Now, four generations later, his great-grandson Emil is a student trainee in the laboratory himself - with a lab coat, safety goggles and plenty of curiosity. Emil is currently in year 12 at a high school in Munich. During the Easter vacations, he moved to Jena. More precisely: to his grandmother's garden shed. He lives there during his one-week internship at the Leibniz-HKI.

We spoke to the 18-year-old:

Emil, where does your curiosity for science come from, does it perhaps run in the family?

I think so. At least a little bit. But I'm currently taking an advanced biology course at school, for example. I'm most interested in the subject of genetics and mutation and how we could make use of this knowledge. I was able to get a taste of microbiology, nutritional sciences and immunology in internships in Freising and Augsburg. That's why, and of course to follow in my great-grandfather's footsteps a little, I'm now here at the institute and I'm delighted that I was able to do another voluntary internship here.

What did you do in the four days here at the institute?

I was in the Bio Pilot Plant and was allowed to work on the huge fermenters, which today are called bioreactors. We prepared culture media and I was also able to gain an insight into microfluidics and microscopy. It was really fascinating to observe the processes in the Bio Pilot Plant. Microbiology on a literally grand scale. I also spent two days in the department Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms and learned how to pipette and a lot about fungal infections

Does it sound like you want to go in this direction professionally later on?

That is definitely possible. At the moment, however, I have two major interests that I have to choose between. I'm very interested in microbiology and genetics, but I'm also very enthusiastic about aviation. That's why I'm doing the internship here, to gain knowledge, look at the career field and hopefully be able to make a decision more easily.

Aviation? That's also an exciting topic. Where does the interest in it come from?

I was very lucky that my parents made an exchange year possible for me. Last year, I went to Canada for the 11^th grade. To a high school on the east coast. There was an aviation program. That was very, very interesting. We went to the local airport and were allowed to learn how to fly an airplane on a simulator. And at the end, we were also allowed to fly in the plane as co-pilots. In a small plane of course. And that really was a dream. I was also allowed to help tinker a bit on a  a small plane. In general, my time in Canada was great. I improved my English and played basketball and rugby.

So you are also a sports enthusiast?

Yes, very much. I swim and have also played ice hockey. I'm currently playing soccer.

Then you've already experienced a lot and are now here in Jena, in a place to which your family has such a special connection. What does that mean to you?

I've been here several times as a child. My grandparents are from Jena. And my mother grew up here too. My grandparents still had an apartment here and now they only have a garden shed. I'm staying there at the moment. Being here and experiencing what my great-grandfather achieved makes me proud and reverent. I never got to know him, but my grandmother often talked about him and described him as a jovial, very nice man who never put himself in the foreground. And she told me that she always went to his house for lunch back then - the Knölls' house was still there, right next to the institute.

Whether his grandfather´s research also inspired Emil´s   future career is still an open question for him - but he certainly enjoyed the internship. And the historical connection to his great-grandfather? "That's something special, of course," says Emil. "It's cool to see what has become of what he helped build.”

Thank you Emil for the interview and have fun here in Jena!