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Retreat 2017 to St. Andreasberg

Destination & Dates
The location of the retreat was St. Andreasberg, Harz, Germany. It lasted from 2017/02/06, noon until 2017/02/08, 5 pm.

ArcTrain Funding
The entire retreat (travelling cost, accommodation, meals and seminars) was covered by ArcTrain funding. Solely the leisure activity was on personal expenses.

Summary
After the Kick-off Meeting (2017/01/23), this retreat was the first official event for the second cohort of ArcTrain PhD students. It was a great opportunity for getting to know the fellow ArcTrain and ArcTrain associated PhD students. Additionally two PhD students from ArcTrain Canada, who are currently on their research stay in Bremen and Bremerhaven, joint our retreat. The retreat consisted of seminars for Good Scientific Practice and Project Management, as well as a few general organization issues and group bonding activities.

Activities
After leaving the MARUM all together with three faculty mini buses in the morning of February 6th (9 am), we arrived in St. Andreasberg, Harz, around noon. After lunch we directly moved on with the first seminar day, which started with a brief introduction about ArcTrain. We continued with a lecture about Good Scientific Practice and a discussion about Becoming a Scientist. The evening was scheduled for an ice-breaking event and networking. The entire next day was filled with Time and Project Management, theoretically and practically. In the evening, there was time for electing our PhD representatives. Afterwards we watched Before the Flood, a documentary about the impacts of climate change around the world, which lead to a subsequent inspiring discussion.
The third day of the retreat was meant for group bonding activities. Since we were in the Harz Mountains, we went for a hike to the summit of the Brocken. It was an amazing experience to do the hike through the snowy mountains and to reach the summit all together.
Overall, this three-day retreat set a solid base for the next three years of our PhD studies. It was a great opportunity to get to know all the other PhD students as well as to spend some more time with the participating PIs. We developed a great group dynamic and bonding throughout the accomplished activities. Having already met two of the Canadian ArcTrain PhD students was as well a significant benefit, not only because they were further into their projects but also for networking purposes.

Personal Benefits
Personally, it was really motivating and helpful to get to know the other PhD students. Hearing about plans, strategies, progresses and problems of other projects, really helps structuring your own project and identifying the current state. Especially in the beginning of a project, it seems important to be able to exchange experiences.

Lina Madaj