Yash Kshirsagar ’22 receives RISE Germany award to conduct summer research

Lincoln Scholar and physics major Yash Kshirsagar ’22 (Pune, India) recently accepted the DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) Germany award, which allows him to conduct research in Germany this summer.

First offered in 2005 to applicants from the U.S. and Canada, the RISE Germany program now offers summer research internships in Germany for undergraduate students from North America, Great Britain and Ireland. Their objective remains to promote student exchange to Germany in the fields of natural science, engineering and life sciences, and to motivate undergraduate students to learn more about Germany’s research landscape and study opportunities.

During the internships, students are matched with doctoral students and researchers, whom they assist and serve as their mentors. DAAD provides students with a monthly stipend for three months to help cover living expenses. About 300 scholarships are awarded each year.

“I have been matched with the University of Muenster in Germany, and I will be a part of a research group comprising of post docs, Ph.D. students, graduates and other undergraduates for 10 weeks,” Kshirsagar said.

While in Germany this summer, Kshirsagar will be conducting research on mapping the viscoelasticity in living zebrafish using optical tweezers.

“This research involves trapping cells using a light-based device in order to apply forces to them and determine their biomechanical properties,” he added. “This has high relevance for research on disease and their treatments, as alterations in these cell features are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.”

Kshirsagar said he is thankful for this opportunity, as he finds the field of using physics to help improve medical technology fascinating. One of his main aspirations is to pursue biomedical engineering in the future.

According to Robert Schalkoff, director of the Lincoln Scholars Program and Centre’s point person for international and national fellowships, Kshirsagar’s future motivations proved fruitful in identifying DAAD RISE Germany as an opportunity for him to pursue. 

“Yash and I spoke about his interest in conducting research this summer as part of his Independent Pre-Professional Project, the capstone-like project that Lincoln Scholars pursue as rising seniors,” Schalkoff said. “He had identified several major pharmaceutical firms in Germany to do that. Although it doesn’t sponsor research in corporate settings, we thought the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD could also be an avenue to explore, and that Yash might be competitive for RISE Germany. I’m very excited for him.”

“Receiving this award, especially to conduct research in the field of biomedical physics, is taking me one step closer to achieving my future goal,” Kshirsagar concluded. “I could not be more excited to be able to work on such exciting research alongside Ph.D. students in Germany—the hub for innovation in medical technology.”