Every Summer Semester, Ecotox Master students do a 2-month internship or AMEO (Applied Module at an External Organization). Today, Katharina Wifling tells us about her AMEO experience at the German Environment Agency (UBA).

To get insights into how risk assessment and pesticide regulation work in Germany and Europe, the Environmental Federal Agency (UBA) is the place to go. Founded in 1974, the UBA supports the Federal Environment Ministry in pollution control, soil protection, waste and water management, and environmental health. It helps draft legal and administrative regulations, researches and develops suitable measures, and investigates and tests procedures and establishments.

The UBA also partakes in enforcing environmental laws, including the Plant Protection Act and EU REACH regulation. With 1,600 employees based in Dessau-Roßlau, Berlin, Langen, Bad Elster, and Merseburg, the UBA is one of the largest environmental agencies in Europe.

I completed an 8-week internship at the UBA in the Chemical Safety Department (IV), focusing on Plant Protection Products (subject area 1.3). Given my previous experience in pollinator exposure to pesticides, especially with wild bees, I was assigned research tasks related to the Revised Guidance on Risk Assessment of Plant Protection Products on Bees. To this end, I reviewed current research literature to assess risks to bees and explored approaches for exposure studies. At the end of my internship, I summarized and presented my findings to my colleagues. I also interacted with colleagues from other departments to gain an overview of the department’s structure and to understand how risk assessment works and how the work processes are organized.

The highlight of my internship was a one-day excursion to Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Bernburg. There, I joined colleagues on field trials aimed at improving biodiversity in agricultural areas. I also participated in the UBA’s 50th-anniversary celebration, where, on a weekend day, the agency opened its doors to the public. All departments introduced themselves and their work by presenting interfaces between the work at the UBA and the consumers and in some cases communicating them interactively.