My name is Alec, I am a senior studying Neuroscience with a minor in Italian. I spent this past summer doing research at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen Germany, where I studied ketone body metabolism in the brain. Göttingen is known for its university and is a relatively small city. When the graduate students graduate with their doctorate from the University, they all get together and go to the Gänseliesel, a statue and fountain located at the city center that has become a symbol of the city itself. Below is a photo I took of the Gänseliesel on my first day exploring the city.

I arrived in Göttingen speaking very little German (less than a few sentences) so it was rather daunting to navigate everyday tasks like getting food or public transportation. Also, it is notable that I was not doing this as a part of a formal study abroad program, so when I arrived in Göttingen, I had no familiar faces. So I spent the fist few weeks trying to acclimate and find ways to do the things I needed to survive. In these weeks I also met some people at the gym and through a mutual friend and this allowed me to form a social group.

I went into this experience hoping to learn more about lipid metabolism in the brain, specifically in the context of neurodegenerative disease. The group that I was working in is known for their study of oligodendrocytes, the cells that I study at Pitt, and the group leader that I was working under was known for their work with cholesterol metabolism in the brain.

I spent the first few weeks in the lab learning how everything is done in this lab, shadowing a graduate student and learning all the protocols. I also was doing the necessary trainings to use the microscopes, attending weekly meetings and seminars, and getting to know everyone in the lab. Though the first weeks were daunting, the learning curve was steep and in no time I was acclimated and ready to get to work!