Visit by a group of HBCU students from the U.S.

We welcomed Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US at the MPIMG.

On May 22, a delegation of students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US visited the institute as part of the STEM & Enterprise LAUNCH program. Our PhD coordinator Anne-Dominique Gindrat informed participants about study and career opportunities at the institute, particularly our study program “International Max Planck Research School for Biology and Computation” (IMPRS-BAC).

They gained insights into various fields of research. Two scientists from the institute, Diana Mojica Santamaria from the Schulz Lab and Persia Akbari-Omgba from the Bulut-Karslioglu Lab, reported on their research work. A visit to Matthew Kraushar's laboratories rounded off the program. Afterwards, the students had the opportunity to engage with scientists, gaining valuable insights for their future careers in science. Jennifer Wang and JoAnne Villagrana from the Smith Lab and Eva Verzani from the Vingron Lab shared their experiences as young American scientists in Germany.

At the end of the day, the Student Association (STA) and the Postdoctoral Association (PDA) presented an overview of their work to support doctoral candidates and postdocs through advocacy, networking opportunities, and career counseling.

Since 2013, the STEM & Enterprise LAUNCH program has enabled students and teachers from STEM and business programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US to take part in a two-week study trip to Germany. The aim is to lay the foundation for a network of HBCU students and teachers.