2026.05.27

Karl Widlund – Water Industry Internship Program

Water Industry Internship Program brings together a number of students from all over the country every summer to explore the water and sanitation industry, one of society's most fundamental but also most invisible sectors. During the program, participants get to meet leading players in the industry, work on a joint project and build a network that extends far beyond the summer. In this interview series, we present this year's participants in the internship program.

Karl Widlund is studying his master's degree in Environmental Engineering with a focus on Urban Water and Water Resources at Nordic Five Tech, a collaboration between five leading technical universities in the Nordic region. This summer he is participating in the Water Industry Internship Program, just in time for his final year of education.

How did you end up on a course against water?

It started with me helping my parents build houses. I fell in love with construction, applied to civil engineering at Chalmers and once I was in the program I became increasingly interested in water. A professor told me about the master's degree I'm studying today, to get even more water than what was available at Chalmers.

What attracted you to the Water Industry Internship Program?

The opportunity to be at several different companies and see how different functions in the industry work, and what all the different people contribute.

The water and sanitation industry is said to be socially important but invisible. What makes it exciting for you?

The water and sanitation industry is invisible when it works, but as soon as it doesn't work, it becomes very visible and there are tangible consequences. What makes it exciting for me is to continue to keep it invisible, that is, to make things work, but at the same time to highlight how important the industry really is and how it affects people's everyday lives.

What do you hope to learn during the summer, and how does it fit into your future?

I am looking forward to seeing how the day-to-day operations work in the industry, especially in wastewater treatment. It is an area I have worked a lot with during my education and now I get the chance to see how it works in practice. It is especially relevant right now as I am starting my fifth year this fall and will soon be choosing which part of the industry I want to work in.

If you could wish for one moment during the summer, what would it be?

To take the back of someone who works in, for example, sewage treatment and see what a day in the profession actually looks like.