International Research Training Group ArcTrain

Towards the end of my third year of my PhD, I took the possibility to visit Martin Schneebeli and his group at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos, Switzerland. My visit was for two weeks in August. Our goal was to continue the work on our joint collaboration project. Martin and I initiated the working group on the “MOSAiC Winter Heat Budget” based on our work on different components of the Arctic sea ice heat budget with data from the MOSAiC expedition. This working group includes a large group of MOSAiC scientists from different fields. ...

From 30th July to 21st August this year, I had a three-week short research stay at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. Although it was a short-term stay, it was a very helpful and impressive experience for me.
I was working with my Canadian supervisor Prof. Dr. Audrey Limoges at the Department of Earth Sciences, who is a specialist in micropaleontology. During my research stay, I had to finish some benthic and planktic foraminifera counting and identification first, which I haven’t finished in AWI (I love the nice microscope in Audrey’s lab!!). These ...

During my third year of my PhD, it was time for my research stay at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada. I spent three months (February – May) in the group of Bruno Tremblay. Covid changed my initial plans, but I am very happy that the exchange could finally happen. I had a great scientific exchange and wonderful support from the group. It was very nice to meet everyone in person after such a long time of online meetings. I enlarged and strengthened my network of great scientists doing important and inspiring work. With the change in the workplace, I ...

I spent two month (April – June) at Geotop – UQÀM in Montréal to conduct X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and obtain the mineral composition of the sediment samples included in my PhD project. The data adds supporting background information to my already obtained isotopic data which is crucial for any further interpretation. The analysis has been done under the supervision of Michel Preda, who has a long record of experience in this field. Apart from learning this new method and producing additional data, I also had the chance to discuss my current and newly ...

In autumn/winter 2018, we had the opportunity to spend some weeks at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, working with our Canadian ArcTrain supervisor Paul Myers in the Ocean Modeling group. During our time in Edmonton, we were introduced into working with the NEMO ocean model and its output. Whereas in Bremen, our work is focused on analyzing observational ocean data, getting the chance to become acquainted with ocean modeling was a very interesting and valuable experience for us. In late October/early November, we also participated in the ArcTrain ...

I stay­ed about 7 weeks at the GEO­TOP/​UQÀM in Mon­tréal, Ca­na­da. The GEO­TOP is a re­se­arch cent­re within UQÀM for geo­che­mis­try and geo­dy­na­mics at the Earth Sci­en­ces department which co­ope­ra­tes with other in­sti­tu­tes from se­veral uni­ver­si­ties in Mon­tréal (i.e. McGill Uni­ver­si­ty). I have been su­per­vi­sed by Prof. Dr. Anne de Ver­nal and Dr. Jeans Heile Francois. 

I spent 16 weeks on a research stay at the GEOTOP/UQÀM in Montréal, Canada under the supervision of Anne de Vernal working on the reconstruction of primary productivity in Southern Melville Bay (Arctic) using a sediment core. I learned about approaching the issue of primary productivity estimation by applying organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst assemblages and the modern analogue technique by using a database developed at the GEOTOP.

ArcTrain offered me the possibility to stay at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the McGill University in Montréal, Canada, from 25th February to 25th March 2016. It was a nice and inspiring experience to work in a foreign country and to meet as well our Canadian ArcTrain fellows as lots of new and interesting people.

During the winter of 2016, 4 ArcTrain Germany students had research stays at the Université du Québec - Montréal (UQAM)/GEOTOP. From lab work and paper writing to workshops and reuniting with ArcTrain Canada colleagues and students, the research stays were incredibly beneficial to students.