Master's students met Nobel laureates

Hello Karin and Albert,

How was it to meet the Nobel Laureates?

Albert: It was a lot of fun to be among Nobel Laureates and prominent professors, a bit scary but nice and exciting.

Karin: Cathryn Costello, whom I had the honour of asking questions, is not a Nobel laureate but one of the leading researchers in her field (migration law). Being able to ask someone with such extensive knowledge of the subject was very exciting.

How did you prepare?
 

Albert: Christian Dustmann is a well-published economist, so I was able to read a lot of his research and watch some of his presentations on migration.

Karin: I read about migration in general and watched previous lectures by Cathryn to learn more about the issues she usually discusses. I prepared some questions, but new questions also arose spontaneously during the event.

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What was the most interesting part of your conversations?

Albert: The most interesting part was probably Christian's presentation, where he distinguishes between economic and cultural aspects of the view on migration, and argues that it is, by and large, cultural differences that underlie the increasing hostility towards migration. Then, of course, it was very interesting and nerve-wracking to be involved in a panel discussion and ask questions in front of a large audience and in such a high-profile context.

Karin: When we have a societal climate that is hostile to migration, it was interesting to hear a rights perspective, something you rarely hear in the debate.

What did you take away from the day?
 

Albert: I think the whole day gave a very exciting insight that migration is something that we humans have always done, as well as other animal species. That we will most likely continue to move and spread across the planet and that we need to find better solutions than we have had before, as climate change is likely to increase the rate of migration.

Karin: In addition to the opportunity to discuss with Cathryn, there were many exciting talks throughout the day. One that stands out is Stephan Schiffel's talk on how our genetic heritage reveals the history of human migration thousands of years ago. It highlights the fact that humanity is always on the move.

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