Our winter seminars were held the last week of February. Below an impression by two of our students: Helen Lee and Nisha Ravindran (both standing on the right side)
Winter Seminars 2016
Helen Lee (P.R. China)
It’s been an unforgettable experience for me to have enjoyed the winter seminar course in Maastricht. When I think of how to describe it, three words come into my mind: challenging, intense and fun. The students came from all over the world and were specialized in different backgrounds including psychiatry, psychology, and biology, and all with different perspectives,
and insights and visions about the research topics discussed. Each day everybody gave a talk
for 15-20 minutes and the rest of the attendees joined in with comments and discussion about potential implications in terms of the research field and clinical practice. Topics were wide-ranging and included treatments for psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and panic as well as genetic and neurobiological contributions. Supervisors were all experienced international scientists but at the same time very approachable, inspiring and witty which was surprisingly pleasant.
During the seminars each day the students also played a great role in helping each other. Some days were difficult to cope with when the topic was too heavy (genetics for example); so we made light jokes, encouraged each other and even hung out for dinner at night. After one week together we were strongly bonded like a big family.
Winter Course 2016
Nisha Ravindran (Canada)
Coming to the winter course this year was a great experience. To make the best of the course required some fairly intense preparation beforehand. As each day progressed, the benefit of this preparation became clear - As students, we were making scientific presentations to each other, with individual faculty guiding this process and moderating rich discussions. One of the major benefits of the course, and indeed for the Master's program overall, includes being able to work with people from different backgrounds ranging from psychiatry, to psychology, to pure science. This diversity (both of geographic origin and of training background) truly complemented these interactions, along with mentorship from faculty.
By the end of the week, it began to sink in that there were both new friendships forming, as well
as old and dear friends in the group, now having had contact with each other over two to three years. Being able to witness and share in the growth of colleagues who have this common interest in neuroscience is quite special. It is truly inspiring to see everyone developing deeper involvement and interest in research. Very exciting to think of all the promising opportunities to collaborate in the future!
Highlights of the week for me included the productive yet jovial spirit of our group of students,
panic induction in the lab(!), and enjoying the beautiful town of Maastricht twinned with the wonderful hospitality of the Dutch.
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