Adeline Theodora (biomedical engineering)
Driven by a passion for medicine, innovation and engineering, Adeline Theodora (she/her) knew she wanted a program that checked all the boxes.
The international student from Indonesia was drawn to UVic’s biomedical engineering program and its emphasis on hands-on learning with industry through the co-op program.
A co-op focused on sustainability
Last summer, Theodora put her skills into practice during a co-op as a implementation specialist with . Founded by UVic engineering graduate Devesh Bharadwaj, the 樱花影视-based company leverages artificial intelligence to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable water supply.
“One of my career goals is to push sustainability and innovation--as an aspiring engineer, I know there’s so much I can do,” says Adeline. “At Pani, I was able to contribute to real change by helping water treatment plants operate more optimally, produce less carbon emissions and waste less water. I saw a real-world impact.”
Optimizing water treatment operations
Adeline’s work focused on providing data to reverse osmosis plants around the world that use the Pani platform. This included making key performance indicators for specific plants, testing these indicators, and making calculations to measure water production, loss, and the best time to clean.
“This co-op solidified my coding skills as well as my ability to read and understand process flow and process and instrumentation diagrams,” says Adeline. “I also learned how to make AI workflows to help streamline our processes."
Connecting with industry leaders
Adeline worked closely with her employers and took the opportunity to understand how the team at Pani works together.
“My supervisor gave me a lot of feedback and it was helpful to see how he facilitates communication between different teams. Clear communication is key, especially where technical details are shared. It’s important that information is conveyed correctly and that everyone understands the deliverables that the clients need.”
An international perspective
“As an international student, this co-op experience has taught me a lot—I’ve been able to gain work experience that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise."
The impact of co-op
For Adeline, taking part in co-op has provided her with a combination of industry experience and technical skills.
“Co-op is so helpful in understanding just what is needed to work as an engineer,” she says. “It provides experiences where you are able to put what you have learned into a complex, real-world situation, unlike linear learning in a classroom.”
Looking to the future
Adeline is excited about using her studies to make the world a better place, with a focus on health.
“I hope that I can be a spark that lights up ideas—I want to continue to challenge myself and others to improve quality of life in our communities.”