Time Evolution of a PhD Student’s Mood—A Review of My Time as PhD Student of the Research School ESSReS - Towards an Interdisciplinary Approach in Earth System Science - page 20

disappointments and to keep on working towards the next successful phase with
optimism. Of course, this experience has to be build up first. And from this point of

view, it might be helpful to face the complete spectrum of moods during the PhD
project (see Grosfeld et al. 2013 ).

3 Conclusion

In conclusion, a research school like ESSReS should not (and cannot) prevent each
failure and disappointment in the individual PhD projects, although me and other
ESSReS students wished for this from time to time. But a research school can help
to deal with the negative phases constructively. This means that a middle way has to
be found between supporting the students as much as possible, but without con-

fining their personal responsibility for the development of the project. Hence, the
research school should act as a multiplicator for the student s own initiative. This

was from my perspective very well realized in ESSReS. Beyond the given orga-
nizational structure of courses and seminars, there were lots of elements, which had
to be adjusted by each student according to his special needs. For me personally, the
most powerful support came from the committee meetings, from the research skills
development courses, and from the possibility to present and discuss the own
project with broader and more diverse audiences in addition to the own working
group (see Grosfeld et al. 2013 ). Motivating for me were also the excursions,
laboratory visits, and some inspiring talks, which reminded me particularly during
the unsuccessful phases of the nice side of scienti

'

c work.

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