What I have tried so far:
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(07.02.2023) The first opportunity to find a collaboration partner was during an organized team meeting with students from India with Mrs. Suter. The students had the opportunity to briefly look at our projects. Unfortunately, nobody was interested in mine. This could be due to the fact that unlike other projects, mine was only described very briefly.
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(around 20.03.2023) The second opportunity as a collaboration partner I initially saw in the wastewater treatment team of Rüti, which I had requested for an exchange. This exchange took place and was exciting, but Mrs. Suter told me that they are not considered as direct collaboration partners, but rather as interview partners. They already know what happens in wastewater treatment. And the purpose of collaboration is for both parties to learn something. So it was certainly a success that I could visit the wastewater treatment plant, but not in terms of finding a collaboration partner.
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(10.03.2023) The third opportunity I saw in my former primary school teacher. He has lived in Thailand for some years not too long ago. I saw it as a good opportunity for him to tell me about how wastewater is treated in Thailand. First, I visited him briefly and informed him about my project. He also thought it was a good thing, but he needed to do some research first, as it has been some years. I thought that was fine and promised to send him my specific questions. One week later (after sending the questions), he wrote me that unfortunately he cannot help me. He tried to find out something about it and also asked an acquaintance, but unfortunately did not find anything. I took note of that and did not inquire further. Back at school, I told Ms. Suter about this excursion. As advice for next time, she said maybe it would have been better to question him more thoroughly from the beginning. In retrospect, I have to say, yes, maybe it would have been better, but it would have clashed with the statements of my former teacher, as he also had to do some research first.
Current efforts: Ms. Suter could suggest two people who could help me with my project:
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(04.04.2023) Ms. Alexandra Kappeler - Program Manager & Deputy Head of Expert Group "Construction". She is an expert when it comes to wastewater. She has been working on it for a long time and also knows how it is handled in other countries.
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(04.04.2023) Mr. Daniel Stadler - Mr. Stadler is a traveler. He is always on the go and knows some of our world. He is particularly fascinated by Asian countries. At the moment, he is probably in Thailand and I do not know if I will receive a response at all.
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(10.04.2023) Organization Water for Water (WfW) - I discovered WfW myself during my research. The organization is committed to clean water and sanitary facilities in Africa. They are based in Lucerne and I may be able to organize an interview. Website:
What's next: First, I want to wait and see if Ms. Kappeler, Mr. Stadler, or the organization WfW will get back to me. If I do not receive a response by Friday, 14.04.2023, I will consider other partners that I could inquire about:
- Ms. Dorothee Spuhler - She is also an expert in the field of wastewater. She works at eawag in Dübendorf and has completed her studies at ETH. From her website:I develop methods and tools to support planning and decision making related to (urban) water and waste management. I try to answer questions around how to build the sustainable sanitation systems combining novel and conventional technologies and considering local appropriateness, resource recovery, climate change, and stakeholder preferences. The aim is to enable practice and policy to consider novel technology and system configurations and their contribution to circular economies, ecological cities, and climate change adaption, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas.
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Daniel Etter from Vuna - The company Vuna is based in Dübendorf and advocates for a waterless toilet. They aim to eliminate water waste and have developed the dry toilet for that purpose.
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Thomas Mani - As a last resort, I also consider Mr. Thomas Mani. He was recommended to me by Ms. Suter. He is the principal of the school in Kerala with which we collaborate and is always open to new ideas.
In conclusion: Even though I have faced setbacks so far, I am still highly motivated to find a collaboration partner. I would be very interested in speaking with an expert about wastewater treatment in developing countries. However, I am also open to learning about new technologies, such as dry toilets. Wish me luck!