Student’s corner
ESB mobility award
In this newsletter, we are happy to share the stories of two of our previous ESB mobility award winners, Niklas König from Switzerland and Kenneth Smale from Canada. They have both recently returned from their academic exchange.
Here is the story from Niklas:
” It was already last year in April when I set off for my research exchange to the Laboratory of Engineering of Neuromuscular System and Motor Rehabilitation at the Politecnico in Turin, Italy. We had planned an experiment to investigate the influence of muscle discharge rate variability on the force fluctuations that occur during muscle contractions. I was supervised in this project by Prof. Marco Gazzoni and his team which was a great experience for me. Their detailed understanding for muscle physiology and their advanced developments for recording and evaluation of muscular signals are outstanding.
Beside the exciting lab-work, I also very much enjoyed my three-month stay in general. In April the weather in Turin is already very pleasant and I was able to spent some of my time sitting on Piazzas enjoying the warmth of the sun, with an excellent Italian Espresso or amazing ice-cream (seriously, in case you are there try La Romana). In the evening, there are numerous enjoyable restaurants which spoil their guest with full-bodied wines and the delicious local cuisine. Besides the multitude of delicacies Italy has to offer, I was also amazed by Turin’s town centre with many beautiful baroque buildings and buzzing shopping streets. It is certainly a place worth visiting.
Figure: Enjoying amazing ice-cream on Turin’s beautiful piazzas.
I very much appreciate the opportunity provided by the ESB to experience this lovely town and the Italian life-style but beyond that, for the great experience of working and learning from the colleagues in the laboratory. Surely, the gained skills and understanding for the topic will be very useful for my future steps to gain better understanding of neurophysiological process that determine human movement performance. ”
And the story from Kenneth:
“Our lab in Ottawa, Canada under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Benoit is forming a collaboration with Dr. Tine Alkjaer’s research group in Copenhagen, Denmark, around a longitudinal study that follows patients that have torn their anterior cruciate ligament and has them come in for testing before and multiple times after their reconstruction surgery. This is the first longitudinal study I have been involved in so it provided great experience into designing this type of experiment and the work that is required for it to remain productive and yield valuable results.
As a Canadian I was ecstatic with the opportunity to skip our frigid winter and instead spend it in the milder, but albeit windier Copenhagen. The amount of bikers even during the winter months was maybe the most surprising but impressive thing about my time in Copenhagen. It was very nice to become accustomed to the idea that biking is a way of transportation and not just a form of exercise done in a gym. Everyone also made the integration into Danish society very easy for me as they were all extremely welcoming and open to sharing their views on where to find the best gulerodskage (carrot cake; and I would have to go with the Harry Potter looking Paludan Bogcafe as the answer!). Even though the work days were busy with data collections, data analysis, or participating in other students’ projects it was nice that everyone always found time to partake in a well-earned pint of Carlsberg or Tuborg afterwards. Overall, I had an excellent experience in Denmark concerning both my work and social life so I would like to thank the ESB once again for supporting opportunities like these. I look forward to sharing my work with the community in the near future!”
Student Events at the ESB Conference in Lyon – July 2016
Social Evening
Together with the local organizers, the student committee is planning a social evening on Monday July 11th. It will be at Le Sucre, and will start at 19.30 with access to the rooftop, ping pong table, table football, and many other things. Students will get two drink tickets!
Student lunch seminar – A workshop on research ethics
Across Europe, scandals have been rising lately where high profile researchers that have been accused of fabricating or falsifying results. How often does this happen? And where to draw the line?
This year’s student workshop will discuss scientific misconduct in an open forum during the lunch break on Tuesday July 12th. The details are soon to come on the Student committee’s social media sites, but if you have specific topics that you would like to be discussed please let us know in advance (hanna.isaksson at bme.lth. se) or come prepared to the workshop.
Scientific misconduct is defined as falsification, fabrication, plagiarism and other serious breaches of good research practice that have been committed wilfully or through gross negligence when planning, carrying out or reporting on research.
By Hanna and the student committee
