UTRECHT–St. Maarten civil engineering student Jean Pierre Janvier hopes to contribute to the regular flooding problems on his native island. As part of his internship at civil engineering company Royal HaskoningDHV in Rotterdam, he will work on his thesis on flooding in St. Maarten.
Janvier, who is in his final year of his bachelor at Hogeschool Utrecht, specialising in hydraulics and geothermal engineering, will be in St. Maarten this summer to delve into the flooding problem, and to study ways how to alleviate this situation. He will focus on the recent flooding.
Behind Janvier stands a team of young, enthusiastic mainly St. Maarteners studying and/or working in the Netherlands, united in the Unleashed Potential Group (UPG). Janvier, who is a member of the UPG engineering group, makes use of the entire team. “We have brainstorm sessions and we help with advice,” said UPG Board Chairman Raimond Nicodem.
Janvier and the UPG team are currently formulating the research questions. Janvier will be in St. Maarten for up two months during which he will carry out his research work for his thesis, after which he will graduate.
Flooding is an actual and important issue in St. Maarten, and Janvier and UPG are content that they can contribute to solving this matter. According to Nicodem, this thesis process was a perfect example of how people within UPG developed themselves as young professionals, while at the same time bringing knowledge and expertise to the betterment of their island.
In an update on the latest UPG activities, Nicodem explained that the organisation has been growing in quality and quantity. “We now have ten well-qualified people on board,” he told The Daily Herald in an interview.
UPG recently welcomed a new member: St. Maartener Emmielin Rombley. With a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, and with ample working experience at organisations like the Consultative Body for Dutch Caribbean persons Foundation Ocan of which she is the Treasurer, Rombley brings a vast amount of financial expertise.
UPG Board Chairman Nicodem met with Ocan Chairman John Leerdam last week to discuss a closer cooperation between the two organisations. UPG was turned into a foundation in April this year. With this new status, UPG will have easier access to funding for its projects.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/67626-janvier-does-thesis-on-st-maarten-flooding
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