Helena Dell

Always eager to learn new things, about the broadest possible range of topics. That is how youngster Helena Dell describes herself. This eagerness to learn stimulated the German student to engage in a science competition during her final two years at high school, which she won with a project on production methods for green steel. ‘The high school I attended, the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium in Lebach, was very ambitious when it comes to engaging in extracurricular activities and educational competitions. For the higher grades, they organized courses on writing papers and giving seminars. As a student, you got to choose your own project within one out of three themes: health and sports, politics and history, and STEM. As a part of the STEM course I chose, you were supposed to enter a competition. That is how I ended up spending almost two years practically every Saturday in the lab, which was a lot, but also a lot of fun.’

Fascinated by green hydrogen
Dell ended up working on a project about green hydrogen. ‘When I started the course, it was right in the middle of COVID time. I was working in a city hall-like environment when I heard a German politician speech about the possibilities and promises of green hydrogen. That sounded interesting. My teacher knew a professor at the School Research and Technology Center (SFTZ) in St. Ingbert, which provides students with high-quality equipment and scientifically sound support on site. I put my own spin on the topic and looked at different types of iron ores and how they could be turned into steel with the aid of green hydrogen.’

And she did so with success. ‘We coincidentally found a method that might turn out to be a one-step solution for green steel,’ she says, both modest and with pride. The project landed her with the first prize on Saaland state level. And with some useful contacts. ‘Through the lab I came into contact with hydrogen company IZES. In our conversations, I brought up that I really do not know which study to choose next. In school, I truly loved every subject, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. In an attempt to further feed my interest in STEM, Bodo Gross from IZES introduced me to female colleagues working in the sciences. That is how I met Maja Rücker from TU/e’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. She invited me to TU/e for a short internship and pulled some strings to make this possible.’

Realistic look
During a period of three weeks, Dell has been ‘lingering around Maja to get a feeling of what it’s really like to be a scientist.’ She sat in on every meeting possible and did some small assignments of her own. ‘For example, I created some imagery for a scientific paper on a method to monitor multiphase flows in porous media. It was great to be able to see the whole of the work, including the administrative stuff and the struggles with IT problems. I really got a realistic look behind the scenes of being a scientist.’

Dell truly enjoyed her stay in Eindhoven, she says. ‘I really liked the people and how they work together. And I concluded that I can certainly see myself in a job like this. I love learning new things and getting acquainted with fresh ideas. And when you work as a researcher, you never stop doing that. Of course, I am aware that you also have to deal with the boring things like filling in excel sheets and rewriting the same paper 1700 times, but the refreshing aspect of constantly learning about new topics certainly attracts me.’

Besides prize money, her first prize in the science competition also provided her with additional internships sponsored by institutes and companies. ‘After my time at TU/e has ended, I am off to a research institute in Leibniz for another internship. This time it will be in organic chemistry, which is a totally different field. It will be interesting to see what it is like to be able to focus entirely on research, without the educational part.’

Heartfelt advice
From her experience so far, Dell would advise any high school student to take their time to explore what’s out there. ‘When you’re young, you do not have that many obligations yet. That is the perfect time to gain different perspectives and gather a variety of experiences in different fields to explore what suits your ambitions and talents best. Find people who do what you like and try to experience their everyday life. That might sound impossible, but most of the time you literary just have to ask. If you can show you are generally interested in something and you have put in the work, people are happy to share their experiences. Most people are eager to welcoming young people into their field.’

Finally, the talented youngster also has a message for universities and companies: ‘Internships like these are great opportunities to reach out to the next generation. Make clear that you are open for these kinds of things. Be present at schools. Advertise what youngsters could do at your organization, and how they can arrange that. This is a great experience, for both sides.’