What motivated you to take an ENLIGHT Joint Course?

This is my second ENLIGHT Joint Course. My first one was at the University of the Basque Country and was about sustainability. The second one in Bern is about semiotics and how people perceive waste. It is quite useful for my research because it taught me to look at how scientists think about the waste they create in laboratories. The combination of online work followed by a week on site in Bern meant that I could fit it better into my schedule than a longer time abroad.

What was your favourite part of the course?

Every single day was a highlight. We visited the Zibelemärit (the famous Onion Market in Bern), went to a second-hand shop and visited a waste incinerator. The link between the online classes that we took before coming to Bern and the field trips worked very well. Some of the instructors were PhD researchers in Professor Thurlow’s group. They helped us make sense of what we saw in Bern and link it back to the topics discussed in the classroom.

I really loved the interdisciplinary aspect of the course and the interactions with other students. I study a niche subject in my PhD, which makes learning about new perspectives even more important. I love meeting people from different backgrounds because they look at my research and tell me things about it that I had not yet thought about. For instance, the focus on workers – such as the question who empties these bins? – is something that came up in this course a lot. This is something that I had not looked at in detail in my research yet.

Did it help you with your research?

Yes, it did. I am doing a PhD in Sustainability and Science Communication at the School of Physis at the University of Galway. I research what happens to waste generated in lab work. Researchers in laboratories use a lot of single-use items, such as needles and gloves, which have to end up somewhere. Recycling this material is not an option because it is biohazardous.

When we were visiting the waste incinerator in Bern, by complete accident a lorry with biohazardous waste pulled up, which is the same type of waste that I research for my PhD. This type of waste is not touched by a single person and goes straight to the burning chamber.

What surprised you most during your time in Bern?

It was striking to see how the concepts we discussed in this course, which focused on perceptions of waste and recycling, tie in with the Swiss identity of super clean streets and well-organized people. I was also surprised to learn about these little boxes in front of people’s houses where they leave things they no longer want. In this way, someone’s waste becomes someone else’s treasured new possession at no cost to the environment.

What is the ENLIGHT student experience for you?

I think enriching would be the first word that comes to mind. We got a lot of support with the travel arrangements as well as guidance on practical things when we arrived. Had the organisers not told us, I would never have known that our accommodation included free public transport in Bern. All this really helps to make the time in a new city and at a new university more enjoyable.

What would you recommend to other students?

I highly recommend taking an ENLIGHT Joint Course or going to one of the conferences. It is a great opportunity to meet people and get new perspectives on your work. You’ll learn something new and might get the chance to travel somewhere.

Interview: Caspar Bienek
Images: Gabriela Studer and Paola Sofía Serrano Bravo