Now that I am at the tail end of this summer fellowship I can hardly believe that all the fun and fruitful experiences I’ve had here in Denmark are almost already behind me. When I return home and my friends ask me, “How was Denmark?” I really have no idea where to begin, but I’ll try my best to lay it out for you here.
Over the summer I’ve had the great pleasure of being a summer fellow with Maersk Drilling where I dove straight into several issues mainly surrounding air pollution and energy efficiency. Communicating with my supervisor prior to arriving I had formulated a scope of work centered on emerging sustainability trends in the industry, which I have continued to focus on throughout the summer, but over time began to involve myself in many other projects and initiatives in tandem.
The projects I helped with ranged from analyzing and determining internal definitions for environment-impacting phenomena to the funding and employment of innovative and efficiency-bolstering technologies. On several occasions (primarily in the beginning of the summer) I found myself with free time in the office and would go to different departments working on projects that I found interesting. I spoke with people about my educational background, my personal interests, and what value I could bring to the project they were currently undertaking. Because of this approach, I soon became involved in many things at once keeping me plenty busy for nearly the entire summer.
As I made progress in these endeavors I often would conduct department meetings to brief my colleagues on the results I found or recommendations for the company. Now that I am nearing the end, I have two important briefings left. One will cover a follow-up for a previous meeting on Emission Control Areas, how the company monitors its emissions and centers its focus, and what economic and viable solutions exist that can help with improving the current situation. The other will cover my continued research on and formulation of important emerging sustainability and environmental trends in the industry that would behoove Maersk Drilling to understand and consider embracing in a strategy to stay ahead of the curve.
Apart from my in-the-office experiences, I was also endowed with a fantastic host, Thomas, to whom I owe a great deal for being such a great flatmate, and colleagues who made that much-appreciated effort to make me feel like part of the family. Thomas, a personal trainer at a local gym, and I would work out together and go grab dinner on occasion. We went downtown to check out different shops and restaurants or just to hang out and walk around. Every other week or so my colleagues would extend an invitation for some event or gathering where I got to know many of them much better in a less professional environment. I even attended a concert in downtown København, which turned out to be great fun!
During the summer I also had the opportunity to take some time off to extend my weekends enabling me to travel a bit while in Europe. I ended up taking a few weekend excursions to Germany and, like I’ve written about in my last blog, was able to take a longer two weeks off for a class up in Norway. It was also possible for my girlfriend to come visit, which was a nice reminder of what I loved and missed about home. We explored many museums and landmarks in København and at the end of her stay took a trip down to Germany where we saw much of the maritime history of Hamburg.
Now that I am returning to Monterey I look forward to my remaining time at MIIS and how my summer fellowship may further enhance and augment my studies. Even though I am turning the page and closing this chapter, the story is far from over. I can’t wait for what the future may bring!