A Journey of Scientific Growth and Scandinavian Exploration: My Internship at Boras University, Sweden

To broaden and develop the professional skills of our team members and widen their scientific network and cultural experiences, the BRT encourages its students to embark on internships. These internships are connected to their scientific journey and enable them to have hands-on, practical and in-field experiences, which are critical to their future careers. The internships help to hone their communication, time management, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills, all of which are highly valued assets in young scientists.

Our PhD student, Lydia Mawar Ningsih, shares insights from her internship experience at Boras University, Sweden in Sweden.

Enjoy reading as she takes you on her internship journey!

My name is Lydia Mawar Ningsih – I am a PhD student within the Biogas Research Team of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.  In the summer of 2023, I embarked on a three-month (August-October) internship at Boras University, Sweden, as a part of my doctoral studies. During my stay, I joined the university’s Bio-Technology research group, which is organized within the Department of Resource Recovery and Building Technology. My research work was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Mohammad Taherzadeh and Dr Steven Wainaina. The research group is organized within the Department of Resource Recovery and Building Technology.

The main purpose of my stay was to focus on conducting experimental activities in the laboratory. My experimental work was based on the Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) in soybeans-based wastewater obtained from tofu and tempeh wastewater. To conduct the experiment, I made synthetic wastewater in the food technology laboratory kitchen and then continued to prepare the samples in X-lab (the special laboratory for biogas experiments). Every day, I worked diligently (often for more than 8 hours) in the laboratory to analyze the gas composition and VFA production using a gas chromatography (GC) instrument.

However, my stay was not all work and no play. It was refreshing to have some time off in between the routine of going to the laboratory for grueling hours during the work week. This way, I returned refreshed and filled with energy for the working week.  During the weekends, I enjoyed Gothenburg with my colleagues (the city is not far from Boras, only 1 hour by bus). One of my favorite sites was HAGA Street, a famous street in Gothenburg where we enjoyed the sweet coffee and souvenirs from the local market. This street is known for their famous cinnamon rolls and apple pie with a special vla sauce. I also embraced Boros; though it is a small city, it has beautiful nature and quiet places to enjoy in my free time between busy internship activities. As I always say, “a little fresh air will always do you good!”

For three months, I not only gained valuable knowledge and skills that will further boost my studies and career opportunities as a young scientist, but also made the most of the summer leisure activities, embraced a new atmosphere, and enjoyed the beautiful natural views that my stay in Sweden had to offer!