Name: Linnea Siderhurst
Class Year: 2027
Major:  Mathematics
 
Internship Organization: livMatS Cluster, University of Freiburg
Internship Title: Research Intern
Location: Freiburg, Germany

What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!

I am interning at the livMatS cluster of the University of Freiburg, which is a part of the department of engineering. This research cluster takes inspiration from the natural world to create bio-inspired technology and engineering solutions. One current research area at livMatS is hygromorphic actuation: an energy-free technology with applications in sustainable architecture. Under the supervision of my mentors, I am working on a simulation which will hopefully provide insight into the chemical physics driving hygromorphic actuation. So far, I have been doing literature reviews on topics such as polymer physics and molecular dynamics simulation, and have used Python and LAMMPS to investigate the effects of various parameters on my simulation.

Why did you apply for this internship?

This internship is run through the Innovation Academy summer internship program, which provides the opportunity for students to live in Germany and participate in sustainability-focused internships. I was drawn to this because of the opportunity to travel and because I saw that doing research at the University of Freiburg was one of the internship options. I am hoping to continue doing research in some capacity in graduate school, so this program seemed like the perfect way to try out research and get to experience a new place! I would definitely recommend this program to students who have not gotten the chance to study abroad and are passionate about climate justice and sustainability.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of this internship has been the location and my lovely fellow Innovation Academy interns. Freiburg is a beautiful city with so many fun summertime events such as festivals, flea markets, and pride events! I’ve also loved being in a place with so much access to history. I’ve greatly enjoyed seeing all the historical architecture around Freiburg and have gotten to explore some amazing art and history museums. In our first week here, we even had the opportunity to visit the reconstructed Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg castle in Alsace, France. And, of course, I have to shout out the friends I have made here for adding so much to this experience. The simple moments of sitting outside and chatting about life and getting to know new people might even beat out the breathtaking views and castles.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

I expected to be spending most of my time working in a laboratory setting and completing mostly experimental work. However, my research project is entirely theoretical and simulation-based. This was definitely an interesting adjustment, and it was stressful at first because I felt like I didn’t really know what I was doing, and it was different from what I had envisioned. Now that I have gotten a bit more comfortable, I have realized just how much this project has been teaching me. I have gained computing skills such as coding with Python and tuning LAMMPS simulations, and I have learned the importance of adaptability in a research environment. Things almost never go the way they do in our heads, and it is so important to learn how to handle changes (and maybe even enjoy them, but I’m not quite there yet).