Kayla Flanders, ’23

In the past three years, I’ve learned so much about what research entails and what it takes to be a top researcher, and by writing published papers with Dr. Cerda, I was really excited to challenge myself by applying to the Goldwater scholarship. By writing a personal essay for the scholarship, I was able to articulate to myself why I do research, why it is such an important part of my life, and to hone my passions and interests, which was really helpful!

The DAAD Rise scholarship is an amazing opportunity to not only travel and immerse myself in a new culture and country for the summer, which is something I haven’t had the opportunity to do before now, but it was also a really neat way to learn new chemistry techniques, gain experience and a work in new lab that will prepare me for my future career and research! I have wanted to study abroad since high school and I am so grateful to have this unique opportunity! I am looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone and learning more about another culture and myself in the process!

This award gives me the opportunity to do cutting-edge research on renewable energy projects at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT while also allowing me to soak up as many research and STEM-based experiences as I can before moving on to law school in the fall of 2023. 

Being a part of the Goldwater network is an invaluable opportunity to connect with other top researchers and continue learning more about new ideas! I’m excited to attend networking events and learn from, and about, other Goldwater scholars’ work. As for the DAAD-RISE, I’m excited to live in Berlin! I’ve never traveled to Europe before and I’m so excited to explore the city, meet new people, find my favorite German coffee shop on the way to work, and learn from people who have very different life experiences from mine.

My research in Berlin not only taught me so much about physical chemistry and what it means to commit to the scientific research process, but also the invaluable life skills that come with living on your own in a foreign city. It was my very first time in Europe! I fell in love with the city of Berlin, from its unique architecture and parks to learning more about its complicated history. 

I undertook an independent research project in a multilingual physical chemistry lab at the Berlin Institute of Technology. I worked on a compound called Limonene, which is the fresh lemon smell in so many household cleaning products. It was exciting to work on a project with so many applications to everyday life. I was taught the importance of negotiating different cultural conventions and linguistic differences, from asking the right questions when only snippets of a conversation are in English, to strengthening my relationships with my peers whose first language is not my own.

Returning to Germany for a new project in a new city is incredibly exciting. This time, I will be in Oberhausen, Germany, which is an entirely new part of the country for me. I will be working on a CO2 emissions project with the goal of converting CO2 emissions from fossil fuels into a renewable source of energy. 

I am most excited for the feeling of adventure that always comes along with total immersion in a foreign country — everything always feels brand new, even getting a cup of coffee. 

I’m also excited to once again have access to the amazing network of trains in Germany, which could take me to Paris, Amsterdam or back to Berlin. 

My favorite German food is called spaetzle, which is an egg noodle pasta and has a dumpling-like texture. Last summer, I visited my soccer teammate from SJU, whose hometown is in Stuttgart, Germany and her mom made the best homemade spaetzle ever.

I am aspiring to be a patent attorney in the biotechnology sector and this award will help me cultivate my research expertise to use in my future career. I am attending the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in Manhattan. It is ranked 8th in the country for Intellectual Property law, the type of law I will be studying.