Thesis at Aarhus University, Denmark
Hey, my name is Emily Michelswirth, and I am 23 years old. I am from the west part of Germany and I am happy to have the opportunity to study in Wageningen University to deepen my knowledge in Animal Science with the specialization in poultry Nutrition. To finish my master I did my master thesis in cooperation with Aarhus University at the research Facility is placed in Viborg, one hour away from Aarhus. My research was about the productivity and welfare of dual-purpose genotypes in organic production during the early laying period. It was an incredible time and I am really thankful for getting the opportunity to go there for six month from September 2024 till February 2025.
Working on that research project suggested by my Wageningen supervisor, I was able to learn many new things and many opportunities to expand my knowledge in that field of poultry nutrition. I really enjoyed working with the animals alongside my scientific work in the office and reading scientific articles. I was able to learn what a good work-life balance looks like, as this is particularly important in Denmark. The experiment was running next to my time there and I was able to help with solving actual problems in the poultry barn. Helping with weighing the chicken and collecting the rest of the investigated data was a nice way to learn how to deal with chicken. The caretaker showed me her work and I really liked it to help her out. The work with the chickens and supporting the project with my scientific work was overall a great success. I was super enthusiastic and really appreciated the work with all of the Danish researcher. Next to our work we often had cake breaks in the afternoon and Friday bread times on Friday mornings, where fresh bread was provided and all had a breakfast together. In general, the teambuilding of all researchers was great and everybody loved their job.
In addition to that, I joined two big parties of the university. The “harvest party” and the “Christmas Party”. Both events were organized by a event board of the researchers and super fun. It helped me to expand my network in a big way. Especially, the first party was during my first week in Denmark and my research team was really taking care of me to get in contact with all of them. It gave me the opportunity to get in contact with everyone and helped me to get a part of the team I was working with. Over the whole period, everybody really got my heard and I really appreciated them all. During the lunch breaks, lots of great discussions happened which also gave me the opportunity to see what other studies are about.
At the weekends, I mostly hang out with my housemates. I lived in an international house with 9 other people and a great network of different cultures. The others were mostly PhDs and post docs, which was nice to talk to their experience as a researcher in the agricultural sector. We cooked together or played some games. In addition to that, we started with padel Tennis which is a really loved sport in Denmark. In conclusion, I am so grateful for this time and all the people I met during the time. It gave me the chance to get to know other cultures. When there was great weather, we visited lakes around and did a picknick or drove to Aarhus for a shopping tour. I also had a trip to Copenhagen over the Christmas time, where I enjoyed lots of Christmas markets and the wonderful atmosphere. The best experience was to get rid of one bucket list point and see the great aurora in the garden of out house. All my housemates and me were watching them together on a random weekday and we were all so happy to have the chance seeing the sky in a great red and green!
Furthermore, a friend of mine was also in Aarhus for her internship and we did a trip to the west coust of Denmark, which was really nice. The weather was cold and grey, how it was mostly the time, but in general it was a nice experience. We walked at the beach and saw some seals and really high waves. It called “Hawaii Beach” and many people were there to surf in the cold weather. In contrast, we ate some nice churros and enjoyed a hot drink in a restaurant watching them from the inside.
Living abroad was a valuable experience. We spoke English almost everywhere, because me and my international friends tried to learn Danish during that time, but being honest, it is super hard to learn. But overall, that was not a big problem, because almost everybody was able to speak English with us, which felt really welcome to us.
The BSD scholarship was a huge support in making my adventure in Denmark. It gave me the motivation to take this step and made the trip more financially feasible. I used the grant, among other things, for my transportation and my room in the international house It was a time that enriched me both personally and professionally—an experience I will never forget!
Now that I am back in Germany, I am focusing on completing my master’s degree. I have just started my graduation internship at “Deutsche Tiernahrung Cremer GmbH” in Düsseldorf. I am looking forward to be an animal nutritionist and putting my knowledge into practice.
Thanks for reading my story