Erasmus+: How Tugba Özadam rediscovers the history of pharmacy

Erasmus+: How Tugba Özadam rediscovers the history of pharmacy

Tugba Özadam, a committed pharmacy student from Ankara, is currently completing a two-month compulsory internship at the Technical University of Braunschweig, which is part of the Erasmus+ program. Your internship will be led by Professor Bettina Wahrig and Dr. Ayman Atat, which continues to be actively involved in teaching and research even after the professor's retirement. Özadam specifically chose the Department of Pharmacy and Scientific History to work on a significant project on the history of resins. This field is particularly rare due to the limited number of internships available in the field of pharmacy history, while offers in pharmaceutical technology and chemistry are much more common.

Özadam plans to get her master's degree in pharmaceutical history and hopes that the internship will provide her with not only practical experience, but also valuable knowledge in historical research and academic writing. In her current research, Özadam is intensively studying an extensive collection of resins that have been used in pharmaceutical recipes in the past. Particular focus is on Styrax Benzoin, which is often only mentioned in historical documents as “Styrax” or “Storax”.

The role of pharmacy history

Özadam highlights the immense importance of pharmacy history for the progress of pharmacy. Her research focuses in particular on the use of Styrax benzoin in earlier times, analyzing its use in plague epidemics and in cosmetic formulations. She recommends other students consider an internship through the Erasmus+ program to take advantage of similar opportunities.

The department not only conducts research on projects, but also regularly conducts tours of the drug history collection. Each month a new object from this collection is featured in the “Object of the Month” section to promote knowledge of historical medicines. The University of Braunschweig provides comprehensive information for students who would like to find out more about stays in other European countries during their pharmacy studies. This includes applying for funding via the Erasmus+ program as well as information about internships.

Current developments at TU Braunschweig

The Department of Pharmacy and Scientific History, where Özadam works, is celebrating several successes. Julia Pflug won a LAGEN publication award, while Isabell Schuster and Helena Hauptmeier recently successfully defended their dissertations. These developments underline the faculty's activity and engagement in the academic world.

The Technical University of Braunschweig therefore remains an important starting point for students who want to gain a deeper insight into the history of pharmacy and offers valuable international experience through the Erasmus+ program.