Waterline Project Hosts Successful Summer School at Norwegian University of Life Sciences

The Waterline Project, dedicated to advancing sustainable water management practices, successfully concluded its Research and Water Education summer school held at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway from June 21 to July 5, 2024.

The agenda focused on fostering research & education capacity building within the consortium by covering the topics of opportunities and risks of digitalisation in the water sector, and in the implementation of bioeconomy principles in the water sector, understanding of the emerging water challenges and development of research concepts and present results. The event brought together researchers with diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise from various European institutions including the University of Exeter, University of Nis, Malta College of Arts Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Dokuz Eylül University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, and Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria.

The Summer School aimed to:

Enhance research and educational skills at all career stages by equipping them with the necessary tools and skills to research and implement innovation in the field of water-smart circular economy.
Strengthen the networking opportunities within WATERLINE consortium
Further understand the needs and expectations of the partners for the upcoming deliverables by NMBU.

Key lectures and practical sessions

The program kicked off with a warm welcome from Zakhar Maletskyi, followed by presentations from Abbas Roozbahani and Harsha Ratnaweera, highlighting the strengths and research capabilities of NMBU. Edwin Zammit, coordinator of the Waterline Project, provided an overview of the project and introduced Industry 4.0 technologies. The first day's workshop focused on identifying key Industry 4.0 topics for group projects, which participants explored in depth over the following days.

During the first week, the sessions focused on digitalisation and innovations in the water sector. Leonardo Piccinetti from Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd (SITES) lectured on maximizing impact in Horizon Europe, offering valuable insights for new researchers. Kim H. Paus (NMBU) led a training on stormwater planning, followed by a practical session on nature-based solutions for runoff production. Participants were engaged in NMBU's VR Lab to explore the potential of VR and 3D visualizations in water management, with presentations by Ramzi Hassan, Håkon Sverdvik and Marie Dahlén. Harsha Ratnaweera (NMBU) and Marco Westergren (InfoTiles) and Christopher Aaslund from Oslo Municipality discussed advanced topics in water quality monitoring and AI/Machine Learning capabilities in utility networks, followed by a visit to the National Water Infrastructure Centre. One of the sessions focused on clustering activities within the WATERLINE-SMART4ENV projects, with contributions from Selda Hocaoglu of TÜBITAK MAM.

The second week included a range of informative sessions connected to water management in changing conditions. Harsha Ratnaweera (NMBU) delivered lectures on water management challenges in changing conditions, followed by group work on the Water Industry 4.0 project. Lectures from Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran from the University of Technology Sydney (Australia) and Arve Heistad from NMBU focused on water supply and wastewater management systems. Participants attended presentations on digital tools and process monitoring in water management by Harsha Ratnaweera and Natali Sivchenko (DOSCON). This was complemented by a session on data analysis for urban climate resilience by Oleksandra Furman and Harald Brynlund-Lima from Norsk Wavin, Orbia. The agenda included a 3D tour of West Vancouver Eagle Lake by Pierre Berube from the University of British Colombia (Canada) and a lecture on Arctic environmental pollutants by Roland Kallenborn, followed by student project presentations on Water Industry 4.0. The final day featured lectures by Abbas Roozbahani and Harsha Ratnaweera on the impacts of climate change on water and wastewater transport systems, concluding the Summer School with a focus on adaptation strategies.

Summer School Takeaways

The NMBU Summer School was a valuable learning and networking experience which furthered my knowledge in this critical sector.
Participant from MCAST

It was a great experience to learn about diverse challenges and opportunities of water resource management and digitalisation, with a global perspective.
Participant from TUAS

Feedback from participants highlighted the most useful aspects of the Summer School. Networking opportunities were found to be the most valuable, followed closely by the possibility of site visits. Key takeaways included the importance of a robust professional network, new insights into water management, the application of AI and VR technologies in water management, and the recognition that water scarcity is increasingly being felt by traditionally water-rich countries.

The Summer School provided an invaluable platform for participants to enhance their understanding of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices in water management. The Waterline Project remains committed to fostering innovation and collaboration in this crucial field.

About Waterline project

The Waterline Project is a collaborative initiative aimed at developing sustainable water management solutions through research, education, and technological innovation. By bringing together leading institutions and experts, the project strives to address global water challenges and promote environmental sustainability.

Organisators