BIGSSS Summer Retreat 2022 › view all

In June we were delighted to be able to once again hold a Summer Retreat for our 2021 cohort in their second semester. The retreat was made up of a mix of affiliated fellows and fellows from the GloWel and RTG SELF programs, as well as BIGSSS faculty members from a range of disciplines, and took place at our old haunt “Gut Ankelohe”, a historic farmstead between Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven.

Over the course of the retreat, our fellows were given the opportunity to present their research projects to interdisciplinary audiences. We were particularly fortunate this year to be able to host Prof. Roy Baumeister, Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland and Mercator Fellow for the RTG SELF program. Prof. Baumeister was our keynote speaker, and held a fascinating talk “Toward a Scientific Theory of Free Will” on the concept of self-control and decision-making.

We were also happy to invite back BIGSSS Alumna Dr. Nadine Binder, who held two workshops “Staying on top of the game” and “Dealing with setbacks”, providing practical advice and leading discussions with our fellows on managing workloads and remaining focused.

Of course, there was also some leisure time, and the Summer Retreat wouldn’t have been the same without an intense Faculty vs. Fellows football match, which was this time very clearly won by our fellows, and some communal gatherings around the bonfire!

Thanks to everybody who joined for a really enjoyable and productive Summer Retreat 2022!