NETs@Helmholtz Retreat 2023

Participant report by PhD student representative Patrick Behr

When I travelled to Annweiler am Trifels for the NETs@Helmholtz Retreat I did so without any expectations, as it was my first retreat of this kind. When I arrived, I only knew the scheduled program, about half of my peers and almost nothing about the location. Now that it is behind me, I can honestly say that it was worth the while. The location was a beautiful “Jugendstil” place surrounded by hills covered with trees. In this environment we had inspiring workshops, great conversations over delicious meals and a movie night of a different kind: In keeping with one of the overarching topics of the event, inclusion and equity, we watched the documentary film “Picture a Scientist”. I think I speak for all of us, when I say that it was shocking to watch the hurdles and inequalities experienced by the three protagonists. Fortunately, most of the workshops prepared us to be aware of these problems and to help create a better environment for everyone in science. Of course, the DACStorE project itself was also a central part of the retreat. During the poster session I was finally able to grasp what everyone else in the project was doing on a more detailed level, which helped me figuring out the big picture. As the finale of the week, we were lucky enough to visit the energy labs at KIT where we saw a multitude of devices that already demonstrate the technologies we and others in our field are researching.

Overall I am grateful for the perspectives and skillsets conveyed to us during the seminars as well as for the great conversations we had and connections that formed. I can honestly say I know both the DACStorE project and the participants a lot better after the week in Annweiler. Many thanks to Dhana Wolf for the organization and to my fellow PhD students for attending.