Interested to experience an environmentally fulfilling internship period? Join us as an intern!
WWP is looking for local and international interns from various academic backgrounds. Interns will focus on river and water education apart from learning about local, national, and international water issues. You will be able to train and develop your soft skills and abilities in a variety of areas, including public speaking and fieldwork-based education programmes. Interested students can contact Executive Manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern for more information.
Check out what our previous interns say about their experience with Water Watch Penang.
MR. OOI CHE KHAI
Environmental Engineering, UTAR (Kampar Campus)
Throughout my internship, I had a great time and learned a lot of valuable lessons. I really enjoyed all the activities including the river and water education programme, exhibition, river activities, etc. The executive manager, Dr.Hong gave me the precious opportunity to try and dabble in different types of tasks allowing me to gain a very valuable experience during a short internship period. Throughout the internship period, the most valuable thing I gained was information and knowledge about global, national, and local water issues such as climate change, pollution of water sources, over-abstraction, lack of access to clean water supply, and the growing human population. The brutal reality which will critically affect our daily life is now happening all around the world, it is not a far-flung problem. Malaysia —— even Penang already experienced several water challenges such as insufficient water sources and water pollution. I am glad that Water Watch Penang has taught me to become a water-saving person and raise my awareness and I will try my best to contribute my effort to make the future brighter. Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern, who patiently guided me when I was having trouble. I would still like to participate in WWP events after I ended my internship if I had spare time because the activities are fun, and the experience is precious and rare. The upcoming interns will undoubtedly experience the same joy as I experienced. So… let’s join Water Watch Penang!
MR. YEOH YONG SHENG (HANSON)
Aquatic Resource Science and Management, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
Water Watch Penang is where I completed my required industrial training. Water Watch Penang is a non-governmental organisation with its mission to increase public awareness of the value of water conservation and sustainable water consumption. This initiative, dubbed “Negalitres for Schools” by Water Watch Penang, has been ongoing since March 2022. My primary responsibility as an intern is to assist my supervisor, Dr. Hong Chern Wern, who is also the Executive Manager of Water Watch Penang, in achieving the goals of this endeavour. Among my most memorable moments was when Dr. Hong offered me to assist him in teaching water education to children in elementary and secondary Chinese schools. For someone like myself who enjoys sharing knowledge and passing on wisdom, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to assist students in comprehending the importance of water conservation. Helping students perform river water quality assessments has improved my communication and interpersonal skills, as well as my technical expertise and sense of laboratory ethics. This internship gave me the opportunity to meet new people and get involved in a variety of different projects and events, all while gaining valuable job experience. Simply put, my internship with Water Watch Penang, and particularly under the supervision of Dr. Hong Chern Wern, has given me invaluable experience and knowledge in the field of water environment conservation, which is directly related to the field in which I am majoring as an undergraduate student of aquatic science. Merci WWP!
MS. ADELINE CHONG NEIAN
School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia
I had a wonderful time throughout my internship period and gained a lot of meaningful insights. As I learnt more about the water problems confronting our planet, I’m grateful that we still have access to clean water despite the ongoing water pollution, and I certainly will be more mindful of its usage. From being intimidated by little insects, I have now grown to the stage where I’m capable to catch macro-invertebrates with bare hands. The fact that creatures under the water are as precious as human life has left a huge impact during the outdoor river activity and I feel a responsibility to protect their habitat. Learning to fix a tap was not what I expected but obtaining a new skill was definitely worth the training. On top of that, I am eternally thankful to my manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern who persistently led us as well as provided us with useful advice especially when we faced difficulties. I am confident that this will be beneficial when seeking employment and requiring references. Apart from my initial worries, I am pleased to be here for my internship. Just like the sweet and sour aspects of life, things don’t always go as smoothly as they should, but I hope the following interns will feel the same happiness that I did.
MS. NUR AINA SYAHIRA BINTI MOHAMAD RUSLAN (ERRA)
School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Pertama sekali saya ingin mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada Water Watch Penang (WWP) kerana telah memberi peluang kepada saya Nur Aina Syahira binti Mohamad Ruslan yang merupakan pelajar Universiti Sains Malaysia tahun 3 untuk melakukan latihan industri di WWP. Selain itu, saya juga ingin berterima kasih kepada Dr. Hong Chern Wern, Executive Manager of Water Watch Penang kerana telah mengajar dan menunjukkan ilmu baharu sepanjang bekerja di WWP. Selain daripada mengajar apa itu WWP dan apa yang dilakukan oleh WWP, Dr. Hong juga membentuk kami supaya dapat berhadapan secara umum seperti berani untuk menampilkan diri untuk bercakap di hadapan orang ramai, contohnya memberi ceramah dan taklimat tentang pendidikan sungai kepada para pelajar dan guru sekolah yang berada di seluruh Pulau Pinang. Pengalaman ini terlalu mahal dan berharga buat saya kerana melalui pengalaman ini, saya dapat praktikkan di masa hadapan . WWP juga mengajar saya untuk belajar bekerjasama dalam melakukan sesuatu perkara contohnya membahagi tugasan ketika membuat aktiviti di sungai dan juga membuat laporan di pejabat. Saya sangat selesa bekerja sebagai ‘intern’ di WWP kerana persekitaran yang tenang dan tidak tertekan. Saya sangat mengesyorkan WWP untuk dijadikan tempat latihan industri kepada pelajar Pusat Pengajian Kimia akan datang . WWP menjadi lebih menarik apabila Dr. Hong sendiri menujukkan banyak perkara yang kita boleh lakukan selain daripada membuat laporan dan aktiviti sungai sahaja seperti belajar untuk mengendalikan drone supaya saya boleh menggunakan kaedah ini sebagai salah satu cara untuk memeriksa kebocoran yang berlaku di sesuatu tangki yang besar hanya dengan menggunakan drone. Sebelum saya melibatkan diri dalam WWP, saya tidak pernah tahu tentang Matlamat Pembanguan Mampan (SDG Goals). Namun kini, saya mengetahui betapa pentingnya Matalamat Pembangunan Mampan dalam pekerjaan dan kehidupan seharian. Akhir kata dari saya ialah, andai saya mempunya masa lapang saya masih ingin menyertai WWP untuk melakukan aktiviti sebagai sukarelawan kerana saya sangat gembira sepanjang aktiviti di WWP.
MS. ELSHEENA EDWIN
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia
I was an intern at WWP for about 3 months from August to October 2021. It was unfortunate for me that my intern period coincided with the peak Covid-19 outbreak era. Hence, I was held back, in terms of my contribution towards WWP. Certain programs like the River Monitoring and Education Programs that would usually be done face-to-face were conducted online. However, the learning experience was not at all hindered. The Education Programs held for students of various age groups helped me understand how well-thought the programs are, especially the extensive information and messages delivered to the right target audience as different modules were used. I was also given the opportunity to create content for the WWP official website wherein I designed an informative poster on calculating the water bill correctly which would be helpful to those interested. Moreover, I was also made an admin for the WWP social media and assisted in translating a few captions in Tamil. This truly made me astonished with the efforts of WWP in reaching out to the public on different platforms and being inclusive for all races, as how it should be when it comes to education. Although it wasn’t a part of my internship, I was still given the chance to volunteer under WWP and aided in several, finally face-to-face, river education programs which allowed me to apply my theoretical knowledge into practice and share it with others as well. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities given and to be a part of the WWP family. I will definitely continue to volunteer with them whenever possible.
Check out what our previous international interns say about their experience with Water Watch Penang.
MR. PATRICK RULONG (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)
University of Waterloo, Canada
Mr. Patrick Rulong hailed from United States of America was a WWP intern from May to August 2015. This internship was a placement requirement for his Master’s Degree in Development Practice (MDP) at the University of Waterloo, Canada. The MDP is a 16 month “intensive” coursework graduate degree focused on the numerous aspects of sustainable development. There are an array of subjects throughout the MDP coursework including: water security, energy systems, systems theory, life cycle analysis, sustainable economics, public health, sustainable urban food systems, etc.
He is pursuing this master’s degree as he is exceptionally passionate about sustainability and environmental protection. He hope to enter the sustainability sector within the USA or abroad upon graduation, in order to be able to contribute to the building of a sustainable future.
Mr. Patrick Rulong became interested in water security through his MDP coursework and he had meaningful experience working with a local environmental NGO, WWP in regards to water security issues. First time in Malaysia, he learnt a substantial amount about Malaysian environmental NGOs, Malaysian water issues, Malaysian culture, along with a multitude of rich personal experiences which inspired growth during my summer spent in Penang. He has also assisted in educational/community outreach activities, grant proposal editing, and various independent research projects.
“Water Watch Penang is doing good work for a worthwhile cause and if you’re interested in gaining substantial experience in the environmental NGO sector, particularly in regards to water, while working alongside knowledgeable and passionate people, than I highly recommend interning at Water Watch Penang”, Mr. Patrick Rulong.
MR. TOSHIKI SATO (JAPAN)
Yokohama City University, Japan
Mr. Toshiki Sato, a Japanese national from Yokohama City University, came to Penang, Malaysia as an exchange student in Universiti Sains Malaysia from August 2012 to March 2013. During his exchange programme, Mr. Toshiki Sato also joined WWP as an intern under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Chan Ngai Weng.
During his attachment with WWP, Mr. Toshiki Sato has assisted in the river and water awareness education programme. Apart from that he has also assisted WWP in organising other activities such as Annual Water Quiz Competition and joined us on an expedition to Pulau Pangkor.