My RISE Story - by Veronika Riedl
About RISE Worldwide
Under this scholarship Programme offered by DAAD, a motivated and well-qualified undergraduate German student from the fields of science and engineering can be invited and hosted by Indian researchers, professors, scientists, postdocs or doctoral students to assist them in their ongoing/proposed projects at the labs in India. The duration of internship is from 6 weeks to 3 months; starting from June 1, 2023.
In the summer of 2021, the motivated and well-qualified RISE Worldwide intern to India was Veronika Riedl and this is her story.
© Riedl
In the summer of 2021, I had a great opportunity to participate in the DAAD’s RISE Worldwide Scholarship Programme wherein the undergraduate students from Germany can apply to do a research internship in India. I chose to do my two-month internship at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) in Bangaluru, India.
Since I am a student of mathematics, I feel there is a lack of application in my field of study. Therefore, I wanted to gain hands-on practical experiences by working in a lab. I found the research project of my interest about the “fluid dynamics of lava flow” under the RISE Worldwide programme. Even though the topic required a lot of physical understanding, I wanted to give it a try. Putting yourself into challenging situations is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to find self-confidence and to develop yourself. And going to another country without knowing a single person is such a situation. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to take but, in the end, it was worth it and today I have no regrets of the decision I took of interning in India.
Moreover, India is a wonderful country. I really loved the colourful cities as well as the villages with little markets all around. It felt much more alive than in Europe and I personally found Indian people to be very open and curious. I stayed in a little room in the campus of ICTS and the cafeteria there was providing various meals throughout the day.
The time in the lab was very relaxed and my supervisor and colleagues were very keen and motivated to introduce me to new topics which later helped me in my research. During the weekends, we visited places of art & music like museums, theatre, and the Bannerghatta national park. But the highlight was my trip to the deserts of Rajasthan.
My supervisor encouraged me not only in science but also motivated me to explore the Indian culture. This attitude perfectly reflects the goodwill and kindness I have experienced in many situations during my stay in India.
