#ipeaachen
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Abendessen, Fußball, Monschau, und Berlin :ö
Dinner, football, Monschau, and Berlin !
This past week has been WILD in Aachen. A lot of good fun has taken place. Research has been busy and straightforward. Firstly, Valerie and I cooked a penne pasta dish with tomatoes, feta, and garlic. The oven started to smoke as the oil in the dish burnt. We managed to rectify the situation.
Visual reference of the ultimate comeback!
Deutschkurs is going well! We learned how to order and bargain in German in Monday's class. Pictured here is the exercise featuring Olisename's groceries.
On Tuesday night, we went to a Germany vs Colombia soccer game in Essen. Colombia won 2-0. There were so many Colombian fans which is surprising but very cool.
The UROP program took a trip to Monschau this past Wednesday. Monschau is a quaint town on the Belgian border and is known as one of the prettiest German towns. It was quite beautiful and felt like a mountain town. I got to explore Monschau for a couple of hours and enjoyed some schnitzel nom nom.
This weekend I traveled to Berlin. I was able to see many historical sites such as the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Jewish Museum. On Friday, I went to the Pergamon, Altes, and Nues Museums.
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin. American and Soviet Union tanks faced each other at this checkpoint.
Here are pictures of an exhibit in the Jewish museum and the East Side Gallery, respectively.
Not only was Berlin a historical experience but an international one. I met people from all around the world at the hostel I stayed at. I'm so glad we chose to stay at a hostel compared to a hotel or air bnb.
That's all for this week my people. Bis in einer woche!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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ich liebe Kichererbsen
Hello, my people! One component of the program is a German class twice a week. It's made me realize how much I miss learning a language. Living in a country while learning the language is incredibly beneficial. I've been able to learn vocabulary naturally: through billboards, street signs, and menus in addition to using my context clues. I'm also learning the various situations in which people say different phrases. Although I have SO much work to do, I've learned a lot of German this past month in Aachen.
Although my research has been a slow process, I can actually use what I've learned in my civil engineering classes for my project! For example, I'm using a program called "Aramis" to analyze crack widths in concrete samples from a tensile test. I can apply my knowledge of mechanics to an actual data set which is pretty cool.
Here is a diagram of the crack widths produced by Aramis.
Now onto the amazing sights! This weekend, the UROP group planned a trip to Rursee (aka the Rur Reservoir), a lake belonging to the Eifel National Park. This massive manmade lake was formed from the construction of the Rur Dam in 1939. It was quite a strenuous journey to reach the hostel, especially when you miss the train like I did AHH.
The chickpeas (Kichererbsen) really stole the show in this picture.
We went kayaking, hiking, and swimming! I loved being able to get away for the weekend and spent quality time with friends. Rursee reminds me of the upper peninsula in Michigan. It was incredibly beautiful.
All that hiking calls for group yoga at the Düren Hauptbahnhof 🙌🙌 Athough I'm having less German food than expected, I've tried some new foods. Pierogis and sour cream = the ultimate duo.
Okay one last chickpea post...
Alright, bis später. Keep up the great work everyone.
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Preparing for Aachen!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ UROP at RWTH Aachen, Germany
AHH, I'm so excited to travel to Aachen, Germany for Summer research. This will be the first of many blog posts to come, detailing my German adventures. So welcome everyone and please buckle up for the ride. As my flight approaches, I am excited and nervous about Aachen. I’ve only traveled internationally once before, and that was on a school-sponsored trip to Peru. I feel quite unprepared for this trip. I guess that is a good thing. No nineteen-year-old should be prepared to live in a foreign country for 10 weeks. In fact, the logical response is to feel a bit apprehensive about the venture. Anyways, I’m pretty excited to travel abroad and meet my fellow RWTH students and research mentor. I will be working on a project called, “Self-healing of Textile Reinforced Concrete under pore and crack water pressure.” Concrete is one of the building blocks of all modern-day infrastructure! So, super exciting stuff for aspiring civil engineers such as myself. Concrete works extremely well to combat compressive stress but crack easily under tensile stress. In recent years, much development has been made to better reinforce concrete. Therefore, accounting for its poor behavior under tensile stress. In addition to the research, I’ll also take a German language class. Which is good, since I know very little right now. Overall, I am so excited to learn more about this project and develop my knowledge of concrete.
I hail from the tourist beach town of Ludington, MI. I grew up swimming, biking, running, and skiing as much as possible. Ludington is a great place to grow up, but since it was such a small town, it wasn’t the most challenging. That is one of the main reasons I chose to come to the University of Michigan. I wanted to be pushed outside my comfort zone and meet people all across the country and the world. Both of my older sisters went to Umich so I was given the opportunity to explore Ann Arbor and witness the school culture. They showed me the Michigan experience through countless Cottage Inn pizza trips and walks through the diag. I remember my sister’s uncontrollable reaction as she pointed out the Chemistry building to me. She recounted the horrific memories associated with its cold and looming exterior. Good thing I am not in chemical engineering! This research abroad experience is analogous to my chemistry experience; it will push me outside my comfort zone for the better.
So, as I think about this trip, I am left with many questions. I will leave you with a couple that crosses my mind. How is the food in Germany? Will I come home on a hunt for sauerkraut? Will I meet any German dogs? Will I make any German friends? How difficult is the language barrier going to be? Will this experience teach me any technical skills for a post-graduation career? I guess all these questions amount to “What do I hope to gain from this experience?” I know I will be challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone all while meeting new people and experiencing a new culture. To ultimately learn and grow as an individual. Thank you guys for reading this first blog post!
I strategically added some pictures below for visual reference of my life ;)
me climbing! my picturesque hometown
Skiing and hikes with Wally!
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das Ende
... the end
Hello, this is my final blog post. The program officially ended on the 20th of July. Then I traveled to Barcelona for a week and flew back to Detroit on the 29th. I am writing this blog from my apartment in Ann Arbor.
Let's recap my final week in Aachen. UROP students were required to submit their posters and research papers on Monday. So after Monday, we had much free time until the symposium on Thursday. On Wednesday, a group headed to Phantasisaland, a theme park in Brühl. This theme park rivals Cedar Point. One hundred percent. I recommend this park to any rollercoaster lover.
The symposium went very well. In addition to poster presentations, 4 students presented a more in-depth view of their research. It was very cool to see all of my friends' research and get to learn more about different fields. In addition to the academicss, the event had amazing pastries and snacks. But anyways, here is a picture of me and friends in front of the town hall (Rathaus) in Aachen.
It's been a week since I've left Aachen. I miss it very much. I was living in my student apartment for over 10 weeks. That's an incredibly long time. I settled into a new city and country and formed relationships with others in the program. If the program was any longer it would make leaving much more painful. That is the difficult thing about studying abroad and ultimately growing up. You only have a short amount of time with friends. Although this fact is a lot to ingest, the transient nature of young adulthood makes you appreciate the time you have.
Here is one last Jeans mit Beans picture. I will hold on to it forever. Such an icon of a billboard.
On Sunday, I flew to Barcelona to meet my mom and sister. It was great to see both of them again after many months. We went to the La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's lifework and child. This basilica was one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in. Most cathedrals are very dark, but this one was quite the opposite. The basilica contains pillars of stone that resemble trees. They tilt and branch off as they ascent towards the ceiling.
We visited the Picasso Museum and Montserrat, a monastery located an hour from Barcelona. Montserrat translates to the serrated mountain. It was incredibly beautiful and refreshingly cold.
We did a lot of walking in Barcelona. Pictured here is my sister and I walking along a tight streets in the city center.
We also visited Park Güell. Another one of Gaudi's creations. I loved the lizard, el Drac very much. And what would this blog post be without a final hand stand shot...
Although there will not be a cooking with Valerie feature this week I'd thought I would include this English breakfast ad I saw on the street in Barcelona. It took me back to my first English breakfast in Aachen.
Thank you for reading and peace out. 🙏 🙏
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Camelopardalis, Spinat, und Düsseldorf
Good morning from sunny Aachen! The program is slowly coming to an end. I have been in Germany for a little over 9 weeks. That feels quite surreal as it feels like I have just arrived. The final symposium is this Thursday. I finished my poster a couple of days ago. I presented research at a symposium in April. I'm not sure if this is because I've been through the process before but the second time around feels significantly less daunting and taxing.
This past Wednesday, we headed to West Park, a local hang-out spot in Aachen. Pictured below is Adam amongst the ducks. Once these creatures realize you have food they do NOT back down.
One of the students on the trip brought a disposable camera to the Rursee trip. Here's all of us on the lake below !
Adding on to Wednesday's activities. Valerie, Eliana, Clara, and I climbed onto the roof of the student dorm buildings. It was such a beautiful view from up there. Although there was ample cloud cover, we saw the faint outline of Camelopardalis, the 18th largest constellation in the sky.
Pictured below is the token dorm cat we named Spinat. Spinat is quite a friendly outdoor cat. My initial questions described on this blog consisted of whether I'd meet a German dog. Although I have not, at least I met a German cat!
In addition, I have been going on a lot of runs in Aachen. There is one route I love in particular. I run through Campus Melaten and venture along the Aachener golf course. The lack of people and good trails make this an epic and classic route.
Yesterday, some friends and I traveled to Düsseldorf. We headed to the Rheinkirmes. A two-week-long fair/carnival. We dove headfirst into the fair and went on this INSANE ride pictured below. I'm not sure if this picture does the ride justice but you'll have to trust me on this one.
One major difference I noted between this fair and Cedar Point for example is that the entrance was free, but each ride had a different price. Therefore, I only went on two rides because it was quite expensive. Those two rides were incredibly worth it though.
After the fair, we crossed this lovely bridge (Oberkassel Brücke) to your lower left and ventured into the Altstadt, or old town. To the lower right is the MediaHarbor bridge.
Here is one last picture of Düsseldorf. Although it was quite foggy and windy the whole day it alleviated the dreadedJuly heat.
See you next week! :ö
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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ich arbeite im ibac
I work at ibac...
What's up, my dudes.
The cliché is true: time flies when you're having fun. I cannot believe I only have two weeks left of the program. I've made many friends from all across the country and the world.
Our German exam was this morning. I finished the exam around 10:00 AM. I got a coffee from the super c cafe and a cornflake Ritter Sport chocolate with Valerie to celebrate. Although my knowledge of the language is equal to that of a kindergartner, I'm proud of how far I've come. I know so much more compared to when I first arrived.
Okay, now is the moment you were longing for last week. This week's meal or should I say dessert with Valerie is cinnamon sugar baked peaches paired with vanilla ice cream! This cooking venture went rather smoothly. Shoutout to that random Instagram reel for the inspiration. 🙌
We went to the Forschungszentrum Jülich, a research center 1.5 hours away from Aachen on Wednesday. Many students do their master's thesis and PhD at Jülich. We split into groups and picked a lab we wanted to choose. I chose the supercomputer/quantum computer group. Although I'm not a computer science or electrical engineering major, I thought it was very interesting to learn about these computers. Here is a picture of the quantum computer.
On the way back to Aachen, we stopped at the Rheinisches Braunkohlerevier, a mining area close to Cologne. To say this area is pretty large is the understatement of the year. Pictures never provide the place proper justice.
This Friday, the UROP team organized a bbq in honor of Fourth of July and Canada day. This event consisted of salad, bread, and meat. Pictured below is Adam grilling the various meat and vegetarian options.
I made an early and bittersweet departure from the bbq. I needed to catch my train to Frankfurt. I went to visit my two friends: Emily and Rachel. Emily was an exchange student at my high school who has lived in Frankfurt her whole life. Rachel is in Italy for the Summer. It was so good to see both of them this weekend. I was able to walk around Frankfurt and have a relaxing weekend.
On the way back I stopped in Cologne for an hour. The sunset was beautiful. Plus I saw my favorite bridge. (Zollverein brücke)
Alright, good stuff everyone. Ciao!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Eine Woche später...
A week later...
To be honest, this week has been quite the grind. I've been working a lot at the research facility in an attempt to finish my project in time for the symposium. I'm continuing to use ARAMIS, the 3D optical measuring system in the lab. I am performing crack width analysis on six different concrete specimens using 3, 5, 10, and 20 cuts respectively. Last week, I prepared the six specimens by coating the ends with epoxy resin. As a result, the water is forced in the direction of the cracks in the test-set up.
Here is a picture of the six specimens post epoxy resin coating. One of the student workers in the lab does research on clay-based concrete. To the right is a tensile test of a part clay concrete specimen.
The UROP group went to Kletterwald Aachen, a climbing forest this Wednesday. It was a lot of fun and a great break from research. Pictured below is Adam attempting to throw my shoe back up to me. You may be wondering, where is the context??! Well, in one of the courses, you zip-line into a net and traverse to the platform. I zip-lined a BIT too fast into the net and my shoe dropped in the process. Stay safe kids.
Exams at RWTH start at the end of this month. Therefore, there have been a lot of really fun social events. Apparently, once exam seasons start in late July/early august, the campus is a ghost town. So in the spirit of the last week of "freedom," the student dorm next to me held a concert. It was A BLAST. I have missed hearing live music amongst a swarming crowd of my peers. In addition to the concert, there was an event called, "Schau am Bau" which translates directly to "Show me the construction." It is a huge student event at a meadow in front of the civil engineering building. As a civil engineering student, I felt it was my duty to attend this event.
You may be confused as to the lack of my weekly cooking updates with Valerie. Unfortunately, we did not cook anything this week but stay tuned for next Sunday! Instead, enjoy this quintessential German bus stop ad. The yellow circle says, "Become a part of our team." I hope this picture provides solace in face of our cooking feature postponement.
Tschüss!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Brussels... und ein Schloss.
Hi everyone! It has been quite the week. My research supervisor was at a conference this week. So, it's been a pretty chill couple of days. This has been the first sunny week in Aachen. Although I love the sun, my body does not fair well in the heat. This of course I can overcome. I hope I'll adapt by the end of my time here in Aachen.
There was another public holiday this past Thursday. I love the German holidays. 🙌 🙌 Me and my friends traveled to Brussels. We began with the Grand Place, Brussel's famous town square named an UNESCO world heritage site in 1998. After the Grand Place, we ventured inside the St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral.
Upon doing some pre-travel Brussels research, I discovered the Trappist monks: a religious order of monks that branched off from the Cistercians. These monks produced bread, cheese, and beer to support themselves and many others. They are quite popular for their beer, Trappist beer. Of all the monasteries in the world that produce beer, Belgium is home to the majority.
Next up, we headed to Atomium. It was pretty far outside the city center. So we took a train. Honestly, it was pretty cool but not really worth the hour-long travel time. But if you're a fan of absurd goofy-looking structures, this is for you! After Atomium, we enjoyed Mont des arts (Mount or Hill of the Arts).
This Saturday, the UROP group headed to Königswinter to see the Drachenfels castle (Schloss). This castle was originally designed for Stephan Sarter, the son of a Bonn innkeeper. He made a fortune through the stock market and by financing the Suez Canal. Sarter never actually lived in this castle, but one of his nephews eventually bought the castle. The hike to the castle was absolutely breathtaking. You could see the Rhine River, Bonn, and even Cologne from the top of the mountain.
That's all for this week folks! Stay fearless, always.
Ciao!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Student life, Maastricht, and Beans on toast
It's been a relaxed week in sunny Aachen. I had the week off of German classes because of the holiday week but started to work more on my research. It has mostly been a lot of reading to better understand my supervisor's past research.
I was originally very nervous about the social aspect of this program. I am very friendly but introverted at heart. All of the UROP students live in various Studentendörfer across Aachen. Having my own single apartment close to other UROP students grants me the best of both worlds. I am able to concentrate when needed and travel 5 minutes to hang with some UROP friends.
I have been learning a lot about the academics and student life at RWTH. Firstly, Germans don't have summers off like Americans. RWTH holds classes all year round, your grade is based on one exam, and exam season is over two months. Although staying on track at umich can be difficult because of the short semesters, I'm so grateful we have a winter and summer break. On the other hand, I've noticed that student life here is much more robust and lively during the middle of a semester. Much unlike umich, due to midterms.
Here is a sunseet picture at Lousberg, a nature area in Aachen:
After the short week, the UROP group traveled to Maastricht in the Netherlands. We went to the Dominicanen bookshop: a very old Dominican Church that has been converted into a bookshop. I purchased the Little Prince in Deutsch (Der Kleine Prinz).
Then we checked out the Caves of Maastricht. These manmade caves of limestone date back to the 13th century. The caves were used for mining over the years, and people created hundreds of tunnels throughout the area. In addition, many paintings were hidden in the caves during WWII, including The Night Watch by Rembrandt.
Last up for this week's adventure is the full English breakfast experience gifted by my new friend Valerie. This meal is properly called, a "fry up" or a "naughty fry up". This morning, we ate sausage, bacon, eggs, fried mushrooms, and beans on toast. Never would have thought that my first English breakfast would be in Germany but here we are! I wholeheartedly recommend this breakfast.🙏
Bis Bald!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Woche Zwei
I’m back again from another week in Aachen, and a new location! (We’ll get to that later). This week marked the official start of research and a full week of Deutsch Klasse.
This Wednesday the urop group went to Dreiländereck, the tri country border of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. It’s essentially the European version of the American “four corners”. Hiking along the border filled me with a sense of peace and wonder. After the long journey many students enjoyed some Belgian frittes.
After my research, I hit the campus boulderhalle for a quick sesh w some friends. I’m so happy to find such a great gym with an easy commute. Aachen has a somewhat reliable bus system. As a frequent M Bus rider, I am prepared for any delay, detour, or turbulence.
Germany is one of many countries that celebrate Whit Monday. RWTH classes are cancelled because of Pentecost. Students and professors take this week off to pursue research, attend conferences, or just relax. I personally took advantage of the long weekend and headed to Amsterdam. This city is incredibly impressive and beautiful. The cobblestone paths and arched bridges established through the winding streets. We visited the Royal Palace Amsterdam, King Willem-Alexander’s official reception palace. Here is a picture of where the town hall would assemble.
I learned that most of the houses in Amsterdam are tilted forward as it was cheaper to build upwards in addition to protection from flooding. The stairways are so tiny that most houses have a cantilevered beam-looking hook at the top. This allows residents to use a pulley system to lift heavy items into their homes.
Enjoy this scenic picture over one of the many canals and me doing a handstand at the Hauptbahnhof :)
Alright that is all for this week!
bis zum nächsten Mal!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Week 1
Guten tag! A little over a week has passed since I arrived in Aachen. I did not realize how large this city would be until exploring on my first day. RWTH, the university in Aachen has buildings sprawled all across campus and the civil engineering building is very close to my dorm! Each international student is paired with a German buddy that attends RWTH. My buddy's name is Katharina. She is also a civil engineering student. Katharina picked me up from the train station in Aachen and showed me to my apartment. My room is much larger than my room in Ann Arbor. This does not take much LOL.
There are many flights of stairs that facilitate one's journey to my apartment building. There are concrete ramps incorporated into the stairs. I thought this was very interesting as in the U.S., wheelchair accessibility paths are usually routed around the stairs.
The program didn't officially start until May 15th, so I explored Aachen a bit after settling into my apartment. I visited the Aachen Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site, and saw this cool bronze statue. The trees remind me of being back home in Michigan. It is so beautiful here and all the streets are cobblestone. Imagine the small patch of cobblestones on Depot St. (in front of the Gandy Dancer) covering every street in Ann Arbor. That is Aachen.
On Saturday the entire UROP group visited Cologne! We hiked up the stairs to the top of the Cologne Cathedral. It was absolutely breathtaking. I could see all of Cologne (especially the lovely bridge) from 140 meters above the ground.
In addition to the Cathedral, Cologne is famous for its 409 meter long Hohenzollern bridge. It was built between 1907 and 1911 with three iron arch trusses. It is amazing that a bridge built over 100 years ago is still structurally sound. This bridge survived consistent air strikes in World War II but the Germans blew up the bridge in 1945 as the Allied Troops came to Cologne. After the war, reconstruction enable pedestrian use only. Then in 1980, two new railroad tracks were constructed.
Okay now I'm finished with my bridge rant. Bis später!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Reflecting on Germany
Hi everyone!
I have officially landed back in the US and been here for a week! Adjusting back after being in Europe for almost 3 months has been tougher than I imagined, but I am so thankful for the experience that I had this summer!
I was able to meet some incredible people from all across the country, as well as people from Canada and Europe. I got to visit 7 countries (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Luxembourg) and make a lifetime of memories.
If you’re reading this blog and on the fence about study abroad, I would say to jump all in. I was absolute terrified before I left. Even once I got there, I wanted to go home immediately. That’s ok! I found out later that it happened to almost all of my friends for their first few days. It’s a weird experience being in a totally new country across the world with no familiar people but the great thing is.. you meet people! And they will become some of the best friends you will ever meet.
By the time I was packing up to leave Germany, I was a mess. I had the same feeling as before I left- I was terrified to leave Germany and my friends that I had grown to love very much.
Studying abroad is probably the best decision I made for my education- if you’re leaning towards it, just lean all in. You will not regret it at all!
As for now, I’m getting ready to start school in a few weeks and adjusting back to the US life.
Thank you for listening to my adventures for the whole summer!
Grace Whah
Biomedical Engineering
RWTH Aachen
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Final symposium, and farewell to Germany
Hi everyone!
Unfortunately, this is yet another boring blog (COVID edition), but there are some fun highlights!
Sadly, up until Thursday, I was still in quarantine for COVID-19. I was super bummed about this because it is my last week in Germany, but my friends here were so supportive and did movie nights with me / brought me food to keep up my spirits. I am incredibly grateful to have met such wonderful people.
I got out of quarantine just in time for our final research symposium. I am really proud of the research I conducted this summer and I was happy to answer the questions of so many people who were interested in my field. I also got to see the research of my friends and all of the amazing progress they made! Overall, it was one of my favorite days here.
The next few days I had my last experiences in Aachen. I hung out with some friends, visited our favorite food spots one last time, and got ready to go on one last journey through Europe before heading home.
Saturday, my friends and I caught a flight to Milan. We had to wait 3.5 hours in security (airports in Germany right now are so crazy) but we finally made it. The next day we got up at 6:30 am and made the most of our day in Milan even though it was 102°.
Sunday evening, we took a train to Lugano, Switzerland - maybe one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. We were able to swim in the lake there (so shockingly warm) and enjoy some gelato in each other’s company.
Monday morning, we headed to Andermatt, Switzerland - again, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. We were able to hike around the Devils Bridge and hangout before saying goodbye.
Andermatt is where I departed from my friends to head back to Aachen. Many tears were shed from all of us as I went to get on my separate train. I am going to miss spending every single day with them, and I’m really gonna miss Germany, so this was a really hard day for me. But I know I will see them again and we will be friends for life bonded over this amazing summer.
After 11 hours of trains due to some classic Deutsche Bahn delays, I finally made it back to Aachen, packed my bags, and 2 hours later headed out to go to the airport. I’m writing this as I am on the train there now.
I am going to miss Germany terribly. After spending almost 3 months here, I genuinely see my life here and I am absolutely a changed person. I am so much more fearless and do not care about so many of the small things I used to care about. I am forever changed because of this. I will definitely do more reflection in my last blog when I arrive back in the states, but I just had to get that in there. Germany will always have a very very special place in my heart.
Auf Wiedersehen Germany, I’ll love you forever.
Grace Whah
Biomedical Engineering
RWTH Aachen
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Finishing research and COVID :(
Hi everyone!
This week is unfortunately going to be really boring to read due to circumstances beyond my control (I apologize in advance!)
This week I made the finishing touches on my research project. I was able to actually print with cells in sterilization and the process ended up being successful! This was a huge relief to me as it was what I’ve been working towards this whole summer, and I’m super glad to know it worked the way I wanted it to. Here are some pictures of the different steps I took throughout the week for this project.
Additionally, Wednesday it was incredibly hot so we went to the outdoor pool in Aachen! It was so much fun & I am glad we got to cool off from the very hot day.
Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID-19 and have been isolating in my room. I’m really bummed as this week was my last chance to get to explore Germany, but I know that I did so much exploring during my time here so far and I need to focus on getting better now. I leave one week from Tuesday, so once I get out of quarantine, I’ll still have a few days to say goodbye to this country and I’m excited for that.
Grace Whah
Biomedical Engineering
RWTH Aachen
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4th of July Celebrations, Research, and Castles!
Hey everyone!
Welcome to another week of adventures in Germany. As my journey comes to a close in 2 weeks, I am trying to take advantage of every moment!
On Monday, it was the 4th of July. The UROP program advisors coordinated a celebration bbq! We took the train to Stolberg and grilled out while playing some fun German games, like flunkyball. We also had the opportunity to see some old US tanks that were left in the area!
On Wednesday, we got to visit research center Jülich to learn about their facilities and future career opportunities. Jülich was very interesting and I enjoyed getting to have a personalized tour of their Institute of Energy and Climate Change Research. After that, we were able to visit one of the largest coal mines in Germany, and in the next 10 or so years, it will be converted into a lake.
On Thursday, after work, my friends and I went to see the new Thor movie! If you haven’t seen it, definitely go (even if you know nothing about Thor). I love spending time with my friends after a long day at work, especially when it involves going to the Aachen cineplex.
To round out the week, yesterday (Saturday) we took a few trains to go see the Drachenfels and Schloss Drachenburg (Drachenburg Castle in German). It was incredibly beautiful ant the hike up to the castle was very fun. I love seeing German castles and just getting to experience the beauty of Germany in general. I’m definitely not ready to leave it.
As for today, my friends and I studying for our German written exam tomorrow and taking it easy, as most Germans do on Sundays.
I hope you all had a great week of your own and I’m excited for the adventures that my last two weeks in Europe give me!
Talk to you next week!
Grace Whah
Biomedical Engineering
RWTH Aachen
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Hi everyone!
I’ve been having some wifi troubles so I apologize for the late blog but better late than never!
This week was really very work focused as my research symposium is coming up very quickly and I only have a few more weeks in the program. There were a few highlights though…
On Wednesday, we went bouldering. It was my very first time and it was a lot of fun! One of my friends is very good at it and was able to give me some tips. If you’re curious.. it’s a lot easier to start with your arms fully extended and then pull up.
On Thursday, I was able to print my structure 2 more times which is very exciting! I’m changing the inputs slightly every time and slowly perfecting the process.
This weekend, the program took a trip to the Rursee, which is a man-made lake about 1.5 hours away from Aachen. This probably was my favorite trip in all of Europe so far. It reminded me so much of home and spending the summer on Lake Michigan. We went kayaking and hung out in the water for a long time! At night, we had a bonfire.
I have been having a great time in Europe this summer and I’m sad for it to end in 3 weeks! At the same time though I’m excited to see family and friends back in the US.
For the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to finishing out my research and presenting it on our research symposium.
See you next time!
Grace Whah
Biomedical Engineering
RWTH Aachen
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