Marlene
The scholarship holders of the Hans-Peter Wild Talent Scholarships are multi-talented. They also prove that their talents do not necessarily have to be related to the STEM field. This time, Marlene reveals her hidden talent.
Combine a total of 2 × 11 moles of goalkeepers and different outfield players under defined reaction conditions, including a solid-phase pitch support as well as goalposts and nets for product accumulation. Add a football as main substrate and provide a referee-type catalyst. After a short warm-up in order to lower the activation energy barrier, the conversion is initiated via a whistle. Stir the resulting mixture for 90 minutes and monitor the formation of goals… (Vigorous and dynamic reaction to be expected!)
Hello everyone, my name is Marlene and I have just completed my Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Heidelberg University. As much as I am intrigued by the structure and interaction of molecules underlying complex processes within living systems, I also share a passion for football outside the world of natural sciences. Ever since taking my first dribbling and passing attempts at the age of six, I have come to appreciate this team sport and its various benefits regarding the personal well-being. Naturally, engaging the whole body and pushing one’s limits serves as a physical outlet, which allows to release pressure and to de-stress. However, I do not intend to write a factual report on the positive effects of exercising, I would rather like to express some personal reflections on my individual relationship with football and the role it plays in my current everyday life.
About a year ago, I resumed practising football at a sports club in Heidelberg (SpG Heidelberg-Nord) after having taken a break during the first few semesters at university. Indeed, I realised quickly that I had missed the opportunity to step out onto the pitch as part of a team for training sessions or matches. This is mainly down to the fact that it means more to me than simply doing sports. Beyond that, I value a lot the resulting routine in daily activities, integrating fixed times into my everyday schedule and thereby establishing additional structures. Of course, there are sometimes just not enough hours in a day. In these cases, I find myself prioritising my studies, still aiming to reach a balance. In my opinion, joining a club does require commitment, though it should never feel like something compulsive or demanding. Conversely, I try to make football a personal source of energy and motivation, which also gives me a lot in return.
Constantly observing the situation, analysing, anticipating, deciding, … - football is a multitasking game, calling for the player’s full attention and leaving no space for chemical formulas or mathematical equations. Thus, it lets me detach from things that keep my mind occupied, lets me briefly escape physically as well as mentally from working in the lab or immersing myself in weighty tomes. And all with an effectiveness that I do not encounter when going for a hike, jogging, etc. Eventually, this represents a means to gather my thoughts and fuel those little creative brain cells. When I am fascinated by a certain topic, it often occurs to me that I delve into it and adopt a tunnel vision. Actively gaining some distance then helps to process and link new bits of knowledge, review as well as approach challenges in a new way and broader context outside the box. To be honest, many a good idea has already arisen on the way home after training or while showering. And from time to time, it proves very refreshing to concentrate on getting ‘the round thing into the square thing’ (instead of the solvent into the reaction flask or the bacteria into the petri dish) and to enjoy the little achievements such as a successful one-on-one defending or scoring a goal.
Last but not least, it is a great deal about the people with whom I experience these emotions as soon as I step out of my ‘lab-lectures-learning bubble’. With all our different backgrounds and with communication being a key element on the football field, we play and compete together, support and encourage each other, share victories but also struggles. This aspect of community spirit and socialising seems to be a matter of course, but it definitely holds true – and it might draw the stereotypical scientist, reserved, socially clumsy and devoted to work, out of his/her shell (written with a wink!).
Football teaches many lessons and skills, ranging from endurance, strategic thinking and quick reactions to broadened perspectives, which again can be transferred to studying. And in the end, the lab and the pitch may not be so far apart after all, considering that E. coli bacteria are not only microbial ‘workhorses’ of molecular biology, but also prove their non-research-related utility as oracles for the EURO 2024 matches.
