“A life-changing experience”
Interview with the 2024 fellows of the International Summer Internship
Ingrid Mora Sanchez (Mora) and Santiago Martinez-Hernandez were our 2024 MPIIB-ISI fellows. They both completed a three-month internship at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology from August to October—fully funded and supplemented with an additional workshop curriculum. Coincidentally, both were recruited from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Columbia. Mora is studying biology in her 8th semester, Santiago already finished his bachelor degree in biomedical engineering. In the interview you can find out about the highlights of their stay, how the internship shaped their view on science and their advice for future interns.
It’s been three months now since you started your internship at MPIIB and you will leave soon—how was your stay?
Santiago: Okay, I can go first. It was great. The level of freedom that the Institute provided was amazing, they literally tried to make everything possible for us. I felt really appreciated and it was an enjoyable experience.
Mora: It was life-changing for me and I had a lot of different great experiences, not only research-wise. I got to know Berlin and met a lot of people with different perspectives, not only in the Institute but also while travelling around Germany. It also changed me academically – I know a lot better what it means to be a researcher now.
Did you experience any kind of culture shock?
Santiago: Not really, I spent the first half of this year in Switzerland which did not feel too different from Germany. Compared to Bogotá it was maybe the feeling of safety going through the city at night. But there is one thing that really got me: Zebra crossings. Cars will actually stop for you and drivers will even look at you funny when you thank them for not hitting you.
Mora: I experienced the opposite with traffic lights. I hate these things here because they are so quick, you literally have to run across the road. And once the light turns red cars will just drive, no matter if you are still crossing the street. But in general, there was no big culture shock for me. Berlin and Bogotá are both so globalized that my life here was not too different.
What was your highlight during the stay?
Mora: Definitely the PhD retreat that we were invited to in September. I loved it and I loved the energy, how everyone was showing their research. The quality of presentations and posters was amazing. It was also the first time for me to talk to many people from different labs. Some of them I’ve seen briefly before, but at the retreat there was really the time to get to know them.
Santiago: For me the retreat as well! I enjoyed it quite a lot. But considering the whole stay, one highlight was the festival of lights a couple of weeks ago. To see the illuminated Brandenburg Gate felt like a dream.
How did your stay change your perspective on science?
Santiago: To be honest, up to the internship I had no clear idea of what it means to do a PhD. I had considered it before, but meeting and working with PhD students here has really broadened my horizons. The freedom and responsibility of a PhD project really struck me. And I was really humbled that these hard-working students where always there to help me. Now that I have this insight, I think it would be better for me to do a master’s degree first and then think about the PhD. It really takes maturity and consideration. I also learnt that your research is only as good as your commitment to it, you really have to want to do it.
Mora: I agree—I certainly learned that research takes more time than I thought. It’s a long but rewarding process and it doesn’t always go in the right direction. You will make mistakes and you will need to start from the beginning over and over again. I learned that it’s also about how you handle this frustration and enjoy the process. It’s a long way off for me, but the internship helped me shape my path and I’m considering doing a PhD in the future.
Did you feel welcome in your research groups?
Mora: I had a really good time with the Portugal Lab. Manuela, a postdoc in the group, supervised me and helped me a lot. I really appreciate her effort. It took some time to get to know everyone else in the lab, but now I will miss all of them.
Santiago: The first days were quite overwhelming. I got a little anxious, thinking that I don’t know enough and don’t belong here. But Laura, the PhD student who supervised me, really took good care of me. She told me that it’s OK not to know everything from the start. And with time I think I really integrated into the group.
What did you work on in the Labs?
Santiago: I worked on a spin-off project of the Domenech de Cellès Lab—on the effect of temperature and other factors on the transmission rate of diseases. The first two weeks it was a lot of reading and learning about the methods, but from that point on I could start my work. Hopefully someone can pick up my project.
Mora: It was overwhelming at first and of course I didn’t have all the skills I needed from the start. So, I had to read a lot. I learned a lot about data analysis working on dry season persistence of malaria parasites in Silvia Portugal’s group. And I will continue to work on this topic in my bachelor thesis. The three months were great, but not nearly enough time to really finish a project. But it was enough to assist the research group and get into the topic.
Any tips or recommendations for students who are considering to apply for the internship program?
Mora: Persistence! I applied for so many programs and I finally got lucky—but I also learned a lot from the applications before.
Santiago: That’s true. For the program itself, I would add that it’s really important not to be afraid to ask a lot of questions of your supervisors and colleagues. This will save you a lot of time and worry in the first days and weeks. Do not feel scared of not knowing something and please go ask someone instead of wasting time.
It has only been three months and Berlin is a very international city, but did you pick up any German phrases?
Mora: Ich spreche kein Deutsch [I don’t speak German].
Santiago: Mit Karte bitte [I'd like to pay by card], you really need that one around here.
Thank you for the interview, have a safe trip home!
Interview conducted by Christian Denkhaus