Excursion

From time to time, we organise a field trip to a research facility for all interested students. In the past, we have visited, amongst other places, the AWI (Alfred Wegener Institute) in Bremerhaven and the ESA (European Space Agency) in Noordwijk. During the field trip, we are given a guided tour of the research facility and an overview of its activities.

 

Geophysicists in Practice

We regularly invite geophysicists to our institute to take part in our lecture series ‘Geophysicists in Practice’. The speakers talk about their career paths and their current fields of work. This lecture series is aimed at all students and provides an insight into the wide variety of career paths available to geophysicists. It is also intended to give students the opportunity to ask the speakers any questions they may have about professional life and beyond, in a relaxed and open setting.

 

Evaluation

At the University of Münster, all lectures and seminars are evaluated by the students. We do the same here. We work closely with the physics department on this. They analyse the evaluation forms we distribute and publish the results. The main purpose of the evaluation is to help the lecturer or seminar tutor improve their teaching.

 

Field Course

Every two years, we organise a ‘mini field course’ for second- and fourth-semester students, led by student representatives. The field course offers a brief insight into applied geophysics. We spend a weekend together outside Münster, introducing participants to various measurement methods. As well as the ‘field’ measurements, there’s always a fun evening programme too. The ‘Mini-Field Course’ not only provides an insight into applied geophysics but also helps students to network both within the current semester and across semesters.

 

DGG/EGU Trips

For all interested students, we organise annual trips to the major geophysics conferences organised by the DGG (German Geophysical Society) and the EGU (European Geosciences Union). At these conferences, scientists from all over Germany and Europe come together to exchange ideas and discuss the latest research. The conferences feature, amongst other things, lectures, poster sessions, workshops and excursions. There are also informal get-togethers in restaurants or pubs. These conferences therefore serve not only as opportunities for professional development, but also as a chance to get to know students and researchers from Germany and across Europe.

GAP

Our personal highlight of the year is the GAP (Geophysical Action Programme).  The GAP is held in a different city every year, bringing together students from all over Germany to meet and get to know one another. As well as specialist presentations by companies and the respective institute, the GAP also offers interesting excursions, workshops, barbecues and parties. The main focus, of course, is on exchange and networking between students from all over Germany.