This summer, there are many Gustie students who are staying on campus to conduct research through many different departments. While these students are often busy with their research, there is a weekly event on Fridays held at the STEAMery on campus that helps bring together the summer researchers to share what everybody is working on.
This weekly event is known as FIKA, which is commonly known as a delightful custom of enjoying a coffee and a treat with friends in Swedish culture. Each week, a group of students signs up to be the hosts to provide others with food, coffee, and different types of juice for anyone to come and spend time together.
During this time together, students are able to learn more about their fellow researchers and understand different fields from their own.
So far this summer there have been a few Gustie students who have hosted a FIKA event with Ryan Schimek ‘24, Kathryn Cash ‘24, and Rachel Trebesch ‘25 being a few examples.
“It was nice to be able to provide the space and supplies for a time that people can see people they don’t get to see very often, talk to new people, and also enjoy a breakfast. It was very fun to talk to people I don’t usually see and to hear about research from groups that I don’t know a lot about” mentioned Ryan Schimek ‘24.
There are many positive aspects of these events, as they allow students to share their work with people who they do not necessarily see all the time. These events are quite casual, allowing students to share the highs and lows of their experience and to enjoy hearing about what other research is going on around them.
“I learn a lot about the different techniques that the students use to answer their research questions. It is also a great time to talk about difficulties that are occurring with experiments or the research process” Rachel Trebesch ‘25 said.
Those students and faculty on campus who are interested in attending the next FIKA event are strongly encouraged to go to learn about the many different research projects our Gusties are working hard on.
“I would love for people to know that you don’t need to be in STEM to come to FIKA. FIKA is an event that is open to everyone and we would love to see you there” said Kathryn Cash ‘24.
These events are scheduled to continue for the rest of the summer. Keep it up, research students!