'We learn a lot about the chemistry behind renewable energy and materials'

Louise Bosquet is a student Renewable Energy at the University of Perpignan in the south of France, but she wanted to broaden her horizons and practice her English, so she came to the Hanze for the Renewable Energy, Materials and Processing exchange programme.

'This program seemed a logical choice, since I already know a lot about renewable energy. But when I started, I did discover that it was a lot more chemistry then I expected. My expertise is mainly in the infrastructure surrounding renewable energy, so in the beginning it was a bit hard to understand everything. But luckily we could work together in our project, and other students could help me catch up. So now I do really like it!

The programme is a mixture of classes and a big project. The projects are all different. For instance, our group is working on the purification of an acid. This is a step in the creation of a bioplastic. A challenging project, but also very interesting, and we get to work a lot in the lab.

All in all, I am very happy that I came here. Groningen is a beautiful city, where everything can be reached by bike, and the Hanze is a nice university. There are a few other exchange students in the programme, so it is nice that we already had each other and get to know the Dutch students together.  I can also recommend the programme if you are interested in the chemistry behind renewable energy and sustainable materials, because you really learn a lot.'