At the start of June, it was that time of year again: the group met for their annual two-day retreat in Wermelskirchen. A big thank you goes to Annika, Daniel and Elias, who took charge of the organisation.
As usual, the retreat kicked off with presentations by the second-year PhD students. They presented their projects and drew up a detailed schedule and publication plan for the remainder of their PhD studies.
Afterwards, it was time to get creative: together, they produced some wonderful works of art that will soon be decorating the PhD vans. The first day was rounded off by the traditional game of Flunkyball between PhD students and undergraduates/postgraduates, as well as an evening campfire with bread on a stick.
The following morning began with a poster workshop designed around interactive stations. Here, participants were able to create their own small mood board, go on a poster error hunt, and learn about communication levels, poster gadgets and outreach elements for themselves.
This was followed by a discussion on the topics of ‘sustainability’, ‘completion of the PhD’ and ‘communication’ in a World Café format. These discussions will then be explored in greater depth at a later session.
To boost team spirit, the organisers had also prepared some great games, including a sorting game where the group had to arrange themselves according to shoe sizes, for example, as well as an exit game with puzzles, at the end of which a treasure chest could be opened. The winning group was delighted to receive a small trophy.
All in all, it was a thoroughly successful event that was excellently organised. Many thanks to all the participants and, of course, to the organising team!
(Translation via DeepL)