Every Summer Semester, Ecotox Master students do a 2-month internship or AMEO (Applied Module at an External Organization). Today, Hernán shares his AMEO experience at RIFCON GmbH in Hirschberg, Germany.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Hernán Caballero from Paraguay. As part of my MSc in Environmental Pollution Management at RPTU, I had the opportunity to complete my AMEO at RIFCON GmbH, an independent scientific consulting company specializing in environmental risk assessment, ecotoxicology and regulatory studies.

I completed my internship from 09 May to 03 August 2026 as a full-time intern in the field department. RIFCON has extensive experience in pesticide assessment and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies and conducts environmental risk assessments for different organism groups.

Working with Bees

One of the main parts of my internship was working with honey bees (Apis mellifera), I participated in studies using complete colonies, from preparation and installation to field assessments. My activities included colony assessments, mortality counts and behavioral observations, including foraging, flight activity, grooming and abnormal behavior. We collected data directly in the field and later recorded it in spreadsheets. I also participated in the collection of nectar and pollen samples, which were sent to an external laboratory for analysis. Working directly with bee colonies allowed me to understand how complex bee studies can be and taught me much more about bee biology and behavior than I had expected.

Fieldwork in Italy and Hungary

My AMEO also gave me the opportunity to participate in field studies in Italy and Hungary. In Italy, I worked with non-target arthropods, weeds and seeds. For the arthropod studies, traps were prepared before the application of the test product, and samples were collected before and after application. In Hungary, I worked with earthworms and soil, including species collection and identification, as well as biomass assessment and soil sampling.

Working under GLP

Throughout the internship, I worked in accordance with GLP principles. My responsibilities included following SOPs, completing forms, labelling samples and recording study data. This experience showed me that reliable environmental studies depend not only on the fieldwork itself, but also on accurate documentation, standardized procedures and careful data management.

What I Took From the Experience

The part I enjoyed most was learning more about field research and seeing how ecotoxicological studies are conducted under real environmental conditions. One of the biggest challenges was working outdoors during very hot and sunny days, but this also became an important part of adapting to fieldwork.

Overall, my AMEO at RIFCON allowed me to combine my previous background with new experience in environmental risk assessment and field ecotoxicology. Working in Germany, Italy and Hungary also gave me valuable international and cultural experiences.

I am very grateful to the RIFCON team for welcoming me and sharing their knowledge throughout this experience. The AMEO has strengthened my interest in field ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment and will be an important part of my academic and professional journey.