Lund looked like an abandoned city when I started my internship in August. The university and the associated students form a big part of Lund’s city life.

By now I've got used to Lund whilst the introductory month has just started (They could learn something from that in Eindhoven!). This is noticeable through the huge number of partying freshmen, recognizable for each department from the color of their working overalls. I do wonder where they get their money from, however, when I look at the high prices of alcohol here in Sweden… By the way, they are still supposed to take part in some study-related activities starting from the second week of the introductory month.

Apart from the fact that Lund has beautiful surroundings with lots of natural beauty, it is also close to two large cities worth visiting. On the one hand there is Malmö (song festival 2013), and when you travel just a little longer and take the train across the bridge you will arrive in Copenhagen, where you will not be able to see everything within a single day.

The main reason for my stay here is the large-scale research into innovative concepts for internal combustion engines. Together with the optical engines of the combustion technology department, there are about 15 engine test rigs present, varying from a small go-kart engine to a large ship engine the size of a minivan.

For my internship I will be investigating the ignition of a lean natural gas mixture in a heavy-duty truck engine. Instead of having a conventional spark, we are experimenting with the injection of radicals. These injected radicals subsequently ignite the charge at many locations at the same time. This way it is possible to operate much leaner compared to conventional spark ignition engines. The final goals are, of course, saving fuel and limiting the emission of hazardous exhaust gases.

So far I've really been enjoying my internship here. It is good to see how things work at a different university. On top of that, there are still many things for me to see in Sweden, so I hope that three months will be sufficient!