial on five legal issues. This exercise allowed us to research the legal claims we were discussing thoroughly, including reading jurisprudence, academic articles, and doctrine on the topics. After we submitted our memorial, we had one week to prepare oral pleadings. We received individual coaching that allowed us to develop both the content of our arguments and our presentation style. During my oral pleadings, I remembered how much I love public speaking and advocating for victims of human rights violations.
Additionally, it was my first time working in a team of three for a moot court with people who have varying levels of experience. The experience improved my teamwork and collaborative skills. Not only that, but as I was the most experienced student on my team, I was able to improve my coaching skills and help my teammates develop their moot court skills. I have coached moot court in the past and this experience reminded me of how much I enjoy helping others improve their skills.
The Lucerne Academy also included excursions to Strasbourg, France, to see the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe, as well as a trip to Geneva to visit the Palais des Nations and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These trips allowed us to see for ourselves where the decisions that we studied in class were made. We were also able to hear from individuals who work at these institutions and see what a day in the life is like for a professional in the field of international human rights law.
I can truly say that the weeks spent at the Lucerne Academy were some of the best weeks of my life. Being able to participate in such an enriching academic environment while being surrounded by students from every continent was amazing. Living in residence with the other students, we became a family. Many nights we cooked dinner together and had meaningful conversation. Some of my most treasured memories from the experience include everyone gathered around our kitchen table and laughing as we talked about our days. In our spare time, we explored Switzerland together, from hiking Mount Rigi, visiting Mount Pilatus, and taking a day trip to Bern.
As a whole, the Lucerne Academy reinforced my desire to pursue a career in the field of international human rights. The program combined everything I love most about academic programs: engaging coursework and professors, experiential learning opportunities, and a moot court exercise. Each component of the program was equally important and made me a more well rounded individual in the field of human rights. Not only did I learn about current human rights issues; I also worked on the skills necessary to help advocate and improve the situation of human rights globally. I look forward to bringing the knowledge I learned to further education and a future career in the field.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations against Diseases caused by Climate Change
My attendance at the 2019 Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern, generously funded by the ThinkSwiss scholarship program, was inarguably the highlight of my summer. Upon arriving in Switzerland, I was overwhelmed by the Alpine landscapes and the beautifully conserved Swiss heritage – but the experience I would have for the following two weeks was much more than feeling like a protagonist of Heidi.
As a student of global health, it is important that I know about the current state of intergovernmental efforts to protect vulnerable populations against diseases due to climate change. From a broader perspective, it is also important to know what each government has to say about climate change. As a hub of intergovernmental institutions, Switzerland was a perfect place to meet and build connections with those engaged in similar conversations. I was able to attend keynote lectures taught by renowned professionals on climate change, including Professor Thomas Stocker, the former co-chairman of one of the working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Professor Peter Van den Bossche, Director of Studies at the World Trade Institute. I was in awe of the obstacles they had faced in trying to convince decision-makers of the severity and consequences of climate change but was disappointed to realize that it would be impossible to meet the best economic and environmental solutions to climate change due to the various conflicts of interest.
The hands-on activities taught via workshops were also very insightful and provided me with skills applicable to other fields of research. As part of one of the ten workshops, I analyzed the discourse network of two administrations surrounding an important climate change issue. My task was to compare and contrast the discourse network of the Trump and Obama administrations surrounding the Paris Agreement; Obama signed the Paris Agreement, and Trump withdrew from it. By analyzing the density of the connections we had between the actors and concepts, the distance between the concepts, and so on, we were able to observe which actors and concepts about the Paris Agreement were shifting the dynamics of the discourse. I thank the summer school for inviting me to participate in this workshop, as these skills are valuable for any research on how individuals and concepts play a pivotal role in a topic of interest.
Finally, the one-day excursion to Jungfraujoch! This was certainly the most memorable experience of the summer school. We were able to observe the devastating effects of climate change and global warming at the tip of Europe, and see the state-of-art technology for measuring pollutants, greenhouse gases, and temperatures with minimal interference from urbanization. Researchers who had been at the research station for a number of years told us about the sudden and drastic changes in climate they had observed: they do not need to clean the roads every morning anymore due to the lack of snow, and the Alps occasionally surprise them with night rain showers, which is unheard of and outside of the normal pattern. I felt a great weight on my shoulders and the responsibility to be more cautious about the by-products of consumption, not only to preserve this overwhelming beauty of nature, but also to prevent the butterfly effect of a global temperature rise on local ecosystems and the global population.
I strongly encourage anyone who has an interest in learning more about climate change to apply to the Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern. You will learn that climate change mitigation is much more urgent than you think, and that getting involved in this great cause would have a greater global impact than you might think. Moreover, you will make lifelong friends who are always there to share brilliant ideas about how to change the world!
Computational Modeling Defining Developmental Mechanisms of the Lungs
This past summer, I was very grateful to receive the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship provided by the Embassy of Switzerland. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to research at a top university in Switzerland has shaped my scholarly and cultural perspective of the world.
I interned in Dr. Dagmar Iber’s Computational Biology Group at the ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland. My research involved combining high-end imaging technologies and computational modeling to define basic developmental mechanisms of the lungs (lung organogenesis). This experience contrasted greatly with my research in the US, which was in an oncology wet lab. Despite having had no previous experience in this research area, through the mentorship of the posdoc Dr. Aleksandra Sapala I was able enhance my skills in basic image analysis and computational modelling, and also learn about the mechanics and physics behind cellular growth of lungs in just 3 months!
By the end of the internship, I was able to give a technical presentation on the work I did to the lab group and I feel more confident in taking on the challenges of graduate school. In addition, I was drawn in by the kind and welcoming nature of my lab group and the D-BSSE Department of ETH Zürich. We frequently met for lunch, walked to the local Coop supermarket for ice cream on hot summer days, and even held a barbeque outing. To share my own cultural tradition, I made Texan-style breakfast tacos for my lab group—and they loved it!
On the weekends, I would travel with my other fellow scholars in Switzerland and explore its picturesque and breathtaking landscape. My most unforgettable trips were touring the vineyards of Lausanne, hiking with Swiss locals at Lake Oeschinen, conquering an 18km hike near the Matterhorn in Zermatt, having a picnic with a view of the Bernese Alps in Mürren, and the ThinkSwiss Scholar Retreat in Bern and Mt. Titlis.
Thank you to the amazing ThinkSwiss Program for providing me with an experience I will never forget!
A Swiss Science Soirée and the Fine Art of Frolicking with Failure
On clear summer mornings the turquoise lake burst out from below the rippling deep green hills, its circumference sprinkled with the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Burnese Alps, as I whipped around the bend and zipped downhill on my bicycle.
Sound like a rêverie? This was just my daily bike commute from my dreamy residence at the hilltop Neuchâtel Botanical Garden Villa to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Photovoltaic Laboratory (PV-Lab) during my ThinkSwiss 2019 Internship. The sizzling sunbeams that beat upon me during my ride were the same sort of sunbeams that I summoned with semiconductors that summer.
Sunrise (or set?) over Lac Neuchatel – a watercolor by Swiss artist Frank Vindayer depicting my morning commute view (none of my photos came close to depicting the beauty, so this will have to do)
PV-Lab is a world-class facility, not just in the tools it possesses but in the expertise of its scientists, who come from all corners of the world. It’s been around since 1984, and many of the staff have pioneered breakthroughs in the field of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and, more recently, in perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. As a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley studying new materials for solar energy technology, I took this internship as an opportunity to dive into something new and interact with experts in the SHJ community—my research group at home in Berkeley studies computational materials science, but doesn’t specialize in PV. At PV-Lab, I aimed to better understand the greatest challenges facing PV science and engineering today, while gaining hands-on experience that could inform my own research in other types of PV and my STEM outreach pursuits (see below!).
Frolicking up Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps overlooking Mts. Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
My project at the lab was to investigate new transparent “hole-selective” contact materials for SHJ solar cells, under the supervision of Dr. Angela Fioretti and Dr. Mathieu Boccard. Absorbing sunlight with silicon has been very well optimized, but extracting the photo-generated electrons and holes (i.e. missing electrons in a semiconductor) without efficiency losses is trickier. That’s why we need better selective contacts. I had proposed to grow and optimize a material called boron phosphide using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the cleanroom, and determine whether it could work as a contact material.
Me as a lab rat in the cleanroom that was closed for renovations, a sputter plasma changing colors as I introduce nitrogen gas into the vacuum chamber, and some oversized gloves holding almost finished solar cell samples.
Well, we would not find out. I failed to incorporate a good contact into SHJ. Instead, I’d discover something a bit more personal.
Right before my internship started, we learned that the cleanroom where I’d need to conduct planned experiments had to close for renovations. All summer…. So we quickly shifted our focus to another material system using a vacuum deposition method called “sputtering” that I was more familiar with (backup plan #1). But when I arrived at the lab, manufacturers informed us that the necessary sputtering precursors were delayed at least five weeks, more than half of my two-month visit. Thus began a continuous cycle of brainstorming new backup plans (6 in total!) and handling hiccups. It was almost comical.
Science research is a game of adaptation. Conditions change, and sometimes the experiment you planned to do gets derailed due to broken equipment, renovations, unexpected delays, personnel shortage, illness, personal life stuff, or the entire country of Switzerland shutting down its supply of nitrogen gas (yes, this actually happened). Sometimes the experiments do work, but yield results that counter your expectations and leave you baffled. You have to give up what you thought was constant.
Embracing failure as a tool for growth is something that is not talked about enough in science. It is so important to experience letdowns in the lab, not only because they are realistic and happen to everybody, but because they provide an opportunity to zoom out, realign with your goals and priorities and, if necessary, revamp your approach and start fresh in a new direction. To practice adaptability, flexibility, and versatility.
So despite the six-layer cake of backup plans and multiple false starts, my real discovery was my own versatility as a researcher. I decided to stick with the resources I had, circumvent the fluctuating conditions in the lab, and address my research questions using an alternative method that would still allow me to conduct an investigation even if the entire lab somehow shut down. That is, computational simulation of SHJ contact junctions (aka backup plan #6). My supervisors and colleagues were incredibly supportive throughout, and a postdoc in the group kindly helped me get up to speed. Simulations have their limitations, in particular because we have to make a slew of iffy assumptions, but the method I pursued could still give me insight into the physical mechanisms at play in solar cells.
Chowing down some classic Neuchâtelois fondue (aka Fonduechâtel) with PV-Lab colleagues!
All-in-all, I was fortunate to accomplish most of the goals I came into my ThinkSwiss Internship with: I got to connect with experts in the field and participate in-depth conversations about solar energy in society (as well as fondue gobbling sessions!). The head of the lab, Professor Christophe Ballif, generously donated SHJ solar panels to sponsor my STEM outreach organization Cycle for Science (I biked across the Netherlands with two professors and a masters student, teaching hands-on solar cell demos to kids along the way! Check our blog posts and an article from EPFL with a shoutout to ThinkSwiss!). The series of “failures” led the way to a simulations-focused manuscript that I am currently writing with my colleagues at PV-Lab (incorporating bits of backup plans #5 and #6!).
3/4 of Cycle for Science’s Netherlands team pictured with EPFL PV-Lab’s solar cells
Despite the frustrations, it was hard to be disappointed with a summer in magnificent Switzerland. At lunch I’d plunge into that turquoise lake visible from my bike commute, letting the clear water clear out any residual stress. Living in a botanical garden for the summer was incredible. I discovered the symmetry of seeding mustard plants, read papers beside the shimmering lilypad pond, and took in countless sunsets over the sea of flowers from the hammock draped across the balcony. The Jura mountains were quite literally my backyard, and my bicycle and I got lost swirling through their steep slopes after work. And those snow-sprinkled mountains in the distance? Well, they became my weekend escape. Between the labs and blabs I was able to squeeze in three trips up: hut-hopping and backpacking around Mt. Eiger, scampering up Roches de Naye, and ascending the Appenzeller Alps.
And more-over, I was able to experience and practice the Swiss mentality of being active and truly present in the natural world. This mindset allowed me to refresh and recharge, and gave me the clarity of mind that I needed to confront the ebbs and flows of failure and success that are inevitable with science research. It also deeply reminded me of what I am fighting for with my solar research: a renewable energy future and a healthy sustainable world for all.
My home for the summer in the dreamy Jardin Botanique Villa! And biking through my backyard, the Jura.
Alp-hopping with Professor Rafaella Buonsanti of EPFL, a collaborator from my past job at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Roches de Naye)
Scenes from an Alpsolutely stunning summer (Appenzeller, Bernese Alps)
A Life Changing Experience
With the support of the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, I spent this past summer in Prof. Dr. Johann Kolar’s Power Electronics System Laboratory at ETH Zurich. Power electronics are ubiquitous to our modern, electrified economy, yet remain largely unknown to the public. They are the “brick” that charges your phone and laptop, the key to integrating solar and wind power into the grid, and the foundation of both electric vehicles and cloud computing. In short, every single electric device, in some way, relies on the efficiency, size, and reliability of power electronics. Over the summer, my work focused on power supplies for data centers (which are expected to consume 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030), the physical properties and limitations of next-generation materials for power semiconductors, and circuits for solar inverters and electric vehicle motors.
Prof. Kolar’s group epitomized my ideals of Switzerland – the students, staff, researchers, and faculty were all incredibly welcoming, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and, in the end, made Zurich feel like home to this foreigner. The attention to detail, technical rigor, and drive to excel place the lab at the top of our field, and I was privileged to learn daily from experienced graduate students and Professor Kolar himself. The daily lab lunches, coffee breaks, presentations, and frequent outings were all opportunities to connect, learn, and lay the groundwork for future friendships and collaborations.
Among the best adventures were a Swiss National Day rafting trip on the Aare River, which fittingly ended in the capital of Bern with a view of the Parliament Building. Our Swiss colleagues also led tours to the Ballenberg open-air museum, where we checked out architecture from all generations and regions of the country, and to the Waldhusli of Zurichberg for a lab-wide barbeque, volleyball match, and fireside chat. On weekends without a lab event, I would hop on a Saturday morning train to explore another amazing destination, including Konstanz, Germany, the mountains and lakes of Wallensee, and a once-in-a-generation festival in Vevey on Lake Geneva.
The exchange at ETH Zurich – which could not have happened without the ThinkSwiss Scholarship – was, without exaggeration, a life-changing experience, professionally and personally. This summer will form the foundation for an ongoing collaboration between my home lab at Stanford University and Prof. Kolar’s group at ETH Zurich, and I anticipate working with many of my mentors and lab mates far into our future careers. In the next few years, I hope to return to Switzerland to live at some point, and carry home a new appreciation for the approaches to work, family, and community that I learned during the exchange.
Laboratory For Synchrotron Radiation
This fall I had the opportunity to spend three months working at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, less than an hour north of Zurich, in the group of Prof. Helena van Swygenhoven. Her research group has a few very unique capabilities that made my exchange incredibly productive, interesting, and beneficial to my PhD research. First is the custom built metal 3D printer constructed by PhD student Samy Hocine, which has the ability to print very small structures (less than 1x1cm) for research purposes. Second is the access to the Swiss Light Source, a powerful synchrotron used to study many different research projects. While in Switzerland I was granted beam time at the synchrotron for two different weeks: the first to use a larger x-ray beam to investigate the printing process through melting and solidification, and the second to use a much smaller, more focused x-ray beam to understand the spatial variation of the printing process. Between my offline and online 3D printing, I was able to further my PhD work and establish valuable connections with this team of experts that I will continue to use in the future.
In addition to my work at PSI, I got to travel through Europe for both personal and professional reasons. In September I traveled with my PSI colleagues to Goteborg, Sweden, for the Alloys in Additive Manufacturing Symposium. As it was my first conference ever, I met many experts in the field and presented my poster to PhD students and professors who I will certainly cross paths with many times in my career. And as it was my first time in Sweden, I was treated to beautiful sunsets, delicious fish (salmon! Shrimp!), and a boat cruise around the southern archipelago courtesy of the conference organizers. I also visited a PhD friend from Northwestern who is spending the year on an exchange to Perugia, Italy, and he took me to Rome, Florence, and Milan while introducing me to the beautiful architecture, art, and food of Italy.
I also had the opportunity to travel within Switzerland on the weekend. I explored Zurich and hiked the local mountain (Uetliberg); learned about antimatter and the future of the Lower Hadron Collider at CERN Open Days, an open house that only occurs once every 5 years; visited family friends in Lausanne, hiked in the vineyards, and enjoyed many kinds of cheese from the market; and spent a weekend in Basel and Colmar, known as “little Venice” for its many small canals.
Overall I had a great experience in Switzerland and I am very grateful to the ThinkSwiss organization for providing me with this opportunity.
Personality Assessment Research and Exploring Unparalleled Natural Beauty
Thanks to the Think Swiss scholarship, I was able to work with Dr. Willibald Ruch at the Personality and Assessment lab at the University of Zurich. This lab studies personality psychology through the lens of positive psychology and has a strong focus on test construction.
I joined two pre-existing projects and was also able to design and execute my own research project. The first study I worked onfamiliarized me with the process of test construction– this project sought to create a measure to assess an individual’s ability to accurately recognize character strengths in another person. Another study sought to measure the efficacy of character strength interventions, daily practices aimed at increasing overall well-being by targeting specific thought patterns and processes associated with each of the twenty-four character strengths. I was also able to design my own study, examining the character strengths associated with greater psychological resilience and lower levels of burnout in social justice activists. This was a particularly valuable experience, as the problem-solving skills necessary when designing and implementing a study are best learned via trial and error—I learned an immense amount from the small setbacks I experienced while conducting the study and feel much more confident in my ability to take on a leadership position with other projects in the labs I am involved in at my home university. The ThinkSwiss grant allowed me to get a glimpse of what graduate school will be like, and I was so lucky to have such wonderful doctorate students and post-docs in the lab to work with and learn from. The program itself also provided a great experience! The group trip to Bern and Lucerne was both fun and informative, as we got to meet and learn from Swiss government officials about all of the work Swiss embassies do with young researchers around the world. Switzerland is also without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I feel so lucky to have been able to hike and explore such dense natural beauty. I will never forget my time in Switzerland, the people I was lucky enough to travel with, and those I met along the way.
The Best Summer I Ever Had
The summer researching in Switzerland sponsored by ThinkSwiss is the best summer I have ever had. I gained substantial knowledge and skills, went on amazing hikes and travels, learned and experienced many cultures, and made so many great friends.
I conducted research under Prof. Dr. Laura Heyderman at the Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems, a lab in the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, with most of my work done at PSI. My project was on an antiferromagnet (AFM)-like square lattice built from chirally coupled nanomagnets. I designed sample geometries and demagnetization protocols, used magnetic force microscopy and magneto-optic Kerr effect microscopy for characterization, and developed a suite of recognition, calculation and simulation MATLAB programs to understand the energetic contributions.
I loved my research group. Academically, I learned so much through discussions and even from just observing other group members and asking questions. They welcomed all my naïve questions and even ardently shared their tricks and insights on all aspects of research: how to identify research topics to pursue, how to keep track of data, where to draw the line for the conclusion of a project… I benefitted immensely from their insights, which helped me develop into a more experienced researcher. Beyond work, my colleagues were an extremely lively and fun group. We went on excursions, cooked and had dinners together, floated down the Aare river next to PSI, had fun at Züri Fäscht… They were also extremely diverse, in terms of culture, background, hobby, everything. Our group members came from 12 different countries across the whole world, and that helped us bond together readily and tightly. We picked up different groups of people from all over PSI campus for lunch every day and sit together around a long table, we all gathered in a PhD office for coffee after lunch, we went together after work to watch a group member’s choir performance or to celebrate a member’s paper being accepted by Nature…
Besides at work, I also made so many great friends in my leisure time. The PSI guesthouse was my home for the summer, a lovely living space I shared with interns, students, and scientists around the world. We had so many fun and eye-opening discussions on science, culture, sports, hobbies, and I found myself learning something new after every random conversation. We went running, climbing, swimming, and barbequing together, and organized transcontinental dinners where everyone cooked dishes or brought food from their own culture. It was such a diverse and lively experience that I miss dearly.
And of course, the nature. There are no words that can describe the spectacular mountains, rivers, canyons, caves, and glaciers in Switzerland. I went on so many hikes across the country, and every single time, I felt an urge to cry out loud because the scenery was so beautiful.
The whole experience, I loved it. But what I have been able to put down to words is nothing compared to what I felt. You have to live it to feel it. And hopefully I will go back some time in the future, to experience more, and to grow more.
Solving Ribonucleic Acids For Future Cancer Treatments
My name is Jevon Marsh and I am a Canadian student of chemistry. Over the summer of 2019, I was grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss scholarship, which provided me with the amazing opportunity to call Zürich my home and to contribute to the advancement of a really cool project. My research involved solving a unique structure formed by ribonucleic acids (known as guanine quadruplexes) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy; by solving and characterizing this structure, we have provided a new therapeutic target that can be used to treat various forms of cancers in the future. From start to finish, my host lab provided oversight for my work and taught me important techniques and skills that will prove beneficial to my future career in research. I also spent an entire week at the International Conference in Biological Inorganic Chemistry (ICBIC-19) in Interlaken, which provided me with a chance to explore the many topics in my field, and network with professionals from all over the world. The kindness and generosity of the researchers in my lab and even those in the city really made my summer enjoyable… and made it feel like a home away from home!
My experiences in Switzerland enriched my life in many ways, from both a professional and a personal perspective. Not only was I given the opportunity to learn new and exciting things and grow as a researcher; I was also given the opportunity to become a part of a community of people that have since remained very close friends. The summer is all about research and learning, but it is equally as important to go on as many adventures as you can, and take full advantage of the unique opportunity you have been given. Almost every weekend I was either hiking somewhere in Switzerland to embrace the stillness of the country and to admire the beauty of nature that exists everywhere around you… or heading out to another town in Switzerland or another country with friends, embracing many different cultures and making memories! Of course I embraced Swiss culture, with as many hikes as possible, eating lots of chocolate and cheese.. and even waking up at 5am to paraglide off a mountain in the Swiss Alps… simply enjoying every single moment!I highly encourage all future scholars to do exactly that: seize the moment, have many laughs and make memories with all of the new people you meet who will become great friends.
Challenge yourself with speaking a foreign language… try new foods (the raclette and fondue are amazing… and please try the salted caramel white chocolate from Läderach)… participate in everything you can (especially the weekend trips they organize)… just simply enjoy the entire experience you have been given. This scholarship is an opportunity for personal and professional development; an opportunity to be exposed to a new culture and experience the world we live in; an opportunity to build and become a part of an amazing community. I am very thankful for the scholarship and for the experience it has given me… I will be visiting Switzerland again very soon.
I wish you all an *amazing* experience in Switzerland!
Jevon
Research on Kindergartners' Self-Regulation
My Think Swiss journey started two summers ago in Zürich when I was a co-facilitator of a workshop for a Special Interest Group conference with the European Association of Learning and Instruction. Within the first couple of hours of being in Zürich, I made a call to my parents to tell them that I had never felt so at home in a new city – and I’ve lived in a few cities! I told them that one day, I would live there. Only a few months later, I received an email with details about the Think Swiss scholarship. It was the first time I had ever heard of the program and I felt like it was made just for me.
During my research stay, my projects included co-authoring a manuscript on kindergartners’ self-regulation and preparing a literature review on the function of routines in teachers’ instructional regulation. To complete these projects, I actively participated in team meetings to learn about the vast yet specific research backgrounds of each team member and dove deep into new literature, with the team acting as my lifeguards. We supported each other by providing feedback on our work, sharing papers that offered new perspectives and discussing future directions in educational psychology. This created a channel of sharing and equality that I have begun to embody more deeply with my own team at McGill.
Beyond the formal academic work, my stay saw me taking lunch and sipping coffee each day with the lab members whom I quickly began to refer to as friends. I had the chance to play Frisbee while swimming down the Reuss River with those friends, and to play the drums in a make-shift band we put together one evening. I quickly came to understand that the timely and pragmatic nature of the Swiss allows them to focus on the finer things in life: connecting with friends, usually while eating delicious food, and spending time grounded in nature. I’m grateful to know that I now have an academic family abroad who is cheering me on in all my endeavors.
Though this trip certainly supported the development of my academic skills, some of the most important things I learned and experienced were with the people I met and during the time I spent alone. I walked in my first demonstration at the women’s strike and met wonderful friends whom I later danced with at the many open-air festivals, and street parades. I explored coffee shops, pubs and clubs, and I’ve never seen so many cell phone-less tables at meals. I swam a lot and got comfortable with falling off my bike. I climbed a mountain to sleep in a remote hut, played alp-golf terribly, and acquired the worst blisters I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve seen colours of sunsets that are emblazoned in my memories, and I was gifted with an impeccable amalgamation of music that is the soundtrack of my memories. I’ve fallen in love with countless people, places and things but most importantly I fell more deeply in love with myself.
Although I’ve been working on withholding unsolicited advice, I’m going to offer some to this year’s applicants/awardee’s. My takeaway from the Think Swiss journey is that you don’t need to understand a foreign language to understand food or friendship. You will appreciate how hard some people will work to have a conversation with you in English. Be sure to tell them you appreciate it; their smile will be worth it. It’s fun to walk everywhere for the first week, but buy a bike – you’ll thank me later. You may find yourself feeling afraid to be vulnerable, but do it anyway. The worst thing you can do for yourself is not be authentic. Allow people to support you if you feel out of place, miss home or don’t know to order a coffee. It might sting when the time approaches that you must leave, but don’t run away from the feeling. Instead, reframe it; remind yourself that it stings because it’s worthwhile. And lastly, I can assure you that when you fall in love with Switzerland, you will take that love with you no matter how far away you should wander.
Wishing you all the best of luck,
Kelsey Losenno
A Life In Three Months
Thank you to the Embassy of Switzerland for the incredible opportunity of a lifetime. During my stay at the University of Fribourg, I worked with Dr. Raphael Berthele collecting data for a project on narrative fiction and language. My research project examined whether reading a story in a second (foreign) language impacts narrative transportation, which is the extent to which an individual feels “transported” into a fictional world. Fribourg was the perfect place to recruit participants because the majority are native French speakers with German, Italian, or English as foreign languages. My host supervisor provided a fresh new perspective on multilingualism research. We had wonderful conversations about Open Science, the dissemination of research to the general public, and the importance of taking into account the linguistic context when conducting research.
The Institute of Multilingualism routinely held talks, workshops, and public lectures that were informative in guiding my research questions and served as networking opportunities. I was able to present my project to the research group during one of the “lunch talks”. I particularly enjoyed connecting with other researchers within the Institute and from abroad. What I found to be fascinating was that even though we were researchers from various parts of the world, the issues, critiques, and challenges we faced when conducting multilingualism research were very similar.Coming from Toronto, a city that is very fast-paced, it was gratifying to take a step back and enjoy the beautiful landscape that Switzerland has to offer. With such an efficient train system, I was able to travel during the weekends to Montreux, Gruyeres, Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zermatt. I fell in love with the majestic mountains, the cheese (fondue), and of course the chocolate! Although the change in scenery definitely helped with the transition to living abroad for a couple of months, it is the people I met there who made my stay truly unforgettable. I will miss the board game nights, Monday night jam sessions, and hiking adventures. One of my favourite memories was attending a talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at the University of Fribourg. It was such an honour to hear her speak about her thoughts on the writing process, graduate school, and social issues.
On a more personal note, I was delighted to be exposed to multiple languages, including French, on a daily basis. In elementary school, I was enrolled in a school where the language of instruction was strictly French. After switching to an Anglophone school, I was no longer as comfortable conversing in French. My stay in Fribourg has motivated me to use French again and I am happy to announce that I will continue to do so when I return to Canada.
As one of my colleagues from York University said, “This exchange experience won’t simply be 3 months in your life, but a life in 3 months!” This statement perfectly encapsulates my journey! I am truly grateful for this unique opportunity that has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. Without hesitation, I would recommend applying to the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship.
Nephrology, Friends and Exploration
This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to intern in a nephrology lab at the University of Zürich’s Institute of Physiology.
What immediately struck me was how open and welcoming my lab was. We all gathered to have lunch every day, had frequent brunches, and even did an outing to the Swiss Alps in Interlaken. The conversations I had with my colleagues at the lab also gave me a more global perspective and made me more aware of the importance of having cultural diversity in any setting. While there, I was able to take on a research project alongside other students and faculty from around the world and gained exposure to a plethora of new techniques and technologies. My mentor was supportive and willing to show me the ropes and answer my slew of questions. One of the lab members from our IT group also gave me weekly mini-German lessons, which were quite fun and helped me to integrate into the community. Outside of the lab, I spent my time exploring downtown Zürich, sampling chocolates, and relaxing by the lake during the week. It was great just hopping on a train to Uetliberg and taking in the city views, eating raclette, and chatting with friends by the water after a long day at work. On the weekends, I bonded with other ThinkSwiss scholars as we travelled around Switzerland and to other European countries. Within the country, we enjoyed hiking around the vineyards of Lausanne, canoeing at Lake Oeschinen, picnicking by the Bachalpsee in Grindelwald, and watching fireworks during Züri Fäscht. Honestly, the whole experience felt surreal; I still miss connecting with all the awardees and cherish the memories we had together.
Working On A Potential Alzheimer's Treatment
I am an undergraduate studying computer science and biology at MIT. This summer ThinkSwiss funded my work, as a part of its summer research program, in the Gräff Lab at EPFL studying neuro-epigenetics. The work was interesting and varied—from computational analyses, to molecular validation techniques, to imaging. I learned a lot; and working on a potential Alzheimer’s treatment was very exciting! Everyone in the lab was welcoming and helpful—I couldn’t have asked for a better work environment. The ThinkSwiss program combined cutting-edge research, Friday afternoon seminars, and social activities. Living together with the rest of the students also fostered long-lasting friendships. From cooking together most evenings, to kayaking on Lake Geneva, to movie nights, to watching fireworks on Swiss National Day, our program really bonded together.
This was my first time in Lausanne, and I enjoyed my eight weeks in the city immensely. It’s small enough that you start to recognize people on the metro who have the same schedule as you, but big enough that there are plenty of fun things to do. I can’t count the number of times I walked by the Flon to see a festival in progress. Lausanne, and EPFL, are both very international so it was easy to feel at home. After all, Switzerland itself is a nation with four languages. Most evenings I would take a long walk through the city and was surprised by how much there was to see. The view of the mountains across Lake Geneva never gets old.On weekends I usually explored other parts of Switzerland. So far, I have seen Bern, Luzern, Geneva, Lake Brienz, CERN, Lauterbrunnen, the Matterhorn (the mountain featured on Toblerone chocolate), Basel, cheese and chocolate factories and so much more… I’ve eaten lots of high-quality cheese, chocolate, and ice cream, but it’s ok because I also got into hiking since coming here (warning: hiking means something different in Switzerland than America!).
The beauty of the nature here is unparalleled. At first Switzerland did seem expensive, but if you plan ahead (and cook meals at home), it’s definitely manageable. Never in my life have I traveled to a different place every weekend! Thank you ThinkSwiss for the best summer experience!!
Confronting Climate Change – From Science To Policy
The Summer School program at the University of Bern organized by the Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research and the World Trade Institute. Sounds pretty daunting right? I remember being both excited and nervous when I found out that I was one of the 36 participants selected to travel to Bern. Entitled “Confronting Climate Change – from Science to Policy,” the summer school consisted of a series of keynote lectures and workshops on various areas of expertise, culminating in a simulation negotiation. Meeting my fellow participants, who stayed in the same residential building, started off the two weeks on the perfect note. It was incredible to hear from people from countries including Italy, Canada, South Africa, the United States, Germany, and India. I strongly feel I made some friends for life. They made my experience thoroughly enjoyable.
We were split into 9 workshops, with each group assigned to a specific topic according to their area of expertise. Although intense at times, I found myself astonished at how simply the professors explained some complex concepts, some of whom even worked with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Among the many highlights from the program, the trip to Jungfraujoch was one that will live long in our memories. We were given the chance to visit the research station at an altitude of about 3000 feet, where researchers from around the world conduct experiments and record data. To witness first-hand the impact of climate change on the glaciers there left an impression in our minds that is hard to shake. Outside of the classroom, we were given the freedom to explore the city of Bern and all it has to offer. The river Aare and the immaculate public pools that surround it were one of our favourites. Hours of chatting, sharing stories and swimming in the pools would go by in a flash. I was amazed by how much the city had to offer and made the most of every opportunity. The Buskers Music Festival was another highlight. The streets of Bern were filled with people, music, food, and most of all, excitement. We settled on a South African band and danced our hearts out until 12 am. It was a moment every one of us cherished. We even got to take a picture with the band at the end! All in all, this summer school was unlike any other I’ve experienced previously. It was incredibly well organized, informative, and most of all, enjoyable. There was so much to take away from the lectures and workshops that I can apply to my academic pursuits. These two weeks have impacted my life deeply and I will always be grateful for having been given the opportunity to be a part of this experience.
Six Weeks In Geneva Studying European Paleofloods
This past summer, I had one of the most enriching and memorable experiences living abroad for six weeks in Geneva, Switzerland where I was a guest researcher at the University of Geneva working with the Institute of Environmental Sciences C-CIA lab group. As a visitor to the C-CIA lab group, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Markus Stoffel, Dr. Juan Ballesteros Canovas, and an amazing team of PhD and Master’s students from all across the world. During my visit, I created a meta-database of European paleoflood case studies, which is a direct extension of my thesis research, “Holocene paleofloods and their relevance to flood mitigation, risk assessment, and policy.” This database will be a valuable resource to European hydrologists, policymakers, statisticians and stakeholders in making decisions about flood risk and mitigation in Europe. This data will also greatly improve and expand the Past Global Changes (PAGES) working group database on floods. Over the Swiss National Day holiday weekend, I traveled to Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg, and Grindelwald to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and topography of the Swiss Alps. This area of Switzerland was like no other part of the world I have ever seen, and I was captivated by the rugged magnificence of the mountain valley. This is easily the most gorgeous place I have ever traveled to. In my opinion, Geneva was a very easy city to live and feel comfortable in. The city is small but cosmopolitan, bustling with diversity and unique things to do like visiting the United Nations building, perusing art and history museums, partaking in weekend festivals, and enjoying plenty of food and drink options. There are a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and events happening almost daily in the summer. Plus, it’s hard to beat the scenery offered by the expansive Lake Geneva. Every night, I walked along the lakeside from the city center to my residence in Perle Du Lac, admiring the stillness of the pristine turquoise water filled with white swans and beautiful sailboats. One of the things I valued the most while living in Geneva was how safe I felt walking around exploring the town. Everyone is cordial, friendly, and exceptionally helpful to everyone, including non-French speakers like myself. The public transportation system is also very efficient, making it easy to get around the city. Overall, I am incredibly happy and grateful I got the chance to embark on such a fruitful international research visit. I can’t express enough gratitude towards the ThinkSwiss program for supporting me financially, allowing me to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I strongly recommend the ThinkSwiss program to anyone looking to expand their own academic interests as well as their personal growth.
Gaining Independence as a Scientist
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) for 8 weeks as an undergraduate research intern in a biology lab. I am immensely grateful for funding from the SwissThink organization and from the Columbia University Center for Career Education’s Summer Funding Program.
The 2019 Summer Research Program consisted of fellow students from all over the world, including Turkey, Belgium, Pakistan, China, and Russia. Whether through deep conversation or through travel, every day included some form of cultural immersion. I also gained a huge appreciation for nature and the great outdoors. Some of my best memories included group hikes and water activities. During this time, I gained a lot of independence as a scientist. Although my advisors gave me general guidance and provided me with background information, I was left with the autonomy to define the goals of my project and design my own experiments. I also presented my results regularly at group meetings. Ultimately, this experience gave me critical thinking skills, communication skills, and a sense of autonomy that I will carry throughout my career in science. On the second week, our cohort toured Campus Biotech in Geneva. Home of Intel’s Blue Brain Project, their central goal is to create an interface between the human brain and the computer. We were able to try on their virtual reality and brain recording equipment. On our fourth week, my cohort traveled to Geneva and visited CERN, home of the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. We saw the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and spoke with physicists about their projects, which all aim to uncover the origin of our universe. My summer doing research in Switzerland has shaped my future career in scientific research tremendously. I learned to work autonomously as a scientist and take ownership of my project. Most importantly, I have made connections to fellow scientists and peers from all over the world whom I look forward to working with in the future.During my final week, I presented a poster of my work. I discussed my findings and conclusions with various faculty members and peers. My only disappointment was that the duration of the internship (8 weeks) was too short to complete a full research project. During the symposium, discussion of my work sparked ideas for future experiments that can only be followed up by future students. I am overwhelmed with excitement for future long-term projects that will span years.
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It is hard to say goodbye to Switzerland. All the worries I had before my stay disappeared immediately in my immediate attachment to this wonderful place, and I already look forward to returning.
Over the course of my 2-month stay, I experienced 13 hours of lab work in one day; I also sometimes sneaked out early to enjoy the sunshine while wandering by the lake. I celebrated lab members’ submissions of their latest research papers and worked through the difficulties I faced on my Robotics project with my colleagues and friends in the lab. Every day I strove to explore the dynamics of drosophila locomotor behaviors and central pattern generators, along with ideas about how to improve uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. I also enjoyed Wednesday lab meetings, Thursday journal clubs, barbeques, and an endless list of other fun activities. I remember fondly the afternoon breaks, sneaking out for a cup of coffee, planning lab retreats, and the Color Run. The Neuroengineering Lab at EPFL is where biologists, mathematicians, physicists, neuroscientists, and engineers gather and interact. Scholars from diverse cultures who have had an array of experiences encounter and share their insights with one another. From being immersed in such a supportive environment, I gained inspiration, friendships, and life-long lessons. I am immensely grateful.
I regularly went to the local farmer’s market on Saturdays, buying fresh cheese and fine chocolates; I also used to jog through Lausanne in the mornings and at night. I went to the market so often that my favorite shop owner immediately knew the bread that I wanted; and when I ran by Ouchy, fellow runners would greet me with a hearty “Bonjour”. At those moments I identified myself as part of the city, not a mere visitor. I took in the mountain views in Vallorbe, walked along Jet d’Eau Fountain in Geneva, enjoyed the Rose Garden in Bern, and strolled through music festivals with dear friends. These experiences were unique and unparalleled. Without the generous funding from ThinkSwiss to support my travel to Switzerland, I could not have had the opportunity to form these new friendships and explore this fascinating place.
I was amazed by breathtaking natural views, intelligent vibrancy, and inclusiveness in Switzerland. I fell in love with this country and everything it represents. My friends and I made a promise to meet up again in Switzerland, and I have started to plan a return visit.
A Tale of Interdisciplinary Research, Friendships, and Breathtaking Landscapes
The two weeks I spent at the University of Bern for the International Bachelor School program greatly exceeded my hopes and expectations. I was uncertain about what to expect, but my time spent in the lively city of Bern proved to me what may be one of the best decisions I made for myself. By working closely with groups of students and leaders from all over the world on matters regarding climate change, I had the opportunity to understand and engage in this matter from a range of disciplines. The interdisciplinary aspect of climate change, from science to policymaking, demonstrated how multi-layered this issue is. I learned very quickly that mitigating climate change and protecting the planet we live on requires all hands on deck.
I learned ENSO modelling using statistical methods to understand which types of models produced good forecasts for the development of El Niño in climates like the Southern Oscillation. The workshops led by group leaders encouraged problem solving, while a great deal of support and constructive feedback was also provided. So much was completed in a short period of time while fast friendships were also made along the way as we worked as a team and relied on each other. It was fulfilling to be able to present projects within two weeks, and have discussions on the different aspects relating to climate sciences and policies. Most of all, this experience encouraged me to speak up on issues confronting climate change to those around me.
The group of international students and the staff within the program also made my time in Bern as enjoyable as can be. This included the early morning lectures, outdoor lunches, after-class excursions to the lake, and the visit to the high alpine research station in the Bernese Alps. There was so much to see and much to learn! I look forward to returning very soon.
Unexpected Findings: Switzerland through the Archive
Although this summer began with international travel appearing close to impossible, as Covid-19 forced many plans to be cancelled or postponed, I was lucky to be able to use the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship to spend three months, from June to August 2020, at the University of Zurich (UZH).
At UZH’s Forschungsstelle für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, I sought to draw on the institute‘s strengths in 20th-century European history and seize the opportunity to discuss my burgeoning dissertation project on the history of the modern refugee with experts in the field. Upon my arrival, the wonderful staff at the institute made sure that I received my own workspace and facilitated access to university libraries and other institutional resources. Beyond logistical support, I received generous intellectual mentorship from Prof. Dr. Svenja Goltermann, my host at the institute, who was eager to discuss my initial findings and offered advice on historical context and interpretation.
I originally came to Switzerland to follow particular strands of in-depth archival research on the ways in which the very definition of the refugee, which was declared by the United Nations in 1951, had been influenced by then-contemporary theories and practices in the field of demography. Yet, I ended up finding much more than I expected. At the Archive for Contemporary History, which is housed by the neighboring Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), I spent many hours poring over boxes upon boxes full of notes by refugees, humanitarians, and bureaucrats. Reading through them, I was surprised to discover how controversial an issue the granting of refuge and indeed the assignment of “refugee status” was in 1940s Switzerland, and how much the perception of who fell into this category was intertwined with local counting and registration practices.
Outside of academic duties, I enjoyed the much-lauded Swiss lifestyle that persisted even in the midst of a global pandemic. I took daily advantage of the country’s superior bread, cheese, and chocolate offerings, which sustained me during long days in the archive. I enjoyed Swiss hospitality during socially distanced Grillabende in backyards and public parks. And I often floated down the Limmat on a rubber draft, which was a welcome reprieve during this year‘s hot summer days—a thought shared by many on August 1, Swiss National Day, which saw the river covered by inflatable parrots and unicorns.
Beyond Zurich, the picturesque train route along Lac de Neuchâtel and Lac Léman from the country’s north to its most western tip became familiar to me, as I prepared for future research in the Swiss city of Geneva, home to so many international organization that are pivotal to my dissertation. And despite having left Zurich at the end of August, I am certain to return to UZH soon, where I have been invited to discuss and present preliminary findings of my historical research as my dissertation continues to take shape.
From Political Science to Environmental Law: Changing the Outlook on Life
Very infrequently have I had an experience that has completely changed my outlook on life. I cannot stress how much the 2019 Bern University Climate Change Summer school was one of those experiences. As a political science major who wants to become a lawyer specializing in environmental law, this program could not have been better suited to my interests. Not only did I learn more about how current environmental policy affects climate change, I was also able to participate in a workshop focused on the World Trade Organization. Over the course of the workshop, I learned how its legal proceedings influence environmental trade and analyzed a legal case in its entirety. Even if I am not yet a law student, I feel much more prepared to choose a legal track that could help me reach my professional goals.
However, the program offered much more. The city of Bern is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities I have been to in Europe. Every day, the group would eat lunch on the lawn of the University admiring the views across the city of Bern, and after class we did an array of fun activities such as swimming in the river. My favorite experience was the visit that the university organized to the Jungfraujoch (the top of Europe) to learn how the scientists at the Sphinx research center have been tracking a variety of data since the 1950s. The view was amazing, and I was impressed by how many countries and universities shared this space to learn about the environment.
Without a doubt the aspect of the program that blew my expectations was the quality of friendships that I made. Our group was an excellent blend of international students and Swiss nationals. Not only did I learn from other cultures, but I felt comfortable expressing myself in the environment that we cultivated. The people I met came from all walks of life, and I will always cherish the relationships that I made during the program, so much so, that I have no doubt that I will be organizing reunions soon in the future.
I was impressed by how well the Climate Change Summer School was organized, and I am deeply grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss Scholarship. Without the financial aid that I received from the program, traveling from the United States to Switzerland would have been impossible. I have no doubt that I will encourage all my friends at the University of California Merced to apply for this opportunity. I am sure it will change their outlook on life, as it did for me. Thank you, University of Bern.
Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Law
The Lucerne Academy for Human Rights Implementation at the University of Lucerne is a three-week program that focuses on the domestic implementation of international human rights law. Each year the academy is organized around a central theme, this year’s was business and human rights. I was incredibly excited about the theme as I only had preliminary knowledge surrounding the topic.
The academy is divided into three separate parts: course work, lunch seminars with professionals and experts in the field of international human rights law, and a moot court.
For the course work, students are enrolled in a mandatory introductory course and then pick three electives. Each student is required to take the introductory course on the European Convention on Human Rights, taught by Dr. Sebastian Heselhaus. This class took place during this first week of the academy and helped prepare us for our electives and the moot court, which involved claims under the Convention. This class also included case studies, so we could see how the European Convention on Human Rights is applied in practice.
In addition to the introduction class, I also took a class on indigenous people’s rights, human rights litigation, and business and human rights. Each class was incredibly unique and taught me something different that will be useful in my further studies. The class on indigenous people’s rights provided a thorough overview on the evolution and development of these rights in international human rights law, with a case study on the Awas Tingi case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Human rights litigation was taught by Dr. Helen Keller, a judge on the European Court of Human Rights and a former member of the UN Human Rights Committee (2008-2011), who gave a detailed course on the admissibility criteria before the court and practical litigation advice for arguing before the court. As someone who wishes to pursue a career in litigation, I found this class very useful as it combined both the theory behind bringing the case to the Court and the practical skills necessary to successfully argue a case.
Lastly, the class on business and human rights provided an overview of how the issue of business and human rights has evolved in international law, beginning with the strengthening of investor’s rights in international investment law, to John Ruggie’s basic principles on business and human rights, and the development of a legally binding international human rights treaty on the topic. This class was taught by Dr. Olivier De Schutter, an international human rights law scholar who was the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2010-2016 and is presently a member of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. It was an honor to be able to learn from esteemed members of the international human rights community.
The lunchtime seminars allowed us to hear from experts in different parts of the international human rights field, included academics, lawyers, and practitioners working with nongovernment organizations. The lunch seminars covered a broad range of topics, including corporate social responsibility, rights of gender and sexual minorities in Africa, and lawyers litigating cases in the field of business and human rights. The lunch seminars were also helpful as our visiting professors would sit and eat lunch with us. This allowed us to connect with our professors on both an academic and social level.
The moot court exercise was an incredible experiential learning opportunity. On the first day of class, we received a fictitious case, our team, and deadlines. We had ten days to write a memorial on five legal issues. This exercise allowed us to research the legal claims we were discussing thoroughly, including reading jurisprudence, academic articles, and doctrine on the topics. After we submitted our memorial, we had one week to prepare oral pleadings. We received individual coaching that allowed us to develop both the content of our arguments and our presentation style. During my oral pleadings, I remembered how much I love public speaking and advocating for victims of human rights violations.
Additionally, it was my first time working in a team of three for a moot court with people who have varying levels of experience. The experience improved my teamwork and collaborative skills. Not only that, but as I was the most experienced student on my team, I was able to improve my coaching skills and help my teammates develop their moot court skills. I have coached moot court in the past and this experience reminded me of how much I enjoy helping others improve their skills.
The Lucerne Academy also included excursions to Strasbourg, France, to see the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe, as well as a trip to Geneva to visit the Palais des Nations and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These trips allowed us to see for ourselves where the decisions that we studied in class were made. We were also able to hear from individuals who work at these institutions and see what a day in the life is like for a professional in the field of international human rights law.
I can truly say that the weeks spent at the Lucerne Academy were some of the best weeks of my life. Being able to participate in such an enriching academic environment while being surrounded by students from every continent was amazing. Living in residence with the other students, we became a family. Many nights we cooked dinner together and had meaningful conversation. Some of my most treasured memories from the experience include everyone gathered around our kitchen table and laughing as we talked about our days. In our spare time, we explored Switzerland together, from hiking Mount Rigi, visiting Mount Pilatus, and taking a day trip to Bern.
As a whole, the Lucerne Academy reinforced my desire to pursue a career in the field of international human rights. The program combined everything I love most about academic programs: engaging coursework and professors, experiential learning opportunities, and a moot court exercise. Each component of the program was equally important and made me a more well rounded individual in the field of human rights. Not only did I learn about current human rights issues; I also worked on the skills necessary to help advocate and improve the situation of human rights globally. I look forward to bringing the knowledge I learned to further education and a future career in the field.
Protecting Vulnerable Populations against Diseases caused by Climate Change
My attendance at the 2019 Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern, generously funded by the ThinkSwiss scholarship program, was inarguably the highlight of my summer. Upon arriving in Switzerland, I was overwhelmed by the Alpine landscapes and the beautifully conserved Swiss heritage – but the experience I would have for the following two weeks was much more than feeling like a protagonist of Heidi.
As a student of global health, it is important that I know about the current state of intergovernmental efforts to protect vulnerable populations against diseases due to climate change. From a broader perspective, it is also important to know what each government has to say about climate change. As a hub of intergovernmental institutions, Switzerland was a perfect place to meet and build connections with those engaged in similar conversations. I was able to attend keynote lectures taught by renowned professionals on climate change, including Professor Thomas Stocker, the former co-chairman of one of the working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Professor Peter Van den Bossche, Director of Studies at the World Trade Institute. I was in awe of the obstacles they had faced in trying to convince decision-makers of the severity and consequences of climate change but was disappointed to realize that it would be impossible to meet the best economic and environmental solutions to climate change due to the various conflicts of interest.
The hands-on activities taught via workshops were also very insightful and provided me with skills applicable to other fields of research. As part of one of the ten workshops, I analyzed the discourse network of two administrations surrounding an important climate change issue. My task was to compare and contrast the discourse network of the Trump and Obama administrations surrounding the Paris Agreement; Obama signed the Paris Agreement, and Trump withdrew from it. By analyzing the density of the connections we had between the actors and concepts, the distance between the concepts, and so on, we were able to observe which actors and concepts about the Paris Agreement were shifting the dynamics of the discourse. I thank the summer school for inviting me to participate in this workshop, as these skills are valuable for any research on how individuals and concepts play a pivotal role in a topic of interest.
Finally, the one-day excursion to Jungfraujoch! This was certainly the most memorable experience of the summer school. We were able to observe the devastating effects of climate change and global warming at the tip of Europe, and see the state-of-art technology for measuring pollutants, greenhouse gases, and temperatures with minimal interference from urbanization. Researchers who had been at the research station for a number of years told us about the sudden and drastic changes in climate they had observed: they do not need to clean the roads every morning anymore due to the lack of snow, and the Alps occasionally surprise them with night rain showers, which is unheard of and outside of the normal pattern. I felt a great weight on my shoulders and the responsibility to be more cautious about the by-products of consumption, not only to preserve this overwhelming beauty of nature, but also to prevent the butterfly effect of a global temperature rise on local ecosystems and the global population.
I strongly encourage anyone who has an interest in learning more about climate change to apply to the Climate Change Research Summer School at the University of Bern. You will learn that climate change mitigation is much more urgent than you think, and that getting involved in this great cause would have a greater global impact than you might think. Moreover, you will make lifelong friends who are always there to share brilliant ideas about how to change the world!
Computational Modeling Defining Developmental Mechanisms of the Lungs
This past summer, I was very grateful to receive the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship provided by the Embassy of Switzerland. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to research at a top university in Switzerland has shaped my scholarly and cultural perspective of the world.
I interned in Dr. Dagmar Iber’s Computational Biology Group at the ETH Zürich in Basel, Switzerland. My research involved combining high-end imaging technologies and computational modeling to define basic developmental mechanisms of the lungs (lung organogenesis). This experience contrasted greatly with my research in the US, which was in an oncology wet lab. Despite having had no previous experience in this research area, through the mentorship of the posdoc Dr. Aleksandra Sapala I was able enhance my skills in basic image analysis and computational modelling, and also learn about the mechanics and physics behind cellular growth of lungs in just 3 months!
By the end of the internship, I was able to give a technical presentation on the work I did to the lab group and I feel more confident in taking on the challenges of graduate school. In addition, I was drawn in by the kind and welcoming nature of my lab group and the D-BSSE Department of ETH Zürich. We frequently met for lunch, walked to the local Coop supermarket for ice cream on hot summer days, and even held a barbeque outing. To share my own cultural tradition, I made Texan-style breakfast tacos for my lab group—and they loved it!
On the weekends, I would travel with my other fellow scholars in Switzerland and explore its picturesque and breathtaking landscape. My most unforgettable trips were touring the vineyards of Lausanne, hiking with Swiss locals at Lake Oeschinen, conquering an 18km hike near the Matterhorn in Zermatt, having a picnic with a view of the Bernese Alps in Mürren, and the ThinkSwiss Scholar Retreat in Bern and Mt. Titlis.
Thank you to the amazing ThinkSwiss Program for providing me with an experience I will never forget!
A Swiss Science Soirée and the Fine Art of Frolicking with Failure
On clear summer mornings the turquoise lake burst out from below the rippling deep green hills, its circumference sprinkled with the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Burnese Alps, as I whipped around the bend and zipped downhill on my bicycle.
Sound like a rêverie? This was just my daily bike commute from my dreamy residence at the hilltop Neuchâtel Botanical Garden Villa to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Photovoltaic Laboratory (PV-Lab) during my ThinkSwiss 2019 Internship. The sizzling sunbeams that beat upon me during my ride were the same sort of sunbeams that I summoned with semiconductors that summer.
Sunrise (or set?) over Lac Neuchatel – a watercolor by Swiss artist Frank Vindayer depicting my morning commute view (none of my photos came close to depicting the beauty, so this will have to do)
PV-Lab is a world-class facility, not just in the tools it possesses but in the expertise of its scientists, who come from all corners of the world. It’s been around since 1984, and many of the staff have pioneered breakthroughs in the field of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and, more recently, in perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. As a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley studying new materials for solar energy technology, I took this internship as an opportunity to dive into something new and interact with experts in the SHJ community—my research group at home in Berkeley studies computational materials science, but doesn’t specialize in PV. At PV-Lab, I aimed to better understand the greatest challenges facing PV science and engineering today, while gaining hands-on experience that could inform my own research in other types of PV and my STEM outreach pursuits (see below!).
Frolicking up Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps overlooking Mts. Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
My project at the lab was to investigate new transparent “hole-selective” contact materials for SHJ solar cells, under the supervision of Dr. Angela Fioretti and Dr. Mathieu Boccard. Absorbing sunlight with silicon has been very well optimized, but extracting the photo-generated electrons and holes (i.e. missing electrons in a semiconductor) without efficiency losses is trickier. That’s why we need better selective contacts. I had proposed to grow and optimize a material called boron phosphide using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the cleanroom, and determine whether it could work as a contact material.
Me as a lab rat in the cleanroom that was closed for renovations, a sputter plasma changing colors as I introduce nitrogen gas into the vacuum chamber, and some oversized gloves holding almost finished solar cell samples.
Well, we would not find out. I failed to incorporate a good contact into SHJ. Instead, I’d discover something a bit more personal.
Right before my internship started, we learned that the cleanroom where I’d need to conduct planned experiments had to close for renovations. All summer…. So we quickly shifted our focus to another material system using a vacuum deposition method called “sputtering” that I was more familiar with (backup plan #1). But when I arrived at the lab, manufacturers informed us that the necessary sputtering precursors were delayed at least five weeks, more than half of my two-month visit. Thus began a continuous cycle of brainstorming new backup plans (6 in total!) and handling hiccups. It was almost comical.
Science research is a game of adaptation. Conditions change, and sometimes the experiment you planned to do gets derailed due to broken equipment, renovations, unexpected delays, personnel shortage, illness, personal life stuff, or the entire country of Switzerland shutting down its supply of nitrogen gas (yes, this actually happened). Sometimes the experiments do work, but yield results that counter your expectations and leave you baffled. You have to give up what you thought was constant.
Embracing failure as a tool for growth is something that is not talked about enough in science. It is so important to experience letdowns in the lab, not only because they are realistic and happen to everybody, but because they provide an opportunity to zoom out, realign with your goals and priorities and, if necessary, revamp your approach and start fresh in a new direction. To practice adaptability, flexibility, and versatility.
So despite the six-layer cake of backup plans and multiple false starts, my real discovery was my own versatility as a researcher. I decided to stick with the resources I had, circumvent the fluctuating conditions in the lab, and address my research questions using an alternative method that would still allow me to conduct an investigation even if the entire lab somehow shut down. That is, computational simulation of SHJ contact junctions (aka backup plan #6). My supervisors and colleagues were incredibly supportive throughout, and a postdoc in the group kindly helped me get up to speed. Simulations have their limitations, in particular because we have to make a slew of iffy assumptions, but the method I pursued could still give me insight into the physical mechanisms at play in solar cells.
Chowing down some classic Neuchâtelois fondue (aka Fonduechâtel) with PV-Lab colleagues!
All-in-all, I was fortunate to accomplish most of the goals I came into my ThinkSwiss Internship with: I got to connect with experts in the field and participate in-depth conversations about solar energy in society (as well as fondue gobbling sessions!). The head of the lab, Professor Christophe Ballif, generously donated SHJ solar panels to sponsor my STEM outreach organization Cycle for Science (I biked across the Netherlands with two professors and a masters student, teaching hands-on solar cell demos to kids along the way! Check our blog posts and an article from EPFL with a shoutout to ThinkSwiss!). The series of “failures” led the way to a simulations-focused manuscript that I am currently writing with my colleagues at PV-Lab (incorporating bits of backup plans #5 and #6!).
3/4 of Cycle for Science’s Netherlands team pictured with EPFL PV-Lab’s solar cells
Despite the frustrations, it was hard to be disappointed with a summer in magnificent Switzerland. At lunch I’d plunge into that turquoise lake visible from my bike commute, letting the clear water clear out any residual stress. Living in a botanical garden for the summer was incredible. I discovered the symmetry of seeding mustard plants, read papers beside the shimmering lilypad pond, and took in countless sunsets over the sea of flowers from the hammock draped across the balcony. The Jura mountains were quite literally my backyard, and my bicycle and I got lost swirling through their steep slopes after work. And those snow-sprinkled mountains in the distance? Well, they became my weekend escape. Between the labs and blabs I was able to squeeze in three trips up: hut-hopping and backpacking around Mt. Eiger, scampering up Roches de Naye, and ascending the Appenzeller Alps.
And more-over, I was able to experience and practice the Swiss mentality of being active and truly present in the natural world. This mindset allowed me to refresh and recharge, and gave me the clarity of mind that I needed to confront the ebbs and flows of failure and success that are inevitable with science research. It also deeply reminded me of what I am fighting for with my solar research: a renewable energy future and a healthy sustainable world for all.
My home for the summer in the dreamy Jardin Botanique Villa! And biking through my backyard, the Jura.
Alp-hopping with Professor Rafaella Buonsanti of EPFL, a collaborator from my past job at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Roches de Naye)
Scenes from an Alpsolutely stunning summer (Appenzeller, Bernese Alps)
A Life Changing Experience
With the support of the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, I spent this past summer in Prof. Dr. Johann Kolar’s Power Electronics System Laboratory at ETH Zurich. Power electronics are ubiquitous to our modern, electrified economy, yet remain largely unknown to the public. They are the “brick” that charges your phone and laptop, the key to integrating solar and wind power into the grid, and the foundation of both electric vehicles and cloud computing. In short, every single electric device, in some way, relies on the efficiency, size, and reliability of power electronics. Over the summer, my work focused on power supplies for data centers (which are expected to consume 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030), the physical properties and limitations of next-generation materials for power semiconductors, and circuits for solar inverters and electric vehicle motors.
Prof. Kolar’s group epitomized my ideals of Switzerland – the students, staff, researchers, and faculty were all incredibly welcoming, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and, in the end, made Zurich feel like home to this foreigner. The attention to detail, technical rigor, and drive to excel place the lab at the top of our field, and I was privileged to learn daily from experienced graduate students and Professor Kolar himself. The daily lab lunches, coffee breaks, presentations, and frequent outings were all opportunities to connect, learn, and lay the groundwork for future friendships and collaborations.
Among the best adventures were a Swiss National Day rafting trip on the Aare River, which fittingly ended in the capital of Bern with a view of the Parliament Building. Our Swiss colleagues also led tours to the Ballenberg open-air museum, where we checked out architecture from all generations and regions of the country, and to the Waldhusli of Zurichberg for a lab-wide barbeque, volleyball match, and fireside chat. On weekends without a lab event, I would hop on a Saturday morning train to explore another amazing destination, including Konstanz, Germany, the mountains and lakes of Wallensee, and a once-in-a-generation festival in Vevey on Lake Geneva.
The exchange at ETH Zurich – which could not have happened without the ThinkSwiss Scholarship – was, without exaggeration, a life-changing experience, professionally and personally. This summer will form the foundation for an ongoing collaboration between my home lab at Stanford University and Prof. Kolar’s group at ETH Zurich, and I anticipate working with many of my mentors and lab mates far into our future careers. In the next few years, I hope to return to Switzerland to live at some point, and carry home a new appreciation for the approaches to work, family, and community that I learned during the exchange.
Laboratory For Synchrotron Radiation
This fall I had the opportunity to spend three months working at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, less than an hour north of Zurich, in the group of Prof. Helena van Swygenhoven. Her research group has a few very unique capabilities that made my exchange incredibly productive, interesting, and beneficial to my PhD research. First is the custom built metal 3D printer constructed by PhD student Samy Hocine, which has the ability to print very small structures (less than 1x1cm) for research purposes. Second is the access to the Swiss Light Source, a powerful synchrotron used to study many different research projects. While in Switzerland I was granted beam time at the synchrotron for two different weeks: the first to use a larger x-ray beam to investigate the printing process through melting and solidification, and the second to use a much smaller, more focused x-ray beam to understand the spatial variation of the printing process. Between my offline and online 3D printing, I was able to further my PhD work and establish valuable connections with this team of experts that I will continue to use in the future.
In addition to my work at PSI, I got to travel through Europe for both personal and professional reasons. In September I traveled with my PSI colleagues to Goteborg, Sweden, for the Alloys in Additive Manufacturing Symposium. As it was my first conference ever, I met many experts in the field and presented my poster to PhD students and professors who I will certainly cross paths with many times in my career. And as it was my first time in Sweden, I was treated to beautiful sunsets, delicious fish (salmon! Shrimp!), and a boat cruise around the southern archipelago courtesy of the conference organizers. I also visited a PhD friend from Northwestern who is spending the year on an exchange to Perugia, Italy, and he took me to Rome, Florence, and Milan while introducing me to the beautiful architecture, art, and food of Italy.
I also had the opportunity to travel within Switzerland on the weekend. I explored Zurich and hiked the local mountain (Uetliberg); learned about antimatter and the future of the Lower Hadron Collider at CERN Open Days, an open house that only occurs once every 5 years; visited family friends in Lausanne, hiked in the vineyards, and enjoyed many kinds of cheese from the market; and spent a weekend in Basel and Colmar, known as “little Venice” for its many small canals.
Overall I had a great experience in Switzerland and I am very grateful to the ThinkSwiss organization for providing me with this opportunity.
Personality Assessment Research and Exploring Unparalleled Natural Beauty
Thanks to the Think Swiss scholarship, I was able to work with Dr. Willibald Ruch at the Personality and Assessment lab at the University of Zurich. This lab studies personality psychology through the lens of positive psychology and has a strong focus on test construction.
I joined two pre-existing projects and was also able to design and execute my own research project. The first study I worked onfamiliarized me with the process of test construction– this project sought to create a measure to assess an individual’s ability to accurately recognize character strengths in another person. Another study sought to measure the efficacy of character strength interventions, daily practices aimed at increasing overall well-being by targeting specific thought patterns and processes associated with each of the twenty-four character strengths. I was also able to design my own study, examining the character strengths associated with greater psychological resilience and lower levels of burnout in social justice activists. This was a particularly valuable experience, as the problem-solving skills necessary when designing and implementing a study are best learned via trial and error—I learned an immense amount from the small setbacks I experienced while conducting the study and feel much more confident in my ability to take on a leadership position with other projects in the labs I am involved in at my home university. The ThinkSwiss grant allowed me to get a glimpse of what graduate school will be like, and I was so lucky to have such wonderful doctorate students and post-docs in the lab to work with and learn from. The program itself also provided a great experience! The group trip to Bern and Lucerne was both fun and informative, as we got to meet and learn from Swiss government officials about all of the work Swiss embassies do with young researchers around the world. Switzerland is also without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I feel so lucky to have been able to hike and explore such dense natural beauty. I will never forget my time in Switzerland, the people I was lucky enough to travel with, and those I met along the way.
The Best Summer I Ever Had
The summer researching in Switzerland sponsored by ThinkSwiss is the best summer I have ever had. I gained substantial knowledge and skills, went on amazing hikes and travels, learned and experienced many cultures, and made so many great friends.
I conducted research under Prof. Dr. Laura Heyderman at the Laboratory for Mesoscopic Systems, a lab in the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, with most of my work done at PSI. My project was on an antiferromagnet (AFM)-like square lattice built from chirally coupled nanomagnets. I designed sample geometries and demagnetization protocols, used magnetic force microscopy and magneto-optic Kerr effect microscopy for characterization, and developed a suite of recognition, calculation and simulation MATLAB programs to understand the energetic contributions.
I loved my research group. Academically, I learned so much through discussions and even from just observing other group members and asking questions. They welcomed all my naïve questions and even ardently shared their tricks and insights on all aspects of research: how to identify research topics to pursue, how to keep track of data, where to draw the line for the conclusion of a project… I benefitted immensely from their insights, which helped me develop into a more experienced researcher. Beyond work, my colleagues were an extremely lively and fun group. We went on excursions, cooked and had dinners together, floated down the Aare river next to PSI, had fun at Züri Fäscht… They were also extremely diverse, in terms of culture, background, hobby, everything. Our group members came from 12 different countries across the whole world, and that helped us bond together readily and tightly. We picked up different groups of people from all over PSI campus for lunch every day and sit together around a long table, we all gathered in a PhD office for coffee after lunch, we went together after work to watch a group member’s choir performance or to celebrate a member’s paper being accepted by Nature…
Besides at work, I also made so many great friends in my leisure time. The PSI guesthouse was my home for the summer, a lovely living space I shared with interns, students, and scientists around the world. We had so many fun and eye-opening discussions on science, culture, sports, hobbies, and I found myself learning something new after every random conversation. We went running, climbing, swimming, and barbequing together, and organized transcontinental dinners where everyone cooked dishes or brought food from their own culture. It was such a diverse and lively experience that I miss dearly.
And of course, the nature. There are no words that can describe the spectacular mountains, rivers, canyons, caves, and glaciers in Switzerland. I went on so many hikes across the country, and every single time, I felt an urge to cry out loud because the scenery was so beautiful.
The whole experience, I loved it. But what I have been able to put down to words is nothing compared to what I felt. You have to live it to feel it. And hopefully I will go back some time in the future, to experience more, and to grow more.
Solving Ribonucleic Acids For Future Cancer Treatments
My name is Jevon Marsh and I am a Canadian student of chemistry. Over the summer of 2019, I was grateful to have received the ThinkSwiss scholarship, which provided me with the amazing opportunity to call Zürich my home and to contribute to the advancement of a really cool project. My research involved solving a unique structure formed by ribonucleic acids (known as guanine quadruplexes) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy; by solving and characterizing this structure, we have provided a new therapeutic target that can be used to treat various forms of cancers in the future. From start to finish, my host lab provided oversight for my work and taught me important techniques and skills that will prove beneficial to my future career in research. I also spent an entire week at the International Conference in Biological Inorganic Chemistry (ICBIC-19) in Interlaken, which provided me with a chance to explore the many topics in my field, and network with professionals from all over the world. The kindness and generosity of the researchers in my lab and even those in the city really made my summer enjoyable… and made it feel like a home away from home!
My experiences in Switzerland enriched my life in many ways, from both a professional and a personal perspective. Not only was I given the opportunity to learn new and exciting things and grow as a researcher; I was also given the opportunity to become a part of a community of people that have since remained very close friends. The summer is all about research and learning, but it is equally as important to go on as many adventures as you can, and take full advantage of the unique opportunity you have been given. Almost every weekend I was either hiking somewhere in Switzerland to embrace the stillness of the country and to admire the beauty of nature that exists everywhere around you… or heading out to another town in Switzerland or another country with friends, embracing many different cultures and making memories! Of course I embraced Swiss culture, with as many hikes as possible, eating lots of chocolate and cheese.. and even waking up at 5am to paraglide off a mountain in the Swiss Alps… simply enjoying every single moment!I highly encourage all future scholars to do exactly that: seize the moment, have many laughs and make memories with all of the new people you meet who will become great friends.
Challenge yourself with speaking a foreign language… try new foods (the raclette and fondue are amazing… and please try the salted caramel white chocolate from Läderach)… participate in everything you can (especially the weekend trips they organize)… just simply enjoy the entire experience you have been given. This scholarship is an opportunity for personal and professional development; an opportunity to be exposed to a new culture and experience the world we live in; an opportunity to build and become a part of an amazing community. I am very thankful for the scholarship and for the experience it has given me… I will be visiting Switzerland again very soon.
I wish you all an *amazing* experience in Switzerland!
Jevon
Research on Kindergartners' Self-Regulation
My Think Swiss journey started two summers ago in Zürich when I was a co-facilitator of a workshop for a Special Interest Group conference with the European Association of Learning and Instruction. Within the first couple of hours of being in Zürich, I made a call to my parents to tell them that I had never felt so at home in a new city – and I’ve lived in a few cities! I told them that one day, I would live there. Only a few months later, I received an email with details about the Think Swiss scholarship. It was the first time I had ever heard of the program and I felt like it was made just for me.
During my research stay, my projects included co-authoring a manuscript on kindergartners’ self-regulation and preparing a literature review on the function of routines in teachers’ instructional regulation. To complete these projects, I actively participated in team meetings to learn about the vast yet specific research backgrounds of each team member and dove deep into new literature, with the team acting as my lifeguards. We supported each other by providing feedback on our work, sharing papers that offered new perspectives and discussing future directions in educational psychology. This created a channel of sharing and equality that I have begun to embody more deeply with my own team at McGill.
Beyond the formal academic work, my stay saw me taking lunch and sipping coffee each day with the lab members whom I quickly began to refer to as friends. I had the chance to play Frisbee while swimming down the Reuss River with those friends, and to play the drums in a make-shift band we put together one evening. I quickly came to understand that the timely and pragmatic nature of the Swiss allows them to focus on the finer things in life: connecting with friends, usually while eating delicious food, and spending time grounded in nature. I’m grateful to know that I now have an academic family abroad who is cheering me on in all my endeavors.
Though this trip certainly supported the development of my academic skills, some of the most important things I learned and experienced were with the people I met and during the time I spent alone. I walked in my first demonstration at the women’s strike and met wonderful friends whom I later danced with at the many open-air festivals, and street parades. I explored coffee shops, pubs and clubs, and I’ve never seen so many cell phone-less tables at meals. I swam a lot and got comfortable with falling off my bike. I climbed a mountain to sleep in a remote hut, played alp-golf terribly, and acquired the worst blisters I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve seen colours of sunsets that are emblazoned in my memories, and I was gifted with an impeccable amalgamation of music that is the soundtrack of my memories. I’ve fallen in love with countless people, places and things but most importantly I fell more deeply in love with myself.
Although I’ve been working on withholding unsolicited advice, I’m going to offer some to this year’s applicants/awardee’s. My takeaway from the Think Swiss journey is that you don’t need to understand a foreign language to understand food or friendship. You will appreciate how hard some people will work to have a conversation with you in English. Be sure to tell them you appreciate it; their smile will be worth it. It’s fun to walk everywhere for the first week, but buy a bike – you’ll thank me later. You may find yourself feeling afraid to be vulnerable, but do it anyway. The worst thing you can do for yourself is not be authentic. Allow people to support you if you feel out of place, miss home or don’t know to order a coffee. It might sting when the time approaches that you must leave, but don’t run away from the feeling. Instead, reframe it; remind yourself that it stings because it’s worthwhile. And lastly, I can assure you that when you fall in love with Switzerland, you will take that love with you no matter how far away you should wander.
Wishing you all the best of luck,
Kelsey Losenno