I attended a membranes workshop recently down at the Isle of Palms, SC. The workshop was jointly hosted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA), two professional organizations that serve people working in the water industry.
The first thing I noticed was the size of the meeting (very small!) and the next thing I noticed was that I was the only student in attendance! The topics covered in the workshop included some old news and some new information. As opposed to conferences where presentations are supposed to build off conventional knowledge and convey new ideas, the workshop is designed to tell you exactly what that conventional knowledge is.
We started the first morning with an in-depth explanation of membrane types and their common uses. The remainder of the presentations were primarily covering case studies on membrane plants and their issues (or in some cases, the lack of issues). The workshop ended with two membrane plant tours, one to a drinking water treatment facility (the one with no issues) and one to a still-in-construction membrane bioreactor plant for wastewater treatment.
Being the only student, I took advantage of the opportunity to be the student and ask lots of questions. And I received answers in return! In contrast to conferences where it can be difficult to get the attention of people who have their own company’s sales and clients to worry about, the workshop was very relaxed with plenty of time for networking and mingling.
Now I know that one of the keys to getting your foot into an industry is to know just what goes on in that industry. I’ll be sure keep an eye out for more educational opportunities to keep myself informed.