
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).


















This summer, I had the opportunity to intern in the Archives and Conservation Department at the Museum of Science and Technology in Vienna, Austria. It also gave me a behind-the-scenes look at the work that makes museums more than just places to view history, they are places where history is actively preserved. Most of my work focused on protecting historical collections for future generations. I digitized archival documents, photographs, and other historical materials to improve accessibility while reducing the need to handle fragile originals.
One of the biggest surprises during this internship has been how much care, precision, and documentation are required for every task, even something as simple as removing metal fasteners from historical documents. I also did not realize how much planning goes into preserving both physical and digital collections, including video game materials. I have handled these challenges by paying close attention to detail, asking questions whenever I need clarification, and taking the time to learn the reasoning behind each conservation practice so I can perform my work accurately.
During my internship, I have developed valuable archival and conservation skills, including digitizing historical documents, photographs, and ephemera, handling fragile artifacts using professional preservation standards, and assisting with preventive conservation by removing metal fasteners that could damage materials over time. I have also gained experience maintaining accurate documentation, organizing collections for future research, and learning strategies for preserving digital media.
At SCI Austria, I support the administrative and operational side of running an NGO. This means I am working with platforms like ERAMUS+ and YouthPass, adding and tracking participants for volunteer camps. It means I spend a fair amount of time in Excel, but I am also on-site and help prepare the host location for these camps. An example of one of these camps is Clown For Peace, and it is all about how clowning can be used as a form of peaceful protest to make a political statement. Just hearing about this camp exposed me to new ideas. Both organizations are incredibly international, and I have learned to navigate environments where people bring very different ideas about how work gets done. I have gotten to learn more about project management and realize that it is definitely something I want to consider for my professional future. Helping SCI Austria prepare for incoming volunteer groups has given me a personal look at how the camps I see on their website actually come together.
At my second internship, The EU Research and Development Agency, I review and format learning documents that are used for projects. Like one of the projects, Eco Vogue, where participants learned about sustainable fashion and shared their own sustainable-designed outfits. During my time here, I have been able to learn how EU-funded organizations operate day to day, including the gap between how things look on paper and how they actually run. One of their projects, Sky Harvest, which is all about transparent land use when it comes to sustainable agriculture, is something I want to explore more in my academics, with my focus on food systems.
My major is International Studies with a focus on global systems, trade, and cross-cultural exchange. I applied because I wanted to understand what international organizations actually look like from the inside. I wanted to experience the operational reality of how people coordinate across cultures, languages, and funding structures to get things done. Not only did I want to learn how an NGO operates from day to day, but I wanted to be uncomfortable. Bryn Mawr has given me a strong academic foundation, but there is a specific kind of learning that only happens when you are the newest person in the room, in a city where you don’t speak the language, trying to figure out what you can contribute. I am living through so many firsts, and it forces me to grow at a rate that comfort doesn’t accommodate.