Mariane Schneider - JP

What made you decide to apply for a grant at the Leading House Asia?
My main interest lies in the automation of on-site wastewater treatment plants. They are nowadays often seen as stop-gap solutions, due to an unreliable treatment performance, which is in my eyes mainly linked to the issue that there is quasi no monitoring. I talk about one to three grab samples per year, which are taken and analyzed. However, on-site treatment has the potential to not only improve sanitation in so far unserved regions and therewith support to reach the SDG goals, but also to allow resource recovery and reuse. The issue with monitoring is that most sensors need weekly maintenance, which is financially not feasible for spatially distributed infrastructure. Therefore, my goal is to use qualitative-trend analysis, clever experimental design, and AI to render on-site wastewater treatment plants monitorable. To achieve this goal Japan is an optimal field of study. They have a large fleet of small wastewater treatment plants called Johkasou (浄化槽). Furthermore, I figured out that the methods I need to solve these challenges, can be found in robotics and Japan is strong in robotics too.

How did you secure a host professor?
My first exchange with a three months’ strategic exchange during my PhD was with a wastewater treatment group in Kyoto (the Fujii Lab). Prof. Harada had been at Eawag before, had provided me with some information about Japanese Johkasou. He was very helpful and kind. So I contacted him and he immediately agreed to be my host. Finding a robotics group was more challenging. As it is a completely different field I did not know anybody who could have introduced me. So I sent emails to different groups which seemed feasible. The answers were mixed. Luckily the professor of the group, which I had identified as most interesting, responded very positive. I visited Prof. Kuniyoshi and he immediately got the essence of my research question and was open for an exchange. However, without passing personally, I am not completely sure if he would have accepted to host me. But a part of the strategic program was to visit other universities, so that was perfect.

How would you describe your experience of the programme?
Japan is very different compared to Europe. For me it is the country of contradictions. On one hand very modern, on the other very traditional. The culture is extremely rich, food is fantastic, but language is a huge barrier. Even seminars in quite international groups are often held in Japanese. I started studying Japanese seriously the moment I submitted my application for the first fellowship, but of course that is far from enough to follow a seminar or a scientific discussion. However, my goal was to isolate in every presentation at least one word, which I translated later on. That is how I acquired some vocabulary like urine (尿) or agriculture (農業).

Apart from that I was really surprised how much professors in Japan care about every single employee. Not only in our group, but also when I visited other groups, I was always extremely well received.

What role did the Leading House Asia play in the programme?
The Leading House Asia had an informative website and whenever I needed any information the response was extremely fast, competent, and friendly.

What were the impacts you made through the project/partners/individual?
Stepping outside the own comfort zone is always an intense experience. Japan for sure has the potential to get one more outside this zone than other countries. Though I should also mention that I chose to go for full exposure. Instead of in an international housing I was living in a dormitory with 400 Japanese students and now I am in a shared house in Tokyo also with Japanese friends. This led to many interesting discussions and my learning curve was very steep. I think there is a mutual benefit in exposing myself to a new culture and group. My PhD project for example inspired the application of a new grant for a PhD in the wastewater treatment group at Kyoto University. Which of course made me very happy to see. Now I am co-supervising the PhD student.

On the other hand, being now in a AI and robotics related group gave me many ideas already. The current situation with Covid-19 is quite a challenge – I have not been to the university so far, which is since six months. The discussions on the floor or over lunch do not happen, however I participated with some members of the lab in a challenge. That was a good way to get to know them and led to some interaction. So there are ways, it is just not happening naturally, as it would usually do.

Testimonial: what were your personal experiences/thoughts on the bilateral cooperation experience?
In Japan, rules are interpreted strictly, compared to what I am used to and hierarchies are important. Luckily Japanese people are very tolerant with foreigners who do not fully understand their culture. So I think I found collaboration partners and friends for life here.
A very concrete example of what I have observed in Japan is the involvement of Bachelor and Master students in the research projects and their assignment to a lab. The students learn to think like researchers and the lab benefits from their ideas and contributions. It also gives the students a place where they belong to. The students for example organized also a cooking party when I arrived in Kyoto, which made me feel very well received. When I was a student I was part of the committee which designed the new Bachelor program for environmental engineers at ETH. Therefore, I am quite interested in other approaches to design a curriculum and this definitely is an inspiration on how to design a Master’s program.
On top of that of course changing the field brings a completely new skillset, which I am developing right now. So this is to be continued.