An Academic Pilgrimage

Göttingen. It is a small town in the heart of Germany, with several lines of farms and a few small industries. But very few other places in the world have been home to such a stellar population. Many great personalities have been associated with The Georg-August University of Göttingen such as the Brothers Grimm, Heinrich Heine and Otto von Bismarck. The University was founded in 1737 by King George II of Great Britain (who was also the Elector of Hanover) and so far, 45 Nobel Laureates have studied, taught or worked at the University. (And of course, there have been many great Scientists who have graced the town in the pre-Nobel era. Giving Nobel or Fields medal to the likes of Gauss and Riemann would be an insult). 

So when I was visiting my friends there for Easter, we decided to pay homage to the giants of academia that have graced the land of Göttingen.

House of Richard Courant (Mathematician):

House of Hermann Weyl (Mathematician and Theoretical Physicist):

House of Edmund Landau (Mathematician):

House of Carl Ludwig Siegel (Mathematician):

House of Hermann Minkowski (Mathematician):

House of Carld Freidrich Gauss (Mathematician & Physicist):

House of Ezequiel Uricoechea (Chemist, Linguist and Polymath):

The statue of Wilhelm Weber (Physicist) and Carl Freidrich Gauss:

Statue of Freidrich Wöhler (Chemist):

Tomb of Carl Freidrich Gauss:

House of Walther Nernst (Physical Chemist & Physicist)

The Institute of Theoretical Physics (Old Building):

Max Born was the head of the department

Victor Weisskoff (Physicist):

and Carl Freidrich von Weizsäcker

Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli also worked here for some time.


House of Max von Laue (Physicist):

House of Emmy Noether (Mathematician and Theoretical Physicist):

House of Bernhard Riemann (Mathematician):

On A Bright Sunny Day, I Went On An Adventure

 In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. 

 Bored with the routine of the life, he decided to go on an adventure

Off in the hills, in the woods he went.

Far away, a house on the hill caught his eye, to where he decided to go.

The road took him around the grasslands where sometimes he would catch a glimpse of the old times...

...and occasionally make some new friends.

Finally when he reached to the top, he was greeted by the splendid panoramic view of the Rhineland.

And met an old friend

Unsatisfied with the small hike, he decided to carry on.

A quick check for the directions, looking for options...

The signs of human invasion in the wilderness were found everywhere.

Finally, satisfied with the day's little adventure, he decided to treat himself with nice dessert and drinks.

...and returned home a very happy hobbit.

Applying for Ph.D. in Europe

Recently many people have asked me about the application procedure for Ph.D. in Germany, and answering the same questions to everybody individually is a pain, so I have decided to write this post about a general application procedure for PhD in Germany (or Europe in general).

Selecting the topic: The first and most important step is to decide which topic you want to work on. If you are unsure of the topic, then you can go through profiles of some researchers to know what they are working on and which topics might interest you. You can also talk to your professors, advisers or colleagues about the topic that you may want to work on. The topic should be scientifically important and feasible in the given time frame and budget. Once you have decided the topic(s), you can start the planning for applications.

Application Procedure: There are usually two ways to apply for a position. The traditional method is to look at the profiles of different researchers and see who is working on the topics you are interested in, and approaching them for a PhD position. You can email them stating your interest in working on the topic with him/her. If they have an open position, they will inform you about the detailed application procedure. Having a one-to-one conversation with them will be helpful in understanding (a) what your thoughts are about the topic and (b) what do they expect from you.

The second way is to apply to some graduate schools or research schools or standard application procedures of certain institutes or via some scholarship programs such as DAAD or Erasmus Mundus etc.. This method is helpful because most of these schools have a fixed budget which is independent of the budget of the researchers. Also due to standard procedures, you don't have to contact each and every person at that institute individually.

To have better chances at selection, it is advised to follow both the paths.

The application usually requires you to submit following documents:

1. A brief, concise curriculum vitae. The CV should contain objective information about your academic career, such as your grades at undergraduate and masters level, performance at entrance/qualification examinations, publications, projects you have worked on, schools & conferences attended and co-curricular activities.

2. Statement of Purpose: In this statement, you are expected to describe your broad aims during your Ph.D., why you are applying at that place, what are your expectations, and how will the institute benefit from you. It can also be used to assert certain qualities about you which are not stated in your CV. (This is similar to the statement you have to submit when you apply to Universities in USA.)

3. Research interest: Along with the application, you have to submit your research interest wherein you have to explain which topic you want to work on, why are you interested in that topic, and what are your ideas or inputs you have on that topic.

4. Letters of recommendation: Usually you have to submit at least 2 letters of recommendation from people who know you well, for example, someone who has guided you during a project, or a person who has taught you courses at bachelor's or master's level.

These are the documents that you would require for application, although the particulars may differ from case to case. The whole procedure from deciding the topic till the successful submission of the application usually takes few months, so it's always good to start early!

Miroslav Klose – The Unsung Hero on the Green Turf

Miroslav Klose is the most familiar name in modern German Football. Those who have seen (any of) the last three world cups do not need a separate introduction of this goalscoring machine. The striker has been on the pinnacle of the German football for more than a decade now and was arguably the best striker of the last decade on the international level. He has the ability to score goals from almost any position. Although he is a right-footed player, he can score fantastic goals from left foot also, his powerful headers seem to burst the net. He doesn’t need a second touch to score a goal and can improvise from any situation to put the ball in the net. He is the ultimate predator. And who can forget his somersault celebrations? His different styles of flips are one more reason why he is favourite among the fans. The coaching staff of the German National team surely understand his importance to the team. Even when he is out of form, he is always included in the team, because when he wears the German colours, he will score goals.

Miroslav Klose

Klose comes from a sporting family. His mother, Barbara Jeż, was a member of Poland’s National Handball team, while his father, Josef Klose, was a professional footballer. He began his professional career at FC Homburg and played his club football at Homburg, Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, before leaving for Lazio last summer (2011). But it is not the club football that made him so famous. It is the international matches, especially the big competitions, that put him in the limelight. He has scored 14 goals in three World Cups finals, and he is tied with fellow German Legend Gerd Muller and just 1 goal behind Ronaldo in the all time WC goalscorers list. Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments. This is enough to make him a Legend. In 2001, he made a statement that in 10 years he would be the best German goal-scorer of all times. Well, he came very Klose to that. He is now just 5 goals behind Gerd Muller with a tally of 63 goals in 113 appearances.

Although sometimes regarded as a player whose success comes to full fruition more for country than club, Klose’s Bundesliga career was one of great accomplishment also. Playing for FC Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, Klose scored 126 goals in 316 league appearances, adding another 27 goals in European competition and 21 in Cup contests. He has scored an average of 0.40 goals per game, which is nearly equal to Raul’s tally of 0.41. But the pundits and critics always overlook this.

Another most important attribute of the German is his honesty and love of football. Klose is well known among his fellow players as being just and fair in his play (Which is hardly found in other players these days). He is never in the news for the wrong reasons. Even when he was not getting a regular first team action at Bayern recently, he never made a fuss about it publicly. Because of a series of injuries and the rise of Mario Gomez meant that Klose would be a second choice. Bayern were ready to offer him a year’s contract, but he wanted two years. Unfortunately no agreement was reached between the two and Klose was available in the transfer market. He received many lucrative offers from the Russian clubs but he turned them down and signed for Lazio in Italy. In today’s world where players change their loyalties for an increment, Klose certainly stood out as an exception. He is already back in form with 8 goals in 13 matches for Lazio and going strong! He is sure to play in the Euro ‘12 and is hoping to stay fit for the FIFA WC 2014 after which he wishes to hang his boots.

Here is an interesting fact about the right-footed striker: While playing with Werder Bremen he appeared to be fouled by the Bielefeld goalkeeper and given a penalty kick. Klose knowing he had not been fouled let the referee know and the call was revoked. He is admired by his fellow players for this. Could you possible picture Ronaldo or Messi doing the same? I don’t think so.

Such gentlemen are hard to find in modern times. I wish him all the best for his future at Lazio and I hope he will shine again in the club football and will continue to entertain us with his trademark somersaults.