The research stay at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) was one of the best parts of my PhD studies so far. With great support of the sea ice group at the Geophysical Institute, I made a good progress investigating the mechanisms of landfast ice development in the Laptev Sea. Apart from invaluable feedback and the scientific experience I got, I also had a great time exploring Alaska. All in all, I came back to Germany with new ideas, lots of motivation and inspiration to continue my work on sea ice.