Christmas markets + Mini-golf!

One time is no time, two times is a tradition.

Hence, our group made a traditional visit to the famous Dresden Christmas markets, then we played a round of futuristic 3D mini-golf.

For this year, however, we traveled in time to the medieval Christmas market in Stallhof, Dresden, to immerse ourselves in the medieval atmosphere and Glühwein.

After returning from the medieval times, we played a round of mini-golf in two teams. The team of Musashi, David, and Sandra won. Congrats to the winning team!

EMBO | EMBL Organoid Symposium!

Sandra, David, and Helin from our group attended the EMBO | EMBL Symposium, Organoids: modeling organ development and disease in 3D at Heidelberg, Germany.

Our group members were at the conference in Heidelberg for four days to absorb and exchange new ideas in the field.

David also presented a poster about his recent research topic at the conference and discussed his topics.

Mini lab symposium!

Our lab had a mini lab symposium in Saxon Switzerland Mountains!

To introduce our new members of our scientific goals during the beautiful autumn season, we traveled to Saxon Switzerland for a mini lab symposium where we introduced ourselves, discussed different projects, and exchanged new ideas.

We also trekked into the woods and mountains of Saxon Switzerland, climbed a few ladders to enjoy the summit of Schrammsteine, and wandered around the area.

Dresden is’s’t bunt

Joon participated in a festival called “Dresden is(s)t bunt” for diversity and tolerance.

The festival took place on Hauptstrasse in Dresden, which the organizers, with the Cellex Foundation as the lead partner, invited people to join this event of diversity and tolerance.

Potluck picnic

The lab members assembled on a nice sunny weekend to have a picnic!

Before the summer truly begins, we met at Sandra’s beautiful garden to have a potluck picnic. Everyone brought different dishes to share, and played football and table tennis.

Lab participates in a 5K running event!

Sandra, Bram and Joon participated a 5K running event.

Three members from the group, along with other 35 members from MPI-CBG, participated in the REWE Team Challenge Dresden. This event is one of the largest company runs in Germany.

Let’s make dumplings together!

Sandra hosted a lab cooking event for her crew!

We learned how to prepare and fold Mongolian dumplings and Thai papaya salad. It was a perfect spring day to challenge our teamwork and emerge victorious!

Eindhoven + Amsterdam

The lab visited Eindhoven to work with the Volume Electron Microscopy (vEM).

We, then, found a bit of time to explore Amsterdam! So we walked around Amsterdam, enjoyed tasty stroopwafel, and visited the van Gogh museum.

Off to the Christmas markets!

Sandra and her gang went to the famous Dresden Christmas markets!

Spending some quality time outside of the lab sounds great, and walking around different Christmas markets also sounds great. So we decided to combine both! While we were strolling through the markets hunting for the new Christmas cups, we enjoyed some bratwurst, roasted almonds, and Glühwein (the classics).

Beerology

In November of 2024, David had the pleasure of presenting his research to science enthusiasts at Beerology.

This allowed him to step out of the comfort zone and share his project from an engaging perspective. Did you know that our intestine operates much like a cartel? Disruption in the transportation of goods can impact the entire organization which might be of special importance during disease and as we age.

Beerology, organized by Live Science e.V., features interactive lectures aimed at making science accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

the First lab retreat

Our newly started Scharaw Lab spent its first retreat together with the amazing Grapin-Botton Lab!

What a retreat! We discussed our research and brainstormed new ideas, highlighted emerging technologies and leaps in our field. This was complemented with a great time in our hotel in Oberbärenburg, where we had fun team-building activities, and a beautiful hike through the nature to the famous Bobbahn. We left feeling inspired and thankful about the good time we had all together!