In your opinion, what does it mean to trust?
Interesting question. Up to a certain extent trust is a "gut feeling". You just know (feel) who to trust and who not. It gives you confidence and a sort of predictability. That feeling can be based on several things: knowledge, reputation and, especially, similarity. We are wired in this way (up to a certain extent of course) so the awareness of this bias is central to extend our notion of trust. So to speak, this is the... "physical" dimension of trust. The interesting part, in my opinion, arises from the ethical perspective. What you should do and you should not do. (And very probably we have different meanings and implications about ethics)
Why do you want to be a part of this research team?
Firstly, because this is a VERY interesting and challenging experience. Secondly, because it's like an experiment with ourselves. We want to try out new ideas and approaches about group dynamics and learning and people from different backgrounds.
What are your personal goals for what you would like to have accomplished by the end of this research period (in December)?
to learn something I would say is meaningful and concrete. To listen to new experiences, to know people and to develop that trustability called friendship. And finally, because the interesting thing is not the goal but the way we are doing things