Lab Rotations

Yanjun Li
Example of tracks in the study conducted by Yanjun Li
Engineering and Technology company (2021)

It is recommendable to gain more research experience in a institute, an external company or abroad by participating in the two lab rotations. Those practical and independent works in the duration of six to eight months are helpful for students to obtain knowledge in the specific field of their own interests. Both my two lab rotations took place in a engineering and technology company in Germany. By the regular contacts with a corporate supervisor as well as a Professor at our institute, students can be offered with professional guides on their researches. There are also advantages of taking lab rotations in our institute, for example, some states of the art, which are based on students‘ personal preferences as well as a professor‘s advice, can be chosen as the topics. Going abroad to other countries is also a good option for lab rotations that students can learn from the latest international researches. Furthermore, the lab rotation can be taken as a preparatory for the master thesis. By practicing more with scientific writings, it can be beneficial for students in future scientific researches as well as their careers. 

- Yanjun Li (2021)

Slum mapping & federal research center (2021)

Lab Rotations are a chance to gain hands-on experience in self-chosen topics. They are a great possibility to work independently on research projects, which can also take place in external institutions, even abroad. Students are introduced into the welcoming institution's research and can arrange projects to work on in full time for six to eight weeks. Each student independently organizes two stays, while both can also be combined into a larger project. During the stay, the student is in regular contact with the supervisor and his team to clarify questions and discuss the further work. Moreover, these are great opportunities to get in touch with domain experts, which could also be beneficial for later career stages. During my first Lab, I had the chance to work on a slum mapping project at a university in the Netherlands. It was great to learn the state of the art from leading researchers in that field, while I could also contact with people in the corresponding countries to get first-hand knowledge about the local situations. My second Lab took place in a federal research center, where I could enhance my programming skills by a lot and gain valuable experience in machine learning with geodata. Fellow students worked on GNSS topics in large industrial companies, some are also planning to visit international space organizations. After each stay, a report is written and a presentation held. Giving 10 ECTS each, the Lab Rotations fill up a large part of the 3rd semester, while the periods can be arranged flexibly. They are thus balancing the studies in a good way, giving the students a solid mixture of theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

- Michael Malkin (2021)

Lab Rotations are a chance to gain hands-on experience in self-chosen topics. They are a great possibility to work independently on research projects, which can also take place in external institutions, even abroad.