How to thrive in a post-doc abroad: Now in 10 easy steps!

Here are a few pointers for surviving and thriving in a post-doc abroad. Some of these apply to Germany in particular, some broadly to post-docs, and some are just everyday reminders relevant to most humans.

0. Assuming you've crossed every t and dotted every i on every immigration form you can possibly imagine, and then some, this is how to proceed once you've arrived:

1. Don't take anything personally. You're in a new culture, or at the very least a different culture than the one you're used to. You're the odd one out. You're going to make mistakes. Make them, laugh at yourself, and move on.

2. Take compliments personally. There's always an exception.

3. Surround yourself with native speakers. Do your best to learn the local language, but don't chastise yourself for indulging in your native tongue from time to time. Both are essential for one's well-being.

4. Get to know your colleagues, both professionally and personally. Go to group gatherings. You never know when that personal connection may help you back in the office and vice versa.

5. Take time for yourself. An excellent way to burn out is to direct all of your energy toward everyone else and never toward yourself. Do what you need to do to recharge and stay healthy.

6. Learn about research differences between your home country and the new country. Err on the side of the differences being interesting rather than flat-out wrong. (Both are possible.) 

7. Don't rush to conclusions. Listen first, think second, speak last.

8. Always keep your goals in mind. The post-doc isn't your average research position; it is specifically designed to help you develop technical and professional skills and to smooth your transition from graduate school to the "real" world of research and academia. You have to know where you're going to know where to best invest your (and your supervisor's) energy now.

9. Create your own career path. Don't assume your supervisor has your best interests in mind (you may just represent one of many projects) nor should you assume that they don't. Keep open all channels of communication. Take charge of your own destiny (and hope the job market cooperates).

10. Enjoy the ride! The post-doc is a unique experience, as is living abroad (usually). Make all the memories you can. One day you will look back on this experience with nostalgia and think: "Those were the days ... "

Links for further reading:
@ The Chronicle

@ Scientific American

@ New Scientist

Moments in Stuttgart

Sometimes Stuttgart does not feel like Stuttgart. This sunset, which awaited me Friday evening as I left the office, reminds me of something more typical of a tropical climate -- of something I would see when I was in Rio de Janeiro or in Kampala, Uganda. The range of colors in the sky and the shape of the tree have a lot to do with that. That tree, by the way, is an apple tree. Apple trees are surprisingly common in public spaces in Stuttgart. It's as if one urban planner first had the good idea--hey! let's plant something people can use--and then a whole bunch of other planners followed suit. Or something like that.

Just enjoy that sunset for a while ...

Happy 2014!

For many Germans, tomorrow is the first day back to work after the long Christmas holidays. What better day to reflect on 2013 and plan for 2014? 

Some of my aspirational goals for 2014 are (in no particular order):

1. Live more. Stress over work less. I was surprised this past year to see how much non-productive time my post-doc consumed, or rather, how much time I let it consume. I love the work that I do, and because I love it, I would ideally spend 90% of my time on research and 10% on the necessary administration and miscellaneous duties. Instead, I ended up spending at least 50% of my time, if not more, on administration and tasks that did not move my research forward. This is partly due to the difference between academic flex-time and the 9-5 world of a research institution. It is also partly due to poor scheduling on my part to compensate for the difference (for which I was admittedly unprepared). 2014 is going to include more proactive scheduling and more time recharging in places like the Schlossgarten park, where I was today.

Unterer Schlossgarten

2. Continue to publish papers. This is a given if I want to have any sort of research career. More specifically, I want to publish at least four papers this year, at least two of which where I am the first author. I have already started three of the four papers; the fourth is in the works.

3. Have a job lined up for 2015 by November 1, 2014. My post-doc ends (more or less) by the end of 2014. As my next step, I am looking at academic positions and research NGOs and have been working intensely on applications. November 1 should be a reasonable target date to have an offer in writing.

4. Visit three new cities by June 1. See #1: live more, stress less. When I studied abroad in college, I traveled nearly every weekend. (Long weekends for Catholic holidays (and no class) helped this statistic considerably.) If this year's winter in Stuttgart is anything like last year's winter (cloudy, rainy, lifeless, and miserable), the best way to survive will be to get out of the city as much as possible. According to iCal, I have 17 free weekends between now and June 1. I have been keeping a list of new cities to visit and at the top of that list are Heidelberg, Dresden, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Perhaps I'll even visit all four.

5. Skype more often with family and friends. What's the point of being all the way over here if I don't share it with the people who mean the most to me? Blogs and phones are great; Skype is even better.

What are some of your New Year's goals and/or resolutions?

Checkpoint Charlie & the Berlin Wall

I've been to Berlin twice (both very short trips) and, while I had visited parts of the former Berlin Wall and the current East Side Gallery, where artists have decorated the wall with images of hope and peace, I had never once visited Checkpoint Charlie. Therefore, today I made what I thought would be a quick trip to Checkpoint Charlie. Little did I know how deeply the site and the neighboring museum would pull me in. I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves.

Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin, just as Germany was divided into East and West Germany. The American, British, and French forces controlled West Germany while East Berlin was controlled by the Soviets (and the GDR).  

GDR certification plaque on the Berlin Wall

Some people were able to escape East Germany in the trunks of cars or on "official" (and expensive) diplomatic missions. This woman escaped inside modified speakers in the trunk of a car.

"The exact conditions of each successful escape will be meticulously analyzed and documented by the MfS so that, through further perfection, the 'weak points' of the border system can be eliminated." (MfS = Ministry for State Security = the East German secret police, commonly known as the "Stasi")

Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich played Bach in front of the Berlin Wall as the Wall fell in 1989. 

"Freedom is always freedom of those who think differently."

Berlin Day 2: Churches, Gates, and Ferris Wheels

I spent Tuesday between Alexanderplatz, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and the Brandenburg Gate. It may not sound like much, but these were major tourist stops and took up most of the day.

Alexanderplatz is Berlin's center square. It is most easily recognized for its huge Ferris wheel (Riesenrad) and the television tower (Fernsehturm) nearby. The tower, built by the former GDR government, is still the tallest building in Germany. On a sunny day, it's probably worth the entrance fee to climb to the top and get the bird's eye view of Berlin. Today, not so much. I admired it from afar.

Ferris Wheel on Alexanderplatz

Television tower (Fernsehturm)

Another major attraction in the center of the city is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Named after Kaiser Wilhelm I, and arguably one of the most famous churches in Germany, the church was bombed and destroyed by a British air raid in World War II. Some sympathetic army officials supposedly told church members that the church was destroyed so that a bigger, better church could be built. Who knows. A new church was indeed built years later and finished in 1960. Today, some 50 years later, the church is undergoing renovations, as evidenced by the scaffolding in the picture below. However, visitors are still being allowed inside. I'm glad I had a chance to visit the chapel. Between the church organ, the cobalt blue windows, and knowing the history, it's a pretty incredible place to be.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Inside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Of course, no trip to Berlin would be complete without a trip to the Brandenburg Gate, or the Brandenburger Tor auf Deutsch. (Checkpoint Charlie comes tomorrow.) This city gate was built in the late 18th century as a sign of peace under the Prussian rule of King Friedrich Wilhelm II. It was largely destroyed in WWII and rebuilt as a national monument in 2000-2002.

Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)

Brandenburg Gate, theoretically with me in front (in black)

The Brandenburg Gate sits on one of Berlin's major thoroughfares, "Unter den Linden". The picture below was my view as I was leaving the square and heading back to the hostel for a good night's sleep.

Unter den Linden ("Under the linden trees")

Berlin Day 1: Holding Contradictions

I am in Berlin this week for vacation. Since I visited the city briefly many years ago and saw many of the tourist attractions then, this trip will be a mix of some Berlin essentials and other neighborhood tips. I am staying at a hostel in Berlin Kreuzberg, so I am in a great neighborhood and have excellent access to the rest of the city.

Monday, 25 November 2013

I made three major stops on my tour Monday, each completely different from the rest. First, I headed to Oranienplatz, site of Berlin's refugee camp that has been operating independent from the city since January 2013. Refugees from primarily African countries have been camping out on this major square to protest the EU residency laws. When immigrating into Germany, for example, you have to prove you have somewhere to stay and you have to register with the authorities with an official address. Many refugees, however, do not have an address when they are fleeing their countries; they put all their energy into the flight. Furthermore, many say that the EU cannot force anyone to register an official address. They say it is a human right to live where you choose, whether that be at a permanent address or moving from place to place.

More than protesting, these refugees--none of whom have official addresses--are actively resisting their own deportation. I spoke with two of the camp participants--one from Nigeria and the other from Sudan. They both had been with the camp since the beginning, nearly one year ago. I wanted to ask them what caused them to flee their home countries, but figured they had been through enough without my questions. They told me they can always use donations, whether money or in-kind, and particularly need people to guard the camp at night, when it has the greatest chance of being dispersed by police (or simply when the greatest chance of any violence exists). After talking with the men for a while (I have yet to see any of the women), I packed some flyers in my bag to take back with me to Stuttgart and put a small donation in the donation can. Below are pictures of some of the signs and artwork surrounding the camp.

"No person is illegal."

"No residency requirement!
No detainment camps! No deportation!

Left: "Against residency requirement in Europe."
Right: "We are fighting for our human dignity!"

No longer than 20 minutes after leaving the camp, a fight broke out between two of the refugees--about what, I don't know. As I circled back around--not on purpose, but due to my less-than-stellar new-city navigation skills--someone had already called the police to mediate the situation. At least six officers arrived at the camp, though surprisingly kept their distance. Four cars were parked in a side street with their respective officers chatting in the middle of the street. Two paddy wagons were parked directly next to the camp. There was far more police presence than the situation warranted and I worried that if the fight escalated, some of the refugees--or all of them--may end up in paddy wagons. Luckily, that didn't happen and eventually the situation was resolved with minimal intervention.

Staying at a safe distance while reorienting myself, I contemplated violence and non-violence in war-torn communities. When people are being murdered all around you, how are you ever going to learn peace? At the same time, there have been people throughout history who have acted as peaceful witnesses to violence. There are probably some of both "types" of characters in Berlin's refugee camp--and many more who fall somewhere along the spectrum. I suspect the two men fighting at the camp belong to the former group and far too quickly turned to violence to "settle" their dispute because they knew of no other way. Who is more at fault? It's hard to say.

There is a significant chance that the camp will be broken up in the next 2-3 weeks. If so, the refugees will be deported back to their home countries and the few media outlets still providing visibility will move onto the next story.

For more information on the camp, see http://refugeecampberlininfo.tumblr.com,  http://asylstrikeberlin.wordpress.com, and/or http://www.refugeetentaction.net.

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Deep in thought, I started walking to my next destination: Kastanienalle 86, an occupied house and cultural center in danger of being sold to private owners. In comparison to the refugee camp, the house project is nothing but privilege. The resistance against gentrification pales in comparison to the resistance against deportation. It doesn't even make sense to compare the two. I held the contradictions in mind and continued along to the house.

Unfortunately, the house was closed to visitors when I arrived--or maybe it only opens for public events--so I settled for the next best thing. What else would be next to an occupied house? An anarchist bookstore, of course. I spent a while in the bookstore and ended up buying a book on building sustainable international networks. (I guess I can't poke too much fun at the stereotype when I myself support its perpetuation!)

Book: Solidarity Spaces & Cooperative Perspectives

I am not quite sure what to make of Kastanienalle 86. I didn't get to go inside, so I can't judge it fairly. It is in the process of being bought (most likely) and the surrounding neighborhood is quickly filling with trendy boutiques and coffeeshops catering to English-speaking tourists. I would not be surprised if, after a substantial fight, the house is bought. It's really just a matter of time and money. I just hope the socio-cultural projects rooted in the housing collective find new spaces to flourish.

Leaving Kastanienallee, I headed toward my third and final stop of the day: the Ritter chocolate factory.  You know the Ritter Sport square-shaped chocolates you can buy at Target or supermarkets in the U.S.? Well, that Ritter is based in Berlin. However, the demonstration workshop was closed for a private event, the "museum" gave only the vaguest ideas of how the chocolate is made, and so I had to console myself in the Ritter chocolate shop. I don't think I've ever seen more chocolate at one time in my life: all different varieties in brightly colored wrappers, and even a meter(!)-stick of chocolate mini-squares were available to be purchased. I picked out a few varieties: nougat, yogurt, almond, and cacao brittle.

While Ritter is not yet certified with the Fair Trade label, they do make some effort to maintain an environmentally sustainable operation and pay their farmers and workers fair wages. They have also recently started a line of EU-certified organic chocolate. I hope Ritter continues in the direction of environmental, economic, and social sustainability: they will most certainly profit from the right decision.

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Monday finished up with Indian food for dinner and planning for Tuesday. On the agenda for Tuesday is: the Brandenburg Gate and surroundings, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and maybe a Christmas market or two.

I leave you with a photo for consideration. I walked past this today. Anyone missing a shoe?

"What do you do?"

Many people ask me what I do all day at my post-doc. It is an excellent question, as my official titles of "post-doc" and "wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin" (female scientific research colleague) really don't tell you anything at all. So here's the overview. Feel free to ask more questions in the comments section.

I work at the Fraunhofer Institute, Europe's largest applied research institute and one of the world's top 100 innovative organizations. There are 66 Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany with others scattered throughout the world. My specific institute is the Institute for Building Physics (Institut für Bauphysik), which includes the Department of Life Cycle Engineering, where I do my research.

What research do I do exactly? Good question! I work primarily on two projects: one dealing with biofuels and the other with biodiversity. Both projects are based in the science of life cycle assessment, which if you remember from my previous post, is an internationally standardized scientific method used to measure the environmental impacts of products and services throughout their life cycle. Sometimes these life-cyle evaluations also consider economic and social impacts to provide a broader sustainability analysis.

In the biofuels project, I am comparing life cycle impacts of five Brazilian biofuels, including sugarcane, cottonseed, and babassu, a type of palm native to South America. With data from project partners on the ground in Brazil, I calculate life-cycle impacts, such as global warming potential (based on greenhouse gas emissions), acidification, eutrophication and water use. I also model direct land use, which is tricky since (as of 2013) no standardized method for modeling land use exists. Therefore, I must draw from past modeling suggestions, informed with my own understanding of land use, and mold the method to best fit the needs of the project. It has certainly been interesting!

In addition to land use, life cycle assessment also lacks a standardized method for calculating biodiversity. The more basic question is even: how does one define biodiversity? What should be counted: animals, plants, invasive species, rates of extinction? There is much discussion, but no consensus. Our biodiversity project at Fraunhofer therefore uses the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity as a starting point and includes a prescreening process to identify supply chain hotspots, where biodiversity may be a critical issue, and follows that up with fuzzy modeling and other advanced math to calculate the actual impact.

Working in areas such as land use and biodiversity within life cycle assessment means that I am working at the forefront of the field. Without established methods to follow, I get to be creative and design my own methods, some of which could eventually have an impact on the field as a whole. It is this potential for impact and this quest for understanding that drives me to come into work each day. Having brilliant, fun-loving colleagues certainly helps, too! I am now three months shy of halfway through my post-doc. I have learned so much and given back through papers and presentations as well. I look forward to what the next 15 months bring.