Deepikaa Menon, ‘07
Chennai, India

Deepikaa Menon is a senior Physics major and Politics minor who spent a summer doing research at the prestigious Max Plank Institute in Heidelberg, Germany.

Although I didn’t go abroad during the school year the way many of my friends did, I still experienced a similar transformation I had seen in them while I was in Germany over the summer; I realized that trying new things and new places was mainly about constantly seeing beyond yourself.

Where did you do the internship: At the Max Plank Institute in Heidelberg, Germany.

When did you go: Summer before my senior year (Summer 2006).

What did you do: I assisted in a research project on laser spectroscopy of ions. My work mainly consisted of analysis of data collected by post-doctoral fellows.

What did you speak: Given the international presence at the Plank Institute, English is the language of communication. Even in the town of Heidelberg, most people are fluent in English, so not knowing German was never too much of a problem.

Why did you intern abroad: I was looking for internships in the US, but realized that as non-American I wasn’t eligible for most of the internships, given that they were government-funded. I then looked to Germany, because of the renowned science research undertaken there. Heidelberg’s Max Plank Institute is dedicated entirely to Nuclear Physics, a field of great interest to me, and hence why I pursued an internship there.

What next: I greatly enjoyed my time in Germany, as well as the culture and work ethics. As such, I’m looking for employment in Physics-related fields in Germany, as well as learning the language while I’m there!