DESY welcomes 117 summer students from more than 30 countries

Seven-week programme for young scientists begins

The DESY summer students in Hamburg (photo: DESY/M. Mayer).

The DESY summer students in Zeuthen (photo: DESY).

This year’s summer student programme has begun at DESY. For seven weeks, 117 young scientists from more than 30 countries will get a glimpse of the different areas of research carried out by Germany’s largest accelerator centre at its sites in Hamburg and Zeuthen. This makes DESY’ summer school one of the largest and most international in the whole of Germany.

The 100 students visiting the Hamburg site and the 17 students visiting the Zeuthen site will not only be learning the theoretical foundations of accelerator, particle, astroparticle and X-ray physics, but will also be involved in the practical work taking place in ongoing research projects. This will give students attending the summer school a deep insight into day-to-day life as a scientist.

“But it is not just the science that is crucial to the students – a strong focus also lies on the contact between the students themselves,” explains Doris Eckstein, one of the organisers from Hamburg. “The wide variety of countries and cultural backgrounds represented creates a very special atmosphere.”

It is above all the internationality and the practical experience that make DESY’s annual summer programme so popular among students. As a rule, the number of students applying considerably exceeds the number of available places.