Hello world! We are back after a long absence with more stories to share about our student life in the MSNE program. At this point it seems appropriate to start off by introducing ourselves, the 4th batch of MSNE students.
Our cohort, just like the previous ones, comes from all around the globe: be it Brazil and South Korea, India and Italy, the US and Germany, and many, many more. What brings us together in Munich is a shared goal of defining new frontiers in neuroscience through engineering training or vice versa - using an understanding of the brain to advance in complex engineering problems. Now that the first semester is ending, we can look back on our experiences during our first few months as fledgling Neuroengineering students.
The MSNE program is a very interdisciplinary program, and professors from different faculties and universities are involved in our classes. As a consequence of this, we spent a great part of our semester exploring Munich’s underground in the U-Bahn, seeing everyday life in Munich while going back and forth between research facilities and class rooms. In the midst of all our traveling, when not learning about how far the U2 and U6 can go, we learned about the field of Neuroengineering from various perspectives, ranging from the electronics and methods to analyse neuronal activity to the structures and computations encompassed in our brain.
The ENB Welcome Event
Throughout the semester we were faced with logistical and mental hurdles alike. However, aside from the challenges during our daily routines we managed to attend various events; noteworthy among those was the Welcome Event organised by the Elite Network of Bavaria. Presentations from the network coordinators gave us a glimpse into the variety of opportunities that the ENB offers us in addition to our studies. Further, alumni and experts invited by ENB provided us with perspectives to shape our own career outside academia by presenting examples and issues in entrepreneurship. At the end of the event we were given the possibility to engage with peer students from the network. We ended our evening together on Vorhoelzer Forum with a pleasant view over Munich at night.
Visit to Texas Instruments
Another event worth noting was our visit to Texas Instruments in Freising, organised by Prof. Wolfrum. Our visit to TI helped us learn something that is not necessarily taught in our classes: the ability to balance scientific innovation with its economic potential. With a round of presentations from young professionals and experts from the company we were able to delve into the decisions that the industry faces on a daily basis. Apart from presentations, the program also included a guided tour through the test laboratory of TI. All in all, it was a very insightful visit that served as a contrast to our regular study program.
This was more or less a recap of the previous months in the MSNE program. Stay tuned for more updates…
Eric Ceballos Dominguez