Short intro:
My name is Jiri Zak and I am currently a PhD student at European Southern Observatory in Germany.
I have participated in the ERASMUS program on two occasions. The first time was in 2019 when I was at IAC La Palma for a research stay. The second time was in September 2022 for summer school on Eclipsing Binaries and Astroseismology.
1) How did your career benefit from the ERASMUS project? (professional)
ERASMUS research stay at La Palma was very beneficial for me in several aspects. I was able to foster new collaborations. We have started to work on a study about a binary star with Dave Jones from IAC. Recently, this work was published in MNRAS journal. This project was crucial in advancing my understanding of binary stars as before I had only very basic understanding of this field. In addition, I was part of project investigating the central stars of planetary nebula that also resulted in a publication that I have co-authored.
Furthermore, I have learned various spectroscopic and photometric methods and ways how to reduce and analyse them that can also be applied outside the field of binary stars so I will continue to benefit from this visit throughout my career.
I also participated in ERASMUS summer school in 2022 at La Palma . Attending this school was very valuable for me as I learned how to analyse periodograms which I haven't had an experience with before.
2) How did the ERASMUS program support your personal development? (personal)
The ERASMUS project allowed me to develop connections with other scientists that helped me to learn how to communicate my ideas. This also allowed me to prepare for my next job interview at ESO which was subsequently successful.
Furthermore, spending several months allowed me to practice and improve my command of Spanish language which I believe wouldn't be possible without spending several months abroad.
3) Can you share some experience from your ERASMUS exchange?
I would like to share my favorite experience from the ERASMUS project. It was in the fall of 2019 and it was at the Observatory of the Roque de los Muchachos. It was my first time observing with the 2-m Isaac Newton Telescope. It was a great learning experience for me to observe with such a powerful telescope. I had the opportunity to operate the telescope and learn more about the details of the instruments as the support astronomers were kind enough to show us from inside the dome how the telescope operates. We were, for example, able to see how the nitrogen is supplied that is needed for the cooling. During the execution of our science program I have learned how to operate both the telescope and the instrument. Finally, Roque de los Muchachos observatory is an unique place in the mountains that I would recommend everyone to experience to admire both the natural and technological wonders that co-exist there.
25.8.2023