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Yannick Doest

At RDM Rotterdam, the hotspot for innovation and talent development in the port city of Rotterdam, interns work on a variety of projects. We spoke with Yannick Doest, who shares his experiences about his internship at IT Campus Rotterdam.

## Education and Internship
Yannick is studying Cross-Media Communication at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and chose an internship at IT Campus Rotterdam because of its versatility. “They do a lot in the field of digitalization and communication,” he explains. The application process was via email, and after a meeting, the internship was arranged. “At first, I had trouble finding the location, but now it’s fine. I live in the city centre and take the metro to Zuidplein, then catch the bus. My commute takes about 30 minutes.”

## Assignment
During my internship, I work in the office with the communication team. Together, we form a team of four. I help with communication tasks such as brainstorming and creating social media posts. Additionally, I get the chance to assist with photography and film assignments. In January, I will start my graduation project.

## Small Team
The best part of his internship, he finds, is working in a small team of about 16 colleagues. “This allows you to really build a bond with everyone. It makes the work much more enjoyable, and you feel more seen and appreciated.”

## Tips
His advice to other students looking for an internship is to choose something you really like and are curious about. “For me, it’s very important that I feel comfortable in the team and that you get the chance to learn a lot. And don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek help if you don’t know something.”

## Future Plans
“I came to Rotterdam from Suriname specifically for my studies, and I’m lucky to be able to live with my brother.” When asked where he sees himself in the coming years, he says he wants to stay in Rotterdam for a few more years. “Maybe I’ll eventually go back to Suriname, but first I want to build my photography and film career here. Maybe even set up my own studio. That’s actually the goal.” He still has two years left to study for his bachelor’s degree and then another internship. “Who knows, maybe I’ll stay here. It’s fun to work here.”

## Life in Rotterdam
“I think Rotterdam is really cool. I recently spoke to someone who works on ships as an engineer. I can see myself working on such a ship, five weeks on and then two weeks off. The food on board is supposed to be good too. So yeah, maybe I’ll work in the harbour someday, you never know.”

## Favourite on Campus
“I haven’t been working here long, but I’ve heard that you can play padel here and that there’s a coffee corner in the Innovation Dock. The RDM canteen, part of Dudok, is also very good, I’ve heard. I will definitely make an effort to keep an eye on all the activities in the community. Networking is important if I want to achieve my dream, so I will definitely do that here at RDM.”

_Photography: Mick de Witte_

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Nils van Dijk

Meet Nils van Dijk, a third-year Water Management student at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Nils is currently interning at the CoE HRTech, where he focuses on plastics and energy along the riverbanks.

## 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.

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Michelle van der Veer

Michelle puts on her Wellington boots and steps into Rotterdam University of Applied Science’s Aqualab in the Innovation Dock. What is she working on? “With a test rig. I’m investigating whether it’s possible to lay down small nourishments of sand along the coast since that would benefit soil life and recreation in the Netherlands.”

## Nourishments?
“Nourishments are piles of sand. The coast is always eroding and large-scale sand replenishment takes place every year to counteract that, but that in turn is bad for life and recreation.”

## And you're mimicking that here?
“Yes, just below the water surface the slope is roughened to create a beach effect, where I can lay down small replenishments to scale. Then the waves are turned on in the tank and I watch how that sand moves over time. By putting theory into practice, you can mimic this and see for yourself! And then you get a much better feel for it. Genuinely nice to be involved with practice when graduating instead of just theory. I learn a lot from this.”

## Who is asking you to do this?
“This is commissioned by the Community of Practice (CoP) Flood Safety of RDM Centre of Expertise; they work with water authorities.”

## Why RDM?
“I was allowed to choose where I wanted to graduate, and this assignment really appealed to me because I prefer working with natural solutions. The ‘water basin’ played a vital role in this. I get good guidance from Rotterdam University and the CoP. And Jan and Willem also work at the Aqualab, here on RDM; they often help me when I get stuck with the test setup or with the waves. They are always there.”

## Future?
“Because it’s a big study, I’m probably not going to find an answer during my internship, so more studies will have to follow. Also, two students have already preceded me. I hope the tests will give a picture of the real situation so that follow-up tests can be done.”

## Why Engineering?
“I like math and physics and I ended up in civil engineering because it’s all big and you can see it. And now on to hydraulic engineering!”

Education and Internship

Assignment

Small Team

Tips

Future Plans

Life in Rotterdam

Favourite on Campus

Other news

Michelle van der Veer

Nils van Dijk