Every summer, TUM invites excellent students from selected North American universities and the Imperial College London to spend approximately nine weeks at TUM as part of the Practical Research Experience Program (TUM PREP). The participants gain valuable insights into the research work at Germany's top-ranked technical university and can expand their professional and methodological qualifications.
Since the beginning of July, four international PREP students are guests at the Department of Sport and Health Sciences, working in small research teams of the different chairs and institutions on a previously defined research project. Through individual mentoring, buddies and various TUM PREP events and day trips, the participants will be well integrated at TUM as well as in Munich and the surrounding area in a short period of time.
Cole Yager, student of "Nutritional Sciences: Physiology & Metabolism" at the University of California Berkeley (USA), will spend his research stay at the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler and will conduct research on the topic "Impact of exercise on food intake".
Ojus Sharma, student in the field of "Computer Science" at The University of British Columbia (Canada), as well as Hannah Ulman, student in the field of "Operations Research and Financial Engineering" at Princeton University (USA), will devote themselves to the topic "Individual circadian health care - using chatbots to promote circadian and sleep health (Light Bot)" at the Assistant Professorship of Chronobiology & Health headed by Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan.
Chaimae Abouzahir, a student from the field of "Computer Engineering" from New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, is a guest at the Assistant Professorship of Neuromuscular Diagnostics under the direction of Prof. Dr. David Franklin. During her stay with the Department, she will focus on "The effect of kinesthetic and cutaneous information on predictive grip force control during object lifting."
"With the PREP program, we have the opportunity to bring highly talented students from top universities in North America and the UK to TUM for an internship and to convince them of the fantastic research opportunities here at the TUM Campus in the Olympic Park," explains Prof. Köhler, who not only supervises one participant himself, but also welcomed the four participants to the Department as International Coordinator. "By the way, since the PREP students can easily be integrated into ongoing research projects, our staff and assistants also benefit from our guests. And perhaps we will also manage to convince one or the other to pursue a master's degree or doctorate at TUM."
Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz, Dean of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences and head of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, is also enthusiastic: "It is outstanding that we are able to welcome four international students to our Department as part of the TUM PREP program. They all come from different fields of study, but they have all decided that they want to gain international experience. They do this not least because of the excellent international reputation here at TUM. Through their professional integration into the individual institutions and chairs, we provide adequate supervision and exciting insights into our research areas."
To the homepage of the TUM PREP program
To the "Internationalization" section of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz
Dean Department of Sport and Health Sciences
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24601
e-mail: dekanat.sg(at)tum.de
Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler
Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24488
e-mail: karsten.koehler(at)tum.de
Text & Photo: Romy Schwaiger