Joanne Lee’s Summer 2025 Internship at TUHH, Hamburg, Germany
This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Germany and join a research lab at the Hamburg University of Technology. It was an incredible chance to explore Europe for the first time while collaborating with engineers from all around the world. I could not have done this without the support of the GLOBE program, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I was able to immerse myself in a completely new culture while connecting with people who shared the same passions and interests.
I worked closely with PhD students in the Underwater Robotics Lab to build an underwater soft robotic arm test platform. In my hands-on experience, I focused on upgrading the existing platform and revising the silicone arm to test how a tapered arm design would perform underwater, where gravity exerts less influence. I was responsible for designing mounts and molds from scratch, and I had a blast working with silicone molds for the first time.
After many 3D prints and prototypes, I reached the point where I could test the whole assembly underwater. Waterproof servo motors were each connected to a tendon, creating tension that bent the arm into specific orientations. By incorporating six tendons and six motors, I enabled a wider range of physical arm configurations meant to be used for data collection and neural network training.
I also had the chance to apply my knowledge of ROS outside of the classroom. I built ROS networks to communicate with the arm and detect its physical positions using underwater imaging. I wrote Python scripts to control the servo motors and collected a uniformly distributed dataset across the arm’s range of motion for training purposes.
Everyone in the lab was incredibly welcoming and supportive. They were always eager to answer my questions and help guide me through unfamiliar tools and setups. The master’s students working alongside me gave great recommendations on things to do, foods to try, and places to visit. Often, members of the lab would bring homemade baked goods such as cakes, cookies, and pies for everyone to enjoy together. They also hosted meals for exchange students, introducing us to traditional German dishes such as asparagus and meat (raw pork, surprisingly delicious). Summer barbecues were frequent and amazing—I probably had more barbecues this past summer than in my entire life combined.
One highlight was a big team outing that included an insane climbing and obstacle course, similar to something you’d see on Wipeout, followed by a 50-kilometer bike ride through the countryside south of Germany. It was exhausting but unforgettable, and an incredible way to see Germany beyond the city. Biking through villages, farms, and along highways showed me just how beautiful and green the country is. It’s very different from the I-5, that’s for sure.
Beyond the lab, I fell in love with Hamburg itself. The city is lively every evening, and I appreciated how people made the most of their time after work as they socialized and enjoyed the many parks and lakes the city has to offer. Running through the countryside, swimming in local lakes (clean water was a huge shock to me as a SoCal resident), playing volleyball at the park, enjoying a warm Franzbrötchen, walking around the central lake, pulling all-nighters that ended with a 5 a.m. trip to the fish market, attending festivals, and befriending locals at climbing gyms—the list could go on.
I made the most of my weekends by exploring beyond Hamburg. I traveled to Berlin, Munich, Lübeck, Prague, Dresden, Paris, Aarhus, and Brussels. I was amazed by how many distinct cultures could exist so close together, each unique in its own way. Thanks to GLOBE, I was able to experience so much of Europe in one summer. It was thrilling and unforgettable, leaving me eager to return to see even more next time
Written by: Joanne Lee
UC Berkeley Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering