During the ETIA graduation on June 27, opens an external URL in a new window, we spoke to two graduates, Marcela Lozano (Mexico) and Julia Kostal (Austria), and asked them to look back on the last two years and to talk about their background, their goals and their experiences on the program.

What is your educational background and why did you choose this program?

Marcela Lozano: My educational background is in the field of international trade. I studied International Business in Mexico City with one exchange year in Maastricht (Netherlands). I chose the ETIA program because it allowed me to study international affairs together with environmental technology. The program fulfilled my expectations, since I wanted to acquire this technological know-how. It was pretty intense, but definitely worth it. I now feel like I could handle challenges in the energy and environmental field.

Julia Kostal: I studied Law and Comparative Literature at the University of Vienna. I decided to study ETIA because I wanted to learn about environmental technology, the problems we are currently facing and the background of those issues. 

It interested me precisely because I come from another background and wanted to get an education that is much broader than only law. People say “Iudex non calculat” (The judge does not how to do math). I guess now he does, since I had to get back to math, physics. All of that gave me a broader worldview. 

What was your personal highlight?

ML: There were two lectures I especially enjoyed: “Global Environmental Monitoring – Remote Sensing” with Ian McCallum and Olha Danylo , and “Technology of Pollution Control”, with Prof. Michael Harasek.

JK: The mix of good education, good lectures and the support we received from the professors, especially at TU Wien. I also made some good friends during this program. There was great teamwork and group projects. 

These two years were not only about studying and achieving good grades, but also about getting involved in other activities. I was also involved in extracurricular activities in a francophone students’ association from the Diplomatic Academy called “Le Cercle”. There we organized conferences, founded a book club, had discussions with ambassadors, visited the embassy of France, etc. 

Which topics interested you the most?

ML: Renewable technology and energy transition. We also had great classes with Prof. Günther Brauner (“Energy and the Environment”) and with Prof. Peter Sturm (“Traffic and the Environment”).

JK: We learned a lot about air chemistry, and so I became interested in learning even more about air quality management and the problems related to it, such as the different industries that cause pollution and how to prevent it.

What was the topic of your master’s thesis?

ML: My master’s thesis was called “Hydrogen as a Potential Renewable and Secure Source for Energy Supply”. It deals with the topic of hydrogen and it’s a new potential for environmental transition. Working on it was really interesting and I would definitely like to continue on that path. 

I would also like to thank program assistant Elisabeth Pixner for inviting me to the Renewable Energy Talk event. There, I could follow up on that topic with other professors from TU Wien to see what is going on in the field of hydrogen, which seems very promising. Hydrogen can be used for producing heat, for mobility purposes and for electricity, as well as for fuel and as a storage unit without producing any carbon footprint. 

JK: My master’s thesis was called “Integrating Climate Change into a Conceptual Framework for River Basin Management by the Example of the Rhône River Basin”. It dealt with with the impacts of climate change on river basin management in Europe with regards to achieving the goals of the EU Water Framework Directive. I am Austrian but I did research in French because I wanted to learn about river basin management in other countries and to improve my language skills.

What are your plans for the future?

ML: I plan to find a job in an energy-related field here in Europe.

JK: Finding a job, preferably abroad, since I have been living here in Vienna for the past 8 years.

For detailed information about the MSc program, please visit our homepage, opens an external URL in a new window. 

Next program start: September 30, 2019