Surabhi.K.S.

I am Surabhi.K.S, a fourth-year BS-MS integrated student at IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research), Pune. I applied for the Charpak Research Internship fellowship in the year 2017 from May to July. I had three major reasons for applying preferentially to France. The type of approach to looking at a problem and solving it is unique in the academic circles of France. The field that I was interested in had people with pioneering ideas, based in France. I wanted a platform wherein I could interact with people from different parts of the globe to discuss and share ideas. And I am a culture enthusiast with an obsession for learning, experiencing and exploring various aspects of history language and art, and having learnt a substantial amount of French at IISER, I was very excited to explore the country.

I applied for the Charpak Internship program in the month of February 2017 and hoped that I would get selected. I now had an opportunity to work at the Langevin Institute in Paris for three months. I had never visited any other country prior to this and I was very nervous with regard to the procedure involved. However, Campus France was very instrumental in assuaging my fears because they answered all my queries with great patience and directed me from one step to the next; right from applying for the visa to arranging for my accommodation in Paris. Upon landing at CDG, one of the biggest airports that I had ever seen, I was immediately directed to the metro with further instructions and thus my journey began.

The accommodation that I was allotted, for the duration of my stay was better than anything that I could have ever hoped for. It comprised of students from different nationalities spanning different fields of study. I am still in touch with students from different parts of France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, UK, US and Afghanistan. With regard to the research environment, I can say that it has been my best experience so far. The demography of my lab was very diverse which directly contributed to my efforts in visiting other labs and universities; and looking at various interesting set-ups of our collaborators and colleagues in Paris, other parts of France and Netherlands.

Apart from having one of the best academic experiences, my cultural exposure was phenomenal. Though my work schedule was quite hectic during the week, I made it a point to visit as many museums as I could during the weekends. My favourites being; Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée de l'Orangerie, and Musée Picasso wherein I was lucky enough to attend an exposition on Olga Picasso! Along with amazing museums, I explored different facets of the city; the beautiful parks, riverfront walks along the Seine, cycling through the quiet afternoon streets and tasting the delicious cuisine. Everyone, from the students and faculty of my Institute to the people on the metro, was very welcoming and helpful during my stay. I even got an opportunity to meet and interact with the French President Emmanuel Macron during the “Pacte mondial pour l'environnement” at the Sorbonne University. Being a pro-environmental zealot, I was excited to be at the center of the first drafting of the global covenant under the Paris agreement.

Getting this internship has in many ways become a turning point in my academic career.

The work that I had done during the summer is in fact now in its final stages as a manuscript and up for publication, and I look forward to getting another opportunity in order to add to and complement my work. I believe that this internship has added to my holistic growth and aided my thinking process. It has been instrumental in helping me collaborate and set up new networks. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Campus France who made this experience memorable, valuable and most of all possible. And I definitely look forward to getting an opportunity to work in France once again!