”Fascinating experiences during the scientific visits” by Piyush K. Sharma
Good morning everyone or should I say Guten Morgen!
I am Piyush Kumar Sharma, a 6th semester medical student from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. I am one of the 19 young researchers who lucky enough to be chosen to witness legends come to life at firsthand i.e. the descent of the gods from Mount Olympus and their walking amongst us, please excuse the dramatical quotation. I refer of course to the 61st Nobel Laureates Meeting at Lindau, wherein students of Science are given an opportunity to discuss science with people who have not only defined, redefined and turned it around but have also turned it into a way of life whereby it is no longer limited to the study of nature in its myriad forms but in fact becomes an exercise in how to perceive, infer and de facto to be.
Before I begin to share the details of this thrilling adventure I and my Indian fellow students embarked upon almost two weeks ago. I must, on behalf of all the members of the Indian delegation express our most sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation towards Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft i.e. the DFG especially Dr. Torsten Fischer and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
For me it all began last year when one of my closest friends Kriti Puri, who attended the 60th Annual Nobel Laureate Meeting, soon after returning from the trip met me and told me all about it and how it completely changed her perspective and outlook not only on her career but also the way she looked at Science. I did not need any convincing because she sounded and seemed as if something had fallen into place in her mind (a feeling she later described as a kind of a light bulb being turned on in her head). Since I was at that point of time, and to a certain extent still am, someone who is trying to walk the tight rope between clinical practice and biomedical research immediately leapt at the chance and applied to the Department of Science and Technology for the same. So to cut a long story short, after t months of nerve-wrecking anticipation, an 8.5 hour flight and 4.5 hour bus ride later, I found myself with 18 of my peers at the island of Lindau, which let me tell you is a devastatingly gorgeous place and can boast of stunning vistas of Lake Constance. It was only apt that it was chosen as the venue because of nature and nature is beauty. So if you are not half as bad at Mathematics as I am, you would remember that if A=B & B=C, then A automatically is equal to C, so Science is into the study of beauty.
This year the theme of the meeting was Physiology/Medicine with special emphasis on global health, the importance of which can be gauged by the fact that 25 of the celebrated and brilliant scientists and 568 of the brightest young researchers from all over the world chose to devote all their attention and time for five whole days to brainstorming and discussing not only the challenges which face global health but also the ways in which active research can address them.
Just to give you an idea about just how amazingly unique this meeting was, let me give you an example. Ask anybody who is pursuing career in life sciences, what idea or technique according to him/her is the backbone of his research or which has revolutionised basic biomedical research world over and I can guarantee that eight out of ten people would say Gel Electrophoresis and now imagine that the very person who invented it is standing right next to you telling you like a bright-eyed eight year old school boy how he still goes about doing bench work. That too at an age, which in cricket is a number that makes it 100 like Sachin Tendulkar is about to hit yet another century. This is what happened when we met Professor Oliver Smithies. From Dr. Elizabeth-Telomerase-Blackburn, to Dr. Harald zur Hausen to Sir Martin Evans and Grandma of the year, Dr. Ada Yonath, interacting with the Laureates was like looking at the past, present and future of science. At the same time what made this event more exciting was the chance to meet with young researchers like ourselves from all over the world and exchange not only our ideas but also our doubts and hopes regarding science. It was an enthralling experience to be a part of an event where it no longer mattered if you were from Zambia or Afghanistan, if you spoke Mandarin or Spanish, if you were black or white or somewhere in between like me. You were a part of one big giant global scientific community.
There were a lot of events from morning talks to afternoon sessions, turn the tables(?) and master class and cultural events which took up most of our day and nights as well. The reason we could attend all of them without hassle was because we were given accommodation right on the island itself, thanks to the DFG & Lindau Council. DFG was in fact even considerate enough to organize a lunch event on 26th June jointly for us and the Chinese Delegation where the President of DFG Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner welcomed us all and over the course of a fantastic feast told us all about the innumerable ways in which DFG promotes scientists and science all over the world. In fact DFG even organized another event wherein we were given a chance to mingle with Nobel Laureates and our German counterparts in a totally informal setting.
More often than not in science, just as in life things turn out to be more than what they first appear to be. So what was a scientific meet on paper turned out to be very fertile soil for cultural exchange as well. Be it the polonaise dance of Bavaria or the lovely way in which you heard the word “Bitteschoen” accompanied by a warm smile every time you thanked someone, or be it food.
Food! How could I forget? I had heard contradicting opinions about German food but after these two weeks I can say it’s one of the best to be had anywhere in the world. I mean just think of it, what is there to not like. Those succulent sausages of which there are so many varieties that I hereby request the DFG to fund a project to introduce a Binomial nomenclature system for sausages or the yummy German bread. The list is endless but I am not going to talk about food anymore because suddenly I am feeling very hungry despite having my breakfast less than 30 minutes ago.
After the conclusion of the meeting at Lindau, we were met by Ms. Cherrie Mallins and Ms. Priya Datta from the DFG India Office who took us on a tour of the historic city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It was fascinating to see how well the town has survived the ravages of time and war. Next morning we visited Weimar on our way to Berlin. None of us had really heard of this town before but when the tour guide told us about its rich history and famous residents like Goethe, Schiller and Bach, we could not help but marvel at the rich artistic heritage of Germany. Next, we reached Berlin on the evening of July the 3rd and the excitement of all of us at the prospect of being in one of the cradles of modern history and cultural epicenters of the world was affordable by bus. And man oh man! Did Berlin live up to its name or what! From Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag to the Postdam Platz, Berlin wall remains, and museum island the whole city is like a snapshot of history and culture at their best: On Monday morning, we reached the Frei University campus and attended a highly informative talk by colleagues of Prof. Dr. Lothar H. Wieler about the International Research Training Group on functional molecular infection epidemiology. We were taken to their microbiology labs and witnessed firsthand the attention to detail and accuracy which have become synonymous with human research institutions.
Some of us who were missing the comfort of Indian food were absolutely delighted when DFG and Dr. Esther-Maria Antão organized an Indian lunch for us, which was really thoughtful and very nice of them. Later that afternoon we went to another world famous institution Charite, Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies. Colleagues of Dr. Georg Duda and Dr. Sabine Bartosch were kind enough to take time out of their busy schedules and discuss the various research projects going on at the centre. Not only this, in order to give us an Indian student’s perspective on research opportunities in Germany they arranged for students of Indian origin pursuing PHD’s at their centre to show us around and settle our queries and doubts.
On 5th of July, we visited in Braunschweig the Department of Microbiology of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. The Director of the department, Dr. G. Singh Chhatwal, gave us interesting insights and advice on pursuing higher studies in Germany in addition to providing us with all the information regarding the laboratory set up and research areas which are at the focus of their institute’s scientific endeavours. In fact he was gracious enough to organize a boat trip for the Indian delegation to show us around Braunschweig.
Next day i.e. on 6th of July we made our way towards the Hanover Medical School which is for lack of a better analogy the Harvard of Germany in terms of Medical Education and Research. As a medical student, this is what caught my attention the most. We were shown around the campus which let me tell you is like an entire city in itself and were taken to the various laboratories by the principal investigators in charge of them. I was quite impressed not only by the state of the art equipment and techniques in their laboratories but also by the efficient patient management. What was most heartening for me was to find that most of the clinical staff at the Medical School are active participants not only in clinical trials but also in basic research to the extent that many of them had their own laboratories. Later after lunch we had an opportunity to interact with the Dean of the Institute himself, Prof. Dr. E. Schmitt:
From there we departed for Bonn and reached here late last evening and might I say that the majestic River Rhine makes for quite a picture perfect sight and as it was raining and rainbows were up in the sky against the hills in the background, it was like walking into a Monet painting. Oh shoot, I think I am stretching my time limit and I am beginning to think that if I don’t wrap up soon my dear Chinese friends might soon fall asleep. So I will be quick.
I must and absolutely must thank Ms Cherrie Mallins, who true to her Manchester roots has the trademark British-wit and is one of the sweetest, cutest and the most stylish people I have met. I must also thank Ms. Priya Datta, whose generosity; kindness and ability to put people at ease are legendary. Together these two ladies from DFG have left no stones unturned in ensuring that our visit to Germany becomes one of the most memorable memories of our life. From putting us up in the nicest hotels, to treating us to lunches which were nothing short of PhD in the science “gastronomic delights” from the tiniest details of our trip and making sure we were there on time every morning to performing head-counts, also after every toilet break to ensure none got left behind. They have been quite kindergarten teachers taking their class to a picnic or to a science museum.
If Dr. Angela Merkel ever decides to retire, she should probably ask these two to take over. We should probably thank Mr. R.K. Sharma from DST for guiding us throughout the trip. Last but far from the least I want to, on behalf of all my friends thank DST for organizing this wonderful programme which gives young researchers like me exposure to the various excellent opportunities that are just waiting for us to pluck and do what you do, which is to promote scientific research, with such aplomb and verve that it makes our job 100 times easier because DFG does its job a 100 times better than it needs to.
I do realize that I have overshot my time limit by several minutes but since most people are probably sleeping anyway I will steal a few more moments, A month ago, since I had never travelled Germany I asked my friends what so great about Germany. You would be surprised that 67% of them said Oktoberfest or German beer, 13% said German cars, 10% said sausages, 3% said Angela Merkel, 2% said history and architecture, the remaining 5% comprised of miscellaneous responses including one friend who said Heidi Klum. But after being in your country for nearly two weeks now which feel more like two hours really owing to the fact that we love being here so much I believe I can say with confidence that what makes Germany so great can be summed up in one simple word “Germans”. You are the one of the coolest, smartest, friendliest and most generous people in the world and that’s your greatest strength. Hope to visit again soon.
And greetings from India.
