For half a year I had the opportunity to intern at Wetsus – European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology under a PhD candidate at Wageningen University, Bárbara Vital. We were the last edition of researchers on Blue Energy at Wetsus, which merged eight companies & six professors, produced seventeen projects, of which six won Marcel Mulder prizes, and transferred nine patents.
Blue Energy is a renewable energy resource based on the process of reverse electrodialysis of salt and fresh water through a cation & anion exchange membranes which are alternately piled on top of each other. Most of our experiments were run in a pilot plant on the Afsluitdijk which is a 32km dam located in the north of the Netherlands where conditions changed very quickly. Afterwards I would collect water samples from our set-up at the pilot plant and preform TOC, TSS, and particle size analysis in the lab at Wetsus.
During my six-month internship I increased my skill set within my field by working in the lab, and I was able to grow professionally by networking with others at the several conferences I had the privilege to attend. I was very fortunate to have interned at such a prestigious well-funded institute which encompasses many different research institutions, companies, and those who are playing a vital role in sustainable water technology. Through this internship my eyes have been opened to the possibilities in this field & what work is still to be done to ensure a better tomorrow.