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Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, announced detection of chemical contaminants in recycled water will be one of the project opportunities for summer internship this year.
The project titled ‘Detection and Quantification of Emerging Contaminants in Abu Dhabi Recycled Water Using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)’ will be offered under the six-week internship program. Students interested in this particular area of research can submit applications online through the Masdar Institute website.
The objective of this project is to evaluate the baseline levels of emerging chemical contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, steroids, and hormones in Abu Dhabi’s recycled water and to explore if better processes can be engineered for their efficient removal. Graduates and senior-level undergraduate students majoring in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Environmental Engineering will be preferred for this project.
Student interns who take up this project will be tasked with learning sample preparation, operation of GC/MS, and interpretation of the results. They may also be asked to assist research staff in the analysis of experimental samples and review the environmental analysis literature.
The summer internship program is offered to the UAE nationals who are university seniors and/or those graduating this year with science, engineering or computer science as major subjects. This internship program that offers more than 15 project opportunities is scheduled to begin from 1 July.
Dr. Farrukh Ahmad, Associate Professor, Water and Environmental Engineering, Masdar Institute, said: “Water reclaimed from waste water is only supplied for irrigation or landscaping in the UAE. However, emerging chemical contaminants have to be removed or else these substances can accumulate in the environment and pose a risk to human and environmental receptors. The detection of emerging contaminants requires the development of new methods of chemical analysis. We are offering this project as part of the summer internship so that students understand the risks associated with the usage of such water and find effective means of finding a solution.
“This year’s summer internship program offers a wide spectrum of areas for research, which we are confident, will be interesting to the students. We thank the UAE’s wise leadership for their support in creating the right learning tools and techniques for students at Masdar Institute.”
Dr. Ahmad holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Rice University, US, and undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has to his credit several publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as in refereed conference proceedings.
Other projects that are being offered for internship include ‘Development of Advanced Amine-Based Solvents for CO2 Post-Combustion Capture’, ‘Detection and Quantification of Emerging Contaminants in Abu Dhabi’s Recycled Water’, ‘MATLAB Simulation Development for Power Grid Systems Simulations and Applications Designed Filters for Applications in Solar Cells’, ‘Solar Cell Technologies and Applications for Desalination and Renewable Energy’, and ‘Cost Comparisons of Renewable and Fossil Fuel Technologies’.
Interested students with a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and an IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) can submit their applications online through the Masdar Institute website along with a letter of recommendation.
Established as an ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.
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