Katja Hockun

In the end of September 2012, I had the chance to take part in the molecular organic biogeochemistry course organised by the members of the Laboratory of Marine Organic Biogeochemistry at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). That course is one of the best possibilities to gather information about the state-of-the- art research and new developments in the field of organic biogeochemistry, including analytical techniques, introduction to the biomarker concept, organic proxies and intact polar lipids as well as the use of stable isotopes, being of major interest for my thesis work.

The course was well structured and took five days. Usually, in the mornings, we were listening to talks from experts in their field of research. After lunch, we continued with talks and practical exercises on data analysis and interpretation. At the end of a course day, each PhD student had the possibility to give a 10 min. presentation of their own work and interests. Thereby, we got a better idea of the wide range of organic geochemical approaches in the different research fields. Besides, it was a great opportunity to get to know the other 24 PhD students who participated in the course. Being on a beautiful Dutch Island, also invited us to explore it and spend some time outside with the other members after an interesting and intensive course day.

In summary, I can say that the course was not only a great help to get more insights in the field of organic biogeochemistry but also a very important experience in the social point of view. It was very motivating for me to meet other PhD students working in the same field of research and talking about ideas and challenges we all facing during our PhD time.

Finally, I would like to thank GLOMAR for giving me the financial support and therefore the great opportunity to attend to this course.