APC News

Biologen Op Stap

Biologen Op Stap

Radboud University Biologists Visit APC

by Marcel van de Wouw, PhD student

A group of eager undergraduate biology students from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, recently visited APC Microbiome Ireland to learn more about the science we perform here. A busy itinerary was organised at APC for the  Biologen Op Stap, (translated as Biologists On Tour) group.

I participated in a 30-minute interactive session where we talked with groups of 4-5 college students for 5 minutes at a time. Our aim was to tell about our experience of working in APC Microbiome Ireland, as well as science in general. As the groups consisted of native Dutch speakers only, I immediately switched to talking in the Dutch language, making communication quite a bit more informal!

And even though it seemed clear that they had to rise early that day, they all seemed eager to learn more about APC Microbiome Ireland and the experience of working here. After a brief introduction on who I was and what the focus of my research is, they asked numerous questions focussed on how I got to where I am now, my experience of pursuing a PhD here, and even on how I enjoy living in Cork in general. After our 5 minutes of conversing, it was the turn of the next group and before we knew it, the session was concluded. Overall, it was a great and enjoyable experience talking with the visiting students, and I’m sure they’ll have a bright future ahead of them.