Sebastian Uhlemann
“It was an inspiring atmosphere. At times competitive, at times delightfully nerdy, always sharing this passion for nature and sustainability.”
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of IDEA League is the time I spent in Zürich during my joint master’s programme.
We were in a hut in the Swiss Alps. Hiking at times for hours with equipment on our backs. Imagine being above the treeline, clear glacial lakes far below us. Twenty of us slept in one room. A team took care of the cooking, while another was busy collecting data. In the evenings we would drink a beer while analysing information we got from out in the field. It was wonderful. It’s one of those moments that started me on a new path.
When I began my joint master’s, I had wanted to get into oil and gas, but now my work at Berkeley Lab brings me to remote sites in the arctic, in the Colorado Rockies, out in the fresh air. My work is focused on effecting positive environmental impact, essentially saving lives.
“IDEA League offers you opportunities that reach beyond the university. That really helps in getting to know more people, shaping future paths and friendships you would otherwise never have encountered.”
You evolve sort of naturally working with IDEA League by collaborating with so many different institutions inside and outside academia. I did my master’s thesis in Nottingham. Then they asked me to stay on and eventually I did my PhD in Zürich while continuing my research work in England. There’s a clear line in my career that can be drawn from when I started with IDEA League to where I am today.
Because of the high quality of the participating students, many organisations offer IDEA League students opportunities to do master theses, like we do here at Berkeley Lab. I’m always happy to work with students doing the joint master’s programme.
You get in touch with so many people who now hold professorships of their own. Or they work in a field related to mine. I still work together with some of the students I was collaborating with during my joint master’s programme at IDEA League today. It was an inspiring atmosphere. At times competitive, at times delightfully nerdy, always sharing this passion for nature and sustainability.
IDEA League offers you opportunities that reach beyond the university. That really helps in getting to know more people, shaping future paths and friendships you would otherwise never have encountered.
Image credits: Thor Swift