Ph.D student Martin Lisanik, rights, talks with Syrian student Mouaz Abokora during an orientation before an MRI scan session at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. Participants are required to take short language tests and quizzes so as to stimulate their brain activities. 17.02.17
Syrian refugee and student Hussam AlSheikh is being put inside the scan machine at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. Because of the high volume of mechanical noise, participants are required to wear ear plugs. 07.02.16.
MRI scan readings are being displayed on a computer screen at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. 06.02.17.
(From left) Technician Anke Kummer, researcher Dr. Alfred Anwander and student coordinator Matthias Schwendemann keep a close eye on the progress of an an MRI scan session on a computer screen at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. 06.02.17.
A Syrian refugee student stands around the hallway of Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. 14.02.17.
A German language class is in progress at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. The institute is offering modern facility and qualified faculty, and the student satisfaction is high. 13.02.17.
Students participate in a pyramid building exercise during class. This is to help them build team mentality and relieve stress before the important language exam in the following week. 09.02.17
Syrian refugee and student Hussam AlSheikh plays with language instructor Theresa Becker's baby before the class begins at Max Planck Institute. The baby is part of the new generation in Germany which will grow with refugees. 08.02.17.
Syrian refugee and student Amjad Mukdad, second from right in a green outfit, walks back to the institute with his teacher and classmates after a field trip to the secret police museum in Leipzig. 08.02.17.
Overview of Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. The oval-shaped buildings house MRI scanners for the brain research. 13.02.17.
Syrian refugee and student Rana Shehabi, left, talks with other students on a tram after a long day of German class. The classes at Max Planck Institute usually last for 6 to 7 hours, with 30 minute breaks in between. 14.02.17.
After a long day of class, Syrian refugee and student Rana Shehabi anxiously waits for a train back to Beucha, a village in the outskirt of Leipzig, where her hostel is located. Although it only takes only 20 minutes from the Leipzig Central Station, the train runs only once an hour, making it difficult for her to commute. 14.02.17.
Syrian refugee and student Amjad Mukdad walks to a tram stop to go to the Leipzig University Library. Amjad works extra hard to improve his German skills and chances of making a new life in Germany. 08.02.17.
Syrian refugee and student Amjad Mukdad studies German using Youtube lessons for Arabic speakers at the Leipzig University Library. Amjad works extra hard to improve his German skills and chances of making a new life in Germany. 08.02.17.
Syrian refugees and students Ibrahim and Amjad Mukdad share Syrian tea and talk about their past lives inside a refugee hostel in Leipzig, Germany. Ibrahim was a baklava baker of 12 years' experience in Syria and Jordan. The Mukdad family lived in the border town of Bursa al-Sham, but fled the increasing oppression of the Assad regime. 08.02.17.
Syrian students converse during class at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. They are allowed to speak only in German in class. 14.02.17.
(From left) Syrian students Rafa AlKhatib, Amjad Mukdad and Mahmoud AlSheikh exchange banters at a cafe in Leipzig. Their teacher Lilith Mueller invited them out to an end-of-the-class dinner before the upcoming German language exam. 15.02.17.
Refugee students are visibly nervous before the Goethe B1 German language exam at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. B1 is considered as a threshold level, where students can engage in everyday activities more independently. B1 is also required for job search for non-native German speakers. As for the language research at Max Planck Institute, only those who pass the exam would continue attending the classes and participating in the scans, in order to maintain sample consistency. 16.02.17
Syrian student Rana Shehabi writes the Goethe B1 German language listening exam at Max Planck Institute, Leipzig, Germany. B1 is considered as a threshold level, where students can engage in everyday activities more independently. B1 is also required for job search for non-native German speakers. As for the language research at Max Planck Institute, only those who pass the exam would continue attending the classes and participating in the scans, in order to maintain sample consistency. 16.02.17
After a long day of class, Syrian refugee and student Rana Shehabi walks back to her hostel in Beucha, a village in the outskirt of Leipzig. Although it only takes only 20 minutes from the Leipzig Central Station, the train runs only once an hour, making it difficult for her to commute. 14.02.17.
Helping Refugees, Helping Science
With the influx of more than one million refugees, the socio-political landscape of Germany began shifting dramatically. The Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig offers free German language courses for refugee students. In return, the students participate in scientific research. Its goal is to decode the process of second language acquisition in the brain and to find the best way to teach a language. Using MRI scans and behavorial tests, the researchers hope to track how the students’ brains change over time while learning German.
Besides the research, the institute provides a safe and supportive space for the students to make mistakes, learn German and cultivate cultural skills. They can forget about everyday struggles of integration – finding a job and housing, coping with culture shocks, the complicated paperworks, etc. “The institute is like an oasis to the refugee students,” says German teacher Lilith Mueller.
The research and the language courses officially began in May 2016 and will continue until September 2017. Out of the 85 students, 70 carried on. In February, they took a difficult German language exam that would determine whether they could continue with the research and ultimately integrate in Germany successfully.
