RDM Rotterdam

First Contact

Nils came into contact with CoE HRTech through a job posting on the internal website of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Looking for an internship, he read the posting and decided to apply immediately. During the interview, the assignment was explained in detail, and it immediately appealed to him.

Internship

Nils' internship focuses on analyzing plastic waste along the riverbanks. Every year, measurements are taken by Rijkswaterstaat, and maps are created from the findings. His task is to investigate whether there are trends in the data from recent years. He identified hotspots by analyzing previous data and then spent a week on a boat visiting these locations to collect samples. He then analyzed these samples to determine what types of waste were present and what this reveals about the environment and its users.

Interesting Finds

During his research, Nils found a lot of industrial plastic, such as styrofoam and helmets, in the port of Rotterdam. In the Biesbosch, however, he found many bottles from recreational users. These kinds of findings provide insight into the different types of pollution and help develop effective approaches.

Future Plans

Recently, Nils was asked if he would like to continue working one day a week after his internship, which he is likely to do because he enjoys working in the field. Nils is particularly interested in how water management and innovation come together here. In the future, he would like to work on projects focused on water management and safety.

Nils and RDM

Nils describes RDM as an inspiring place full of opportunities for students. He almost always travels to his internship by scooter, a ride of about fifteen minutes. If the weather is bad, he takes public transport, a journey of about forty minutes. Additionally, Nils and his colleagues are regularly found on the padel court or in the RDM Canteen for lunch.

Learned a Lot

Nils has learned a lot during his internship, especially by participating in events such as the COP, where companies, port authorities, the municipality, and the university come together to tackle the plastic problem. By attending these events, he meets many new people and sees how they present their projects. This has given him a lot of insight into how data can be collected automatically and how different solutions are developed.