Available Global FEWture Alliance Internships

Kathmandu University and Sanskriti Farms and Research Center (Kathmandu, Nepal)
Project Focus: Drinking Water Quality and Biochar studies

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Stormwater quality

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Harvested rainwater quality

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Stormwater and Harvested rainwater quality

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Consumer perception of the use of reclaimed water and Drinking Water quality

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Biochar factsheet preparation

University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Project Focus: Biochar studies

Position Description (In-person preferred): Ensuring universal access to clean and safe drinking water is a critical priority under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 6. In Nepal, drinking water quality remains a significant public health challenge, with contamination posing severe risks. Diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, and paratyphoid are frequently associated with unsafe water, while naturally occurring chemicals like arsenic and fluoride in groundwater contribute to chronic health conditions, including cancers of the lungs, liver, skin, and kidneys. Despite 76% of households having access to basic drinking water services, the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) revealed that only 19% have access to safely managed drinking water. Contamination often stems from proximity to sewage lines, poorly designed septic tanks, leaky sewers, and open pit toilets, undermining water safety and increasing health risks. To address these challenges, this project will conduct monthly monitoring of drinking water samples in Dhulikhel municipality, engaging stakeholders to identify contamination risks, improve water quality management, and ensure safer drinking water, thereby contributing to public health and progress toward achieving SDG 6. Complementing this effort, the biochar initiative seeks to enhance soil health, agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability by utilizing biochar as a soil amendment. Through crop trials, it evaluates biochar’s impact on soil fertility, water retention, and crop yield, focusing on improved growth, pest resistance, and productivity across diverse crops. Soil analyses compare treated and untreated plots to assess changes in texture, nutrients, pH, microbial activity, and organic matter. Furthermore, biochar quality testing ensures its effectiveness by analyzing carbon content, essential nutrients, pH levels, cation exchange capacity, and the absence of harmful substances such as heavy metals. Together, these initiatives address critical public health and environmental challenges, promoting sustainable practices for healthier communities and ecosystems.

The student intern will collaborate with students from Kathmandu University and staff from Dhulikhel Hospital and Sanskriti Farms and Research Center to collect and test water samples. They will conduct laboratory analyses, following established protocols and safety guidelines, while accurately documenting the collection process and test results. The intern will also contribute to report preparation to support ongoing research and engage in team discussions to address water quality challenges. In addition, the intern will be involved in soil and biochar analysis, assessing soil health, evaluating the long-term impact of soil and nutrient retention, and participating in biochar research and production. They will conduct literature reviews, organize workshops and seminars, and assist in preparing research papers. Candidates should have prior laboratory experience or knowledge of lab practices, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment. Knowledge of water quality testing methods and effective communication skills will be an advantage. The intern will be provided with $300 stipend for the 10-week internship

About the Lab: The intern will work in a collaborative environment with a diverse team. You will be working with the Project Coordinator from Dhulikhel Hospital, the Director of Sanskriti Farms and Research Center, students from Kathmandu University, and laboratory staff from the Kathmandu University AEC Lab.

Position Description (In-person preferred): Urban stormwater runoff is recognized as a major non-point source of pollution to receiving waters. Various pollutants, including harmful nutrients, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and pathogens are present in stormwater. Understanding sources and concentrations of these pollutants are important to understand risks and to design treatment systems to remove these pollutants. Stormwater control measures (SCM) such as bioretention have shown successful removal of many stormwater pollutants and have been increasingly implemented in the last 20 years for management of stormwater quantity and quality. Bioretention consists of vegetated quick-infiltrating media that aims to reduce stormwater volume and delay peak flow, provide filtration and sedimentation of particulates, and potentially remove dissolved contaminants through chemical and biological processes.

The summer intern will be assisting Dr. Allen P. Davis and environmental engineering graduate students in laboratory and field-based experiments and the analysis of stormwater data. Specific projects are focused on leaching of toxic compounds from stormwater culvert sealants, stormwater thermal reduction, and stormwater beneficial reuse. Interns will also have the opportunity to develop technical manuscripts and reports based on collected data.

About the Lab: This position will be hosted by Dr. Davis in the UMD Environmental Engineering Laboratories. The Environmental Engineering Laboratories are part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Our research supports the idea that fundamental environmental research will serve as the basis for solving the problems faced by future generations. Practical engineering research is necessary to solve current environmental problems. The labs function to support the analysis of environmental samples which focus on the fate and processes involved in three main areas of research: organic pollutants, inorganic pollutants, and environmental microbiology. The inorganic pollutant laboratory, headed by Prof. Davis, evaluates sources and concentrations of harmful nutrients and metals in stormwater and their treatment in engineered and nature-based systems.

Position Description (In-person preferred):  Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable way to boost resilience on urban farms by collecting and storing water during times of plentiful rainfall for use during dry periods. Preliminary results have supported the safety of using harvested rainwater on fresh produce crops but questions still remain on how rainwater harvesting may impact crop nutritional and microbial quality, factors important for human health and product shelf-life. An ongoing project on local urban farms is evaluating these aspects of leafy crops irrigated with harvested rainwater as compared to municipal water.

The summer intern will be assisting graduate students in leafy crop sample collection from participating farms, sample preparation and analysis of a variety of nutritional and quality parameters. These will include minerals, bioactive compounds and spoilage bacteria. The intern will have the opportunity to also help manage, visualize and statistically analyze the data. The team, including the undergraduate intern, will aim to develop a manuscript for peer-review publication.

About the Lab: This position in Dr. Micallef's lab that investigates bacteria, plants and health in the agricultural setting. The lab is a biosafety level 2 environment where enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are investigated in human pathogen - plant interaction studies. We are interested in plant traits and environmental conditions that modulate these plant-bacterial interactions, as well as factors and agricultural practices that affect plant growth, food safety, nutritional quality and shelf-life. Lab members include graduate and undergraduate students. We strive to work creatively and collaboratively, applying a systems approach to advance our knowledge of how fresh produce agriculture can be safer and more sustainable.

Position Description (In-person preferred): Climate change causes more frequent extreme precipitation, leading to stormwater runoff that can either be captured and used beneficially, or cause exposure to harmful contaminants. Rainwater harvesting can provide farmers and gardeners with additional water and reduce their reliance on costly municipal water. However, farmer concerns about water quality and system design and maintenance need to be addressed. The intern will have the opportunity to engage in field sampling and laboratory analysis to evaluate harvested rainwater quality at urban farms. In addition, extreme precipitation caused by climate change is leading to increased sewer infrastructure failures and sometimes sewage backups in homes. The intern will have the opportunity to explore the public health impacts of sewage backups and work with impacted communities through the Water Emergency Team (WET) project (https://research.umd.edu/wet). This unique position will allow the intern the opportunity to learn advanced microbiological techniques and develop skills in translating complex scientific information to a variety of audiences.

The intern will have the opportunity to engage with stormwater from two angles – how to make use of excess water through rainwater harvesting, and evaluating the public health risks that occur when stormwater overwhelms sewer infrastructure leading to sewage backups. Intern duties will include: collecting water, soil, and produce samples from urban farms; collecting surface samples from homes impacted by sewage backups; filtering water samples and extracting DNA; entering data (water parameters, DNA concentrations, etc.); conducting preliminary data analysis; participating in community outreach events; assisting with developing related outreach materials.

About the Lab: The WOW (Water Quality, Outreach and Wellness) lab at the University of Maryland School of Public Health in College Park conducts interdisciplinary research around water - analyzing microbial water quality, the most effective ways to communicate about water quality, and the perceptions and behaviors related to water use. The lab facilities are biosafety level 2. Lab members include undergraduates, graduate students, a postdoctoral fellow, and a lab technician. The WOW lab has multiple ongoing collaborations with the University of Maryland Extension, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Blue Water Baltimore, Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm, and other community organizations throughout Maryland.

Position Description (Virtual/In-person position): The summer intern will be working on two different projects: 1.) Efficient use of limited water resources is critical to almost every facet of society. While the development of new water sources is ongoing, the reclamation of existing wastewater can provide a substantial contribution to meeting the water needs globally. A positive attitude by the public toward the use of reclaimed water is critical to the full development and utilization of this resource. While much research has gone into water reuse technology, little attention has been given to understanding public attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge on the use of reclaimed water. To fill this knowledge gap, we completed a 3-year online survey to examine public knowledge, perceptions and attitudes toward water resources, with a focus on the use of reclaimed water. 2.) The Maryland Safe Drinking WATER (Water Analysis and Testing for Education and Research) Study is investigating the drinking water quality of both public drinking water systems and private wells in Maryland's underserved communities using a combination of citizen science, field-based research, and laboratory analyses. To accomplish this goal, we will collaborate with our UMD Extension partners, government partners, community partners, private well owners, and residents of Maryland who utilize public drinking water.

1.) The summer intern will be assisting Dr. Rianna Murray in the analysis and visualization of this CONSERVE survey dataset. Prior knowledge of conducting statistical analyses using R, SAS or STATA is highly preferred. 2.) The summer intern will analyze laboratory results data from the Maryland Safe Drinking WATER study using R, SAS or STATA statistical tools. There will be results from various microbiological and chemical analyses conducted on water samples from homes across Maryland. The intern will also assist with creating maps of study results to indicate spatial distribution of the contaminants. In each project, the intern will also have the opportunity to develop manuscripts that will report these data.

About the Lab: This position will be hosted across two projects, the first being in Dr. Amy Sapkota's lab within CONSERVE: A Center of Excellence at the Nexus of Sustainable Water Reuse, Food and Health. The second project is the Maryland Safe Drinking WATER study, a project funded by the University of Maryland Grand Challenges grant program. Team members on both projects include undergraduates, graduate students, and Assistant Research Professors. Both projects are passionate about advancing the representation of traditionally underrepresented racial/ethnic groups and women in science. This summer internship will mainly focus on data analysis and will not directly require any laboratory work. However, the intern is welcome to participate in ongoing laboratory activities to gain those skills if they desire.

Position Description (Virtual position): Biochar can be produced from pyrolysis, gasification, and fluidized bed combustion of various waste sources, with renewable energy produced from waste during this thermochemical processing with the biochar product. Biochar can be produced from a variety of organic wastes, including manure, poultry litter, fibers, food waste, paper, plastics, and yard/tree waste. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment to enhance fertilizer, soil water capacity, and retain water pollutants within the soil matrix. It is important to understand the effect of biochar source on its impact and how to effectively communicate this information to farmers and the general public.

The intern will be assisting Dr. Stephanie Lansing in the Bioenergy and Biotechnology Laboratory in creating FactSheets from previous laboratory data on biochar use. The intern will analyze previously required data and synthesize the data into FactSheets, short videos, or other accessible information to the public. The outreach work could include biochar as well as other waste to energy technologies, such as composting and anaerobic digestion. Examples of previous FactSheets created can be found here: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/animal-waste-technologies/

About the Lab: This position will be hosted by Dr. Lansing’s Bioenergy and Biotechnology laboratory https://agnr.umd.edu/about/directory/stephanie-lansing/. The lab focus is at the nexus of renewable energy, water quality, waste treatment, and human health with a commitment to understanding the ecological, engineering, and social systems that influence these intertwined areas. Dr. Lansing serves as a Vice Chair of the Maryland Food System Resiliency Council. Her research focuses on strengthening the biocircular economy, anaerobic digestion, bioplastic formation from waste, microbial fuel cells, and nutrient management. Her work centers on renewable energy research, extension education, and conducting sustainability life cycle assessments of waste to energy systems. The lab is a biosafety level 2 lab and includes undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, and high school interns. As a team, we are passionate about advancing the representation of underrepresented minorities and women in science.

Position Description (In-person preferred): It is important to create a more biocircular economy, with waste recirculated back to create value-added products. In this work, food waste and yard waste are collected and characterized for bioenergy potential via anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is the microbial degradation of organics in waste by microorganisms, with the capture of biogas (mainly composed of methane) to provide electricity, heat, and/or vehicle fuel. The work will involve collecting and testing of the food waste and yard waste, determining bioenergy potential, and modeling energy potential across different areas (restaurants, schools, grocery stores, and food pantries).

The intern will be assisting Dr. Stephanie Lansing in the Bioenergy and Biotechnology Laboratory in analyzing samples, inputting data, and modeling of the dataset. Laboratory training will be provided but prior laboratory experience and knowledge of statistics is encouraged.

About the Lab: This position will be hosted by Dr. Lansing’s Bioenergy and Biotechnology laboratory https://agnr.umd.edu/about/directory/stephanie-lansing/. The lab focus is at the nexus of renewable energy, water quality, waste treatment, and human health with a commitment to understanding the ecological, engineering, and social systems that influence these intertwined areas. Dr. Lansing serves as a Vice Chair of the Maryland Food System Resiliency Council. Her research focuses on strengthening the biocircular economy, anaerobic digestion, bioplastic formation from waste, microbial fuel cells, and nutrient management. Her work centers on renewable energy research, extension education, and conducting sustainability life cycle assessments of waste to energy systems. The lab is a biosafety level 2 lab and includes undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, and high school interns. As a team, we are passionate about advancing the representation of underrepresented minorities and women in science.