2017 Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II’s Travel Grant to students at Aarhus University

The award was established in 2010 as a present to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe on the occasion of The Queen’s 70th birthday, and widened in 2012 on the occasion of The Queen’s 40th Jubilee. A total of four awards are granted, one to a student at each of the four main academic areas. Two of the awards are always reserved for a student of political science (The School of Business and Social Sciences) and a student of archaeology (The Faculty of Arts), as The Queen studied these subjects as a student at Aarhus University in 1961-62. The award of DKK 25,000 is intended to enable the award winners to spend a study period abroad in connection with their studies at Aarhus University.

CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENT DANIEL NYKJÆR ANDERSEN

School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University

This summer, Daniel Nykjær Andersen will completes his Bachelor’s degree programme in classical archaeology with a supplementary subject in Viking studies at Aarhus University. His Bachelor’s project on the Aurelian city walls of Rome received the mark 12 (Excellent).

Prior to commencing his studies, Daniel had already participated in digs in Denmark. In the course of his studies, he has participated in fieldwork in various locations in Greece and co-organised a study trip to Sardinia. He has also been very active in his degree programme as a student adviser, a student representative on the degree programme board for history and classical studies, and as a student teacher in classical archaeology.

Daniel’s interests are broad and varied, and he is described as a knowledgeable, committed and exceptionally promising student. Although he has immersed himself in his studies, he also has extensive knowledge about topics that lie outside his chosen field.

Daniel plans to use the travel grant to immerse himself in the study of Italian archaeology – partly by participating in digs and partly through an extended study trip in Italy.

NIKOLAJ ROTH, STUDENT OF CHEMISTRY

Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University

Nikolaj Roth is an exceptionally talented PhD student who was accepted to the 3+5 elite combined MSc/PhD programme in 2015. He has already demonstrated exceptional abilities as a researcher: In autumn 2016, he spent two month at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, where he measured the world’s first magnetic 3D-PDF data at the Spallation Neutron Source research facility.

3D-PDF is a new experimental technique which allows researchers to explore disorder in crystal structures in unprecedented detail. Such methods are expected to radically transform how advanced materials with particular properties are designed in the future, and Nikolaj is at the forefront of this field.

He is at the same time a central figure in student life at the Department of Chemistry who is involved in a variety of activities, as well as a committed teacher. For example, he has developed teaching materials for a project assignment in the Bachelor’s level course Materials Chemistry I which are based on his research group’s latest results.

He will use the travel grant towards a research stay at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) facility in Chicago at the ChemMatCARS beamline, where it is possible to perform measurements of 3D-PDF data for X-ray radiation as well. The project is at the cutting edge of modern crystallography research.

 

MEDICAL STUDENT MORTEN KELDER SKOUBOE

Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University

Morten Kelder Skouboe is on the sixth semester of his Bachelor’s degree programme in medicine. Early on in the programme, he showed an interest in infectious diseases, both as a medical specialisation and and a research area, including the international dimension of the field. Since his first semester on the programme, Morten has participated in the International Medical Cooperation Committee (IMCC) – a voluntary international organisation of medical students.

Morten’s most recent research has centred on infectious diseases. He has contributed to a project that seeks to understand how cells become aware of a viral infection and register messages sent to the cell to initiate a defense response. Using a mouse model to study the sexually transmitted disease herpes, Morten demonstrated that some new immunomodulatory agents cause the cell to produce proteinscalled interferons, which protect against the herpes virus and also against infection.

Morten has quickly mastered a wide range of laboratory techniques. He has an unusual grasp of large and complex series of tests as well as an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology which extends far beyond what students are normally capable of. Morten is already working at the same level as a PhD student.

The travel grant was conferred on Morten because he is an extremely dedicated, talented and internationally oriented student with many ongoing activities and great potential.

POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT LINE ENGBJERG

Department of Political Science, Aarhus University

Line Engbjerg, Master’s degree student of political science, has received top marks in all her courses and is thus one of the department’s most outstanding students. She is particularly interested in public management and quantitative method.

Concurrently with her studies, Line has taught method as a student teacher, and her programme coordinator describes her as extremely competent. Her students have also praised her teaching abilities in their course assessments. Line also has completed an internship at the consultancy firm Epinion. 

The travel grant will take Line to Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin, where she has been admitted to the Department of Social Sciences. This department is internationally recognised for its combination of political science and sociology, and the university has fostered some of the world’s most recognised sociologists.

In Berlin she plans to take courses in advanced quantitative analysis. In addition to experiencing another challenging academic environment, Line expects that her time at Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin will give her an excellent foundation for completing her Master’s thesis.