International Students at the Laboratory

As part of the DAAD RISE Internship Program, the Laboratory for Sustainability in Engineering welcomes two students from the United States and Canada. Jacob Nardoni and Quinlan Harris are supporting the laboratory’s work for a period of three months.

Quinlan is contributing to the CIRCLE project, which aims to create an innovative learning and research environment in the field of Circular Design. Her work focuses particularly on the development of product optimization concepts and their evaluation from a sustainability science perspective.

“As an Engineering Management major with minors in Design Studies and Technological Entrepreneurship based in the US, I am deeply passionate about the intersection of engineering, creativity, sustainability, and product development. At Arizona State University, I served as a project manager for my Engineers Without Borders team, Project Nicaragua, where we designed and implemented resource-efficient vertical gardens in a rural community. I have also been actively involved as a student researcher in the Luminosity Lab, an interdisciplinary R&D lab focused on tackling complex, urgent problems ranging from climate change to space mission visualization. When I saw the opportunity with DAAD RISE to do a research internship abroad, I was so excited for the possibility of expanding my skills and contributing to meaningful research, all while exploring a whole new environment. Project CIRCLE especially caught my attention because its core focus perfectly aligns with the areas I have been pursuing in my studies.

With the growing need for more sustainable approaches to engineering and design, I was very eager to join Project CIRCLE at the Hochschule Bochum Sustainable Technologies Laboratory. My tasks this summer include assisting with literature review, scientific writing, life-cycle assessment, and project study mentorship, as well as supporting the circular economy and product development curriculum. What I find most rewarding about this project is learning how to apply circular design principles and end-of-life strategies to real-world products. Being able to evaluate and decrease a product's environmental impact through life cycle assessments and circular design is something that I am super excited to explore this summer. 

So far, I have loved getting to meet all of the other passionate people in the Sustainable Technologies Laboratory. They have been so welcoming and friendly, and they make me so thrilled to get to work with them this summer. Outside the lab, I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring Bochum and Germany, especially the local botanical gardens and regional hiking areas. Navigating a new country and language can be a bit challenging at times, but I have loved learning more about Germany and slowly improving my German. I am so grateful to get to be a DAAD intern this summer and can’t wait for the adventures and work that lie ahead!“

Jacob is working on the H2VE project, contributing to the development of practice-oriented teaching and learning materials for hydrogen technologies. He also supports the establishment of Centres of Vocational Excellence in Germany and partner countries across Europe and Africa.

„From rocket engines to using green methods to generate energy, there has always been a deep interest in me for technologies that can push humanity forward. This curiosity has led me to enroll in the Bachelor of Engineering Physics at Université Laval, in Québec city, Québec. Engineering Physics encompasses various pure and applied physics classes, electrical and mechanical engineering theory, in the goal of creating a versatile, modern engineer, with skills that can be used in the fields of Optics, Aerospace and Photonics, amongst others.

The idea of becoming a versatile scientist has aways been a driving factor in my academic decisions. I think that learning new languages and having rich cultural experiences as a human being is of paramount importance and translates directly to becoming a complete scientist. As I am a Québecois, I natively speak French and English. I have learned Spanish during my high school years and in the last year have taken interest in learning German. The opportunity for me to come to Bochum, learn German during my stay and work in the Sustainable Technologies Laboratory as a research intern was for me, to say the least, the opportunity of a lifetime. Last summer, I did an internship in a laser company. This summer, I wanted to discover what it was to work in research. Working at the lab will help me to sharpen my skills as a scientist and make me discover a side of engineering that could very well be my future. I will be forever grateful to Loredana and Semih for them to have given me the chance to discover the field of research and work here this summer. This internship will help me develop my technical skills in research and engineering, as well as my soft skills.

During my time here at the Sustainable Technologies Laboratory, I will be helping Loredana with her work on the H2VE project. I contribute to research on vocational education and training in the field of hydrogen technologies. My work focuses on supporting the establishment of a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Germany and facilitating knowledge exchange with CoVEs in several partner countries. In addition, I help develop practice-oriented training opportunities and contribute to the review and drafting of scientific literature.

Until now, my experience here in Bochum and at the Sustainable Technologies Laboratory has been great. I really enjoy working with my colleagues here, as they are all very warm and welcoming. I am sharpening many different skills with my research work, such as my autonomy, my resourcefulness and my meticulousness. My integration within the German society has also been very fulfilling. With every new day, I learn something new about the German people and their culture, and I am starting to feel more at home here, as time goes by. The social interactions here are very different than the ones I am used to in my home country, but I have loved the process of learning and understanding the social norms in Bochum. It has truly been a very profound and fulfilling experience.“

Jacob and Quinlan enrich the laboratory with their open-minded attitude and hands-on support. We are delighted to welcome such dedicated and talented students to our team and look forward to many shared achievements, valuable insights, and joint publications in the weeks ahead.