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MaP Winter Retreat

In January 2023, MaP Doctoral School organised a workshop on "Time and Career Management for Scientists" in the Swiss mountains. The idea pitched at the MaP Graduate Symposium 2022 won the 'MaP Call for Transdisciplinary Formats'.

Participants in front of hotel Lindenhof in Churwalden (Lenzerheide) (c) Xanthe Verbeek On the train to Chur   (c) Zazo Meijs During the workshop with trainer Dr. Karin Bodewits (c) Xanthe Verbeek Dr. Karin Bodewits on "How to present yourself" (c) Xanthe Verbeek "What's your thematic track?" (c) Xanthe Verbeek Getting to know each other (at Hotel Lindenhof, Churwalden)
 (c) Zazo Meijs Learning Swiss card games
 (c) Zazo Meijs Fun in the snow
 (c) Zazo Meijs Beautiful mountain panorama at Lenzerheide/Arosa (c) Zazo Meijs Dr. Tino Matter, MaP Award Winner 2021, gave an inspiring talk on Saturday evening
 (c) Xanthe Verbeek Dr. Tino Matter during his talk
 (c) Xanthe Verbeek Getting to know each other
 (c) Zazo Meijs MaP quiz and more networking
 (c) Xanthe Verbeek Nadia Enrriquez beautifully wording what MaP is about
 (c) Xanthe Verbeek Ready to go home with new MaP friends (c) Zazo Meijs

(c) Pictures copyright by Xanthe Verbeek and Zazo Meijs.

Many thanks and congratulations to Zazo Meijs, Xanthe Verbeek, Maximilian Merkel, and Rafaela Louis of the organising team for a successful and exciting weekend! You guys rock!

Please enjoy Zazo Meijs's report below.

  • An immense group of over 40 MaP doctoral students met up early at Zurich HB. ALL on time at 7.50 (picture me shocked).
  • We arrived at the beautiful Lindenhof Churwalden hotel. As all sleep-deprived students queued up to literally finish all available coffee (don't worry there was new supply soon), Karin Bodewits, the trainer of the ‘Career and Time Management Workshop for Scientists, set up the presentations.
  • The workshop started with an Introduction & Networking exercise, to remind the science doctoral students that, although they are working on a small exact part, each is working on a brick of a Cathedral. The ones working on bacteria in cement are looking into making living breathing buildings that extract CO2 from the air and make human habitation create balance with the earth. Working on simulating a specific crystalline compound is working towards a full understanding of these materials and opens the door to super conductors and quantum computers. While we sell our papers and presentations and even when introducing our work, it is important to paint the bigger picture and tell why we are labouring in the lab.
  • After a buffet lunch we went into career planning. We discussed the many skills all of us have developed during our PhD and where these are applicable. Quite a few of the ETH students admitted to a secret wish to be the next professors, but some are more interested in making their own start-ups, working as patent specialists, or going into the dynamic world of consultancy.
  • Some of us were a bit uncomfortable thinking about what we want to do after the PhD instead of thinking how to do the next experiment/simulation. But thinking about the options forces us to make a plan, to look at which skill we have -> want -> and how to get them. It allows us to manage our time to achieve our goals.
  • After a real Swiss dinner of weird combinations, the students were forced to mingle talking and walking through the room (4-corners game) for various questions with (to the organisers) surprising results:
    • MaP students prefer watching skiing over football.
    • Wine & beer are still preferred over coffee.
    • MaP students are very keen on trying exciting sports like ski touring, paragliding, and rock climbing.
    • There were not one but two architecture students. In addition to the majority of material and engineering scientists, MaP also has doctoral students in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and informatics.
  • In the evening we bravely challenged the snow to fill the only apres-ski bar in Churwalden to experiment with the typical, and dangerous, Swiss game "Nageln".
     
  • After a hearty breakfast, the snowy soft part of the workshop started. Students split up in groups to
    • Ski the slopes of Arosa/Lenzerheide, skiing below, through and above the clouds and meeting MaP doctoral students at every corner.
    • Go cross country skiing the Lenzerheide valley. For some it was flying over the snow and for others a slow introduction to a beloved Swiss sport.
    • Or climb up the snowy hillside to sledge down and feel the soft snow everywhere.
  • We all got back together in the late afternoon at Lindenhof. Before dinner we were treated to a presentation by Tino Matter, winner of the MaP Award 2021, who talked to us about his path of going from PhD- student to developing the work into his start-up. It started a lively discussion, which flowed into dinner and far in the future.
  • After dinner there was a "pub quiz" on the ETH/MaP/ETH-start-ups (e.g. “what does the MaP Doctoral School logo actually represent?»). The three finalist teams got to pitch to Tino Matter of what MaP should represent. Our winner was with resounding applause the team of Nadia Enrriquez, who beautifully worded how MaP is about stepping outside of your own lab and bubble and finding people who are working on related but different things, who are walking alike but on a diverging path, to meet with those that you will create the future with!
  • This ended the final presentations and students where free to sleep, but many decided to instead to
    • Bond in the sauna, followed by freezing in the snow,
    • Learn about Swiss card games,
    • Or role-play as mafiosi and werewolves killing each other till deeper in the night than any of the organisers were able to keep track of.
       
  • Sunday morning officially was the end of MaP Winter Retreat, but if you look at the pictures and stories you wouldn't know it as everyone self-organised to go skiing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and some even brazed the highest mountains for a ski-tour!
  • We travelled together back to Zurich and the ETH labs, now knowing a few more faces all over the campus, knowing just a few more of the people that together will work towards innovating our future materials and processes no matter what career path they decide on!
     
The MaP Doctoral School | Winter Retreat on Time and Career Management

Programme

Friday, 16 December 2022

  • Workshop kick-off meeting via Zoom: online questions and assignments to complete before the January workshop

Friday, 27 January 2023

Saturday, 28 January 2023

Sunday, 29 January 2023

  • More fun in the snow and individual return to Zurich 

 

This novel community format was the winning idea of the 2022 Call by the MaP Doctoral School for Transdisciplinary Formats to prepare its people to drive future transformations in the way Materials & Processes shape the world.

co-created by: Zazo Meijs, Xanthe Verbeek, Maximilian Merkel, Rafaela Louis
supported by: Barbara Lau & Josephine Baer (MaP Doctoral School)

Questions & Support

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to the MaP Doctoral School team.

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