Brianna Nickel, Fredrick First: Bioscience Breakthroughs in Berlin, Summer 2026
I was a part of the Bioscience in Berlin program through The Fredrick Honors College and there were a lot of things that stood out to me about my program, and they allowed me to enjoy the city and the academic environment as much as I did. One of the biggest things was the structure of study abroad as a whole. I did a Fredrick First program which starts with five days in Pittsburgh, looking into academic institutions and research labs and is followed by ten days abroad. This was my first time going out of the country, and the first couple days allowed me to adjust and prepare for what was to come. It also allowed me to become close with the girls I was staying with before we flew 14 hours to a new country. Moreover, I got to network with other researchers and labs that are on campus and could aid me in my future endeavors.
This was aided by the size of my program. There were eleven students invited and that allowed me to have more hands-on experience while abroad and in Pittsburgh. One of my favorite talks during the entire trip was done by Dr. Sahill who runs an Optogenetics lab out of UPMC. He is working on technology that could have major implications for people who are blind and ways their quality of life can be increased. I was also able to become close with the Electus Faculty that was chosen to go on the trip with us. Dr. Fanselow is a neuroscience professor, who has been involved in numerous research projects, and now teaches Neuroanatomy. Having a familiar face in the same department as my major will continue to benefit me when I am looking for internship opportunities or am simply struggling in my classes.
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