MSc in Physics and Astronomy

Antje Fitzner

Why did Antje Fitzner, a German student, choose to do both her BSc and MSC in the Netherlands? "The education is much better here. The student-teacher ratio in the BSC programme is about 3 to 1, while in the MSc it's almost 1 to 1. They even gave me my own desk and computer at the department. Learning Dutch was not that difficult. I took an intensive summer course before I started and, as the Masters programme is taught in English, studying did not present any problems."

Antje works with Charles Timmermans, a senior researcher in High Energy Physics, who did his post-doc in the US, but decided to return to Europe after six years. He got a position in Nijmegen and has never regretted moving back. "The research climate is much better here. Once you obtain funding, you don't run the risk of losing it every year. This continuity also makes it easier to involve students in your research. Antje started participating in our project at the end of her BSc and she'll stay involved until she gets her MSc."

Charles is involved in a large, international project studying cosmic rays. Antje: "We work together in an international network of physicists around the world, investigating the phenomenon of energetic particles that descend onto the earth from outer space, creating showers in the atmosphere that are detectible from the ground. Our group is developing a new technique for measuring these particles, using radio antennas to detect their radiation while they travel through the atmosphere."

Antje: "It's a really exciting project. I analyse simulations and compare them to reality by applying physics. The funny thing is, though, that I've not actually seen the measuring equipment yet, as it's in Argentina. I receive the data via Internet and work with the simulations." Charles: "We try to get all of our students to go to Argentina at some stage - usually at the end of their studies - to present their results to our colleagues there."

After finishing her studies, Antje would like to do a PhD or look for a management position. In any case, she wants to stay involved in Physics. "Physics is really cool," she says.