Studies of environmental engineering in Rostock | student assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Large Structures in Production Engineering (IGP) within the Fraunhofer research group SOT (Smart Ocean Technologies) | master thesis at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) also within the Fraunhofer research group SOT.
The topic of my master's thesis is called "Monitoring of mesocosms for material deposition under real conditions". Mesocosms are experimental facilities in which an ecosystem is simulated and thus experiments and tests can be carried out under natural environmental conditions. Our aquatic facility consists of two steel basins with a continuous flow of water from the Warnow River. In order to analyze the influence of UV radiation, one basin is equipped with a steel lid and the other one is not. The mesocosms are to be used for material analysis, i.e. to study how various materials precipitated in the water behave.
At the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), we work with ceramics and research, among other things, what influence different coatings have on fouling (biofouling). My job was to start up the test facility, remove the ceramic materials and then monitor the environmental conditions. To do this, I measured various water parameters with a CTD probe every day for a month and compared the values from the two basins with the conditions in the Warnow River.
My daily study routine consists of attending classes and preparing for and following up on them. In the Fraunhofer research group, on the other hand, which, unlike basic science, is more concerned with the development and application of maritime technologies, I was able to try out a lot myself as a student assistant, for example controlling a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and taking underwater pictures. It's great to gain this practical experience and apply what I learned in my studies. Every day is different here. That's what makes the work so interesting. When I was doing the experiments, I was outside a lot. Then it was on to data evaluation and statistical analysis. That was mostly office work, to be sure. But it was very exciting for me to continue working with the data that I collected myself.
I enjoy finding a logical way to solve a problem. What I like about environmental engineering is the variety and the interplay between fields as diverse as soil physics, urban water management and plant ecology. Depending on the field of specialization, you can work in many different professions. At Fraunhofer, I work in an interdisciplinary group where all employees bring in different specialties to collaborate on a topic.
In our experimental setup, very different materials can be tested for their durability. How do material properties change in fresh, salt or brackish water? How quickly does plastic weather? Which materials corrode more slowly? What kind of surfaces must be used to improve the antifouling behavior of coatings on ship hulls? With our tests, we find materials that are durable over the long term. These are sustainable because they need to be renewed less often, thus conserving resources. Another aspect is that the mesocosms are a closed system and not an open body of water. This means we can recycle the water and test new materials without endangering the environment.
Underwater technology is such an exciting field. Don't be discouraged from studying engineering just because you don't like a STEM subject. I didn't take physics in high school either. Have the courage to try it out.
