Walden Intern Making a Difference
At Walden, we pride ourselves on having a robust and innovative internship program for a variety of engineering and other professional disciplines. Walden’s goal through this program is to involve our interns in work that is both interesting and relevant to the environmental engineering field. Shweta Sagun Sawant is a recent intern and will soon graduate with a master’s degree in Electrical engineering from the State University of New York (SUNY), New Paltz campus. Her internship research in methane to energy feasibility for small utility systems involved much of her time during the summer of 2018 and it is still making an impact in the community of New Paltz, New York: Click here to read.
Based on Sawant’s work, the Village of New Paltz is further pursuing the idea of converting sewage into energy. When updating the community on this work, Village Board member Don Kerr gave credit for this idea to Sawant.
Sawant described in her reporting to Village officials that, “Anaerobic digestion is a simple process, with a low energy requirement, used to convert organic material into methane. The methane that is produced during the process, rather than being released into the atmosphere, can be repurposed to create environmentally friendly electricity.”
Sawant’s report also outlined various benefits of these types of systems, even at the smaller scales often seen at villages and small towns, including a permanent reduction in energy costs, tax benefits, and other financial incentives from these renewable technologies.
New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers recently added that “…it is valuable to have this study ready as grant opportunities emerge. Sawant’s work has prepared us to take the right next steps.”
Shweta describes her time as an engineering intern with,
“I enjoyed my internship and my focus on wastewater topics like methane to energy conversion because I want to be involved in greener energy sources for our future. This internship put me right in the middle of this important topic and it was one of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of completing my degree. I am better prepared for my career because of this opportunity.”
Internship programs are an important part of preparing young engineers and other professionals for their career. Walden is pleased to be investing in the future of our industry.
If you are interested in internships or employment with Walden Environmental Engineering, at our offices on Long Island, the Hudson Valley or the Albany area, check out our website or contact us.
(516) 624-7200 (NYC – Long Island)
(845) 745-0888 (Hudson Valley Area)
(518) 698-3012 (Capital District Area)