# Summer Employees at Savonia’s Water Laboratory: A Diverse Experience

> Summer employees enable pilots running in waterlab during summer. Trainees gain knowledge of water research and teamwork.

## Overview
Savonia University of Applied Sciences’ Water Safety research area focuses on applied research for companies and projects, aiming to create innovative solutions for water-related challenges through concrete research efforts. As part of this work, several ongoing projects involve pilots. To keep these pilots running smoothly, several students have been hired for the summer.

## Ashraf Yousefi
Ashraf Yousefi began with an unpaid internship in the spring, which later led to a summer job. Having just completed his fourth year of environmental engineering studies at Savonia, Ashraf has been involved in various tasks during his summer employment:

*   **KIERTO project:** Participated in trials testing the differences between activated carbon and biochar filters. The KIERTO project focuses on nutrient recovery from landfill leachate.
*   **Arctic Water Excellence (AWE) project:** Conducted trials investigating membrane filtration for removing metals from mining water.
*   **SMAGRI project:** Visited field sites to perform maintenance on measurement devices.

Ashraf appreciates the diverse work and the team spirit, noting that he plans to write his thesis, possibly related to the AWE project.

## Aliisa Suhonen and Yasinthi Witharamage
Aliisa Suhonen, a first-year student at the University of Turku (Biotechnology Engineering), and Yasinthi Witharamage, a student in the Master’s program in Environmental Health and Technology at the University of Eastern Finland, have primarily worked on the ReNutriWater project.

ReNutriWater is an international project with participants from five countries around the Baltic Sea. The summer work has involved:
*   Setting up a greenhouse for growing corn.
*   Purifying water from a wastewater treatment plant using methods such as ozonation in Savonia’s water laboratory.
*   Studying how corn irrigated with different water sources grows and its microbiological safety.

Aliisa and Yasinthi have been involved in laboratory analyses, greenhouse work, and project planning. Aliisa values the opportunity to learn about project management in an international EU project, while Yasinthi has gained experience in teamwork and communication within an international team. Both emphasize that summer employees are well integrated into the water team.

## Conclusion
Savonia’s Water Laboratory provides a dynamic and enriching environment for summer employees, allowing them to contribute to meaningful research while gaining valuable experience. Whether testing filters, studying the re-use of water, or managing international projects, these students are making a difference in water-related research.

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*Writer: Tiina Haatainen, Senior Specialist, Savonia University of Applied Sciences*