Insight into Research: Student Internship at the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering

In January, two 11th-grade students had the opportunity to complete their school internship at the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering. During their stay, they accompanied a research associate on a daily basis and gained exciting insights into current research projects.

In addition to theoretical aspects, the main focus was primarily on practical work. The interns investigated the influence of temperature and sweeteners on the yeast growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They were introduced to microscopy and counted yeast and bacterial cells using a Neubauer counting chamber. To obtain a medium from renewable raw materials, they pressed grass using a screw press. They also extracted photopigments from algae and cyanobacteria using various solvents and measured the extracts at four wavelengths with a low-cost photometer in order to generate absorption spectra.

The interns’ well-being was also taken care of: During lunch breaks, they were able to enjoy the wide variety of meals offered at the cafeteria at discounted student prices and exchange ideas with others.

We would like to thank the interns for their interest and commitment and wish them every success and all the best in their future studies.