UFV Internships – March 2024

For more information, contact us by email: dri@ufv.br

Landscape Design

Design of gardens and open spaces with the UFV-Viçosa campus.

Number of places: 2

Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Laboratory

Wastewater quality, treatment and resource recovery.

Number of places: 1

Laboratory of Population Biology of Plant Pathogens

Landscape Design

Design of gardens and open spaces with the UFV-Viçosa campus.

Number of places: 2

Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Laboratory

Wastewater quality, treatment and resource recovery.

Number of places: 1

Laboratory of Population Biology of Plant Pathogens

Plant Pathology / Etiology, Epidemiology and Control of Plant Diseases caused by Fungi and Oomycetes.

Number of places: 1

More information: http://www.dfp.ufv.br/departamento/laboratorios/biopop/english/

Laboratory for Analysis and Synthesis of Agrochemical (LASA)

Synthesis of compounds with potential agrochemical activity. Bioassays of the compounds prepared.

Number of places: 3

More information: http://www.dfp.ufv.br/departamento/laboratorios/biopop/english/

Laboratory for Analysis and Synthesis of Agrochemical (LASA)

Synthesis of compounds with potential agrochemical activity. Bioassays of the compounds prepared.

Number of places: 1

More information: http://www.dfp.ufv.br/departamento/laboratorios/biopop/english/

Synthesis, characterization and application of inorganic materials in energy storage devices and electrochemical sensors

Synthesis of oxides, phosphates, carbon materials for application in supercapacitors and electrochemical sensors of various molecules. You will have contact with different synthesis techniques, and methods of structural and electrochemical characterization of materials.

Number of places: 2

More information: http://www.deq.ufv.br/area/professor/100

Molecular Breeding Lab

The Molecular Breeding Lab at the Department of Agronomy is focused on the development and application of both statistical genetics methods and molecular tools to plant breeding. We work mostly with clonally propagated crops (such as cassava, potato, sweetpotato, sugarcane) and other polyploid species (such as coffee and wheat), with strong national (Embrapa) and international collaborations (e.g. CIAT-Colombia, CIP-Peru and CIP-Africa, and NCSU-Raleigh).

Number of places: 2

Laboratory of Geochemistry

Chemical analysis of soils, sediments and water. Micromorphological analysis in thin sections.

Number of places: 2

Laboratory of Composite Materials, Research Group on Sustainable and Innovative Construction

Sustainable Building Materials, Life Cycle Assessment, cement-based composites, repair of reinforced concrete structures, mechanical and durability performance.

Number of places: 2

More information: www.sicon.ufv.br/en; www.lco.ufv.br

Integrated Weed Management Lab

Integrated Weed Management, Herbicide Residue Analysis, Behavior of Herbicides in the Environment, Hebicide Application Technology.

Number of places: 3

More information: https://www.mipd.ufv.br/

Group of Analysis and Education for Sustainability

Recovery metals from e-waste.

Number of places: 1

Meat Science Laboratory

Multidisciplinary research  in animal physiology and nutrition and their effects on the quality of the meat.

Number of places: 2

More information: http://www.dzo.ufv.br/index.php/en/meat-science-laboratory/

Acoustic and Vibration Laboratory LVA

You will help the LVA’s team to develop modal analysis experiments in dynamic mechanical systems, build apps in LabView and MatLab to solve vibrations and acoustics problems. You will be invited to participate of Seminars and Congress.

Number of places: 1

More information: www.lva.ufv.br

TecnoPARQ internationalization sector

Assist the sector in cross-acceleration programs between Brazil and other countries; assist in the creation of mutual cooperation agreements between countries (MoUs); participate in internationalization meetings with our partners around the world.

Number of places: 4

MAN – MANUFACTURING PROCESS

The student will help us in the lab activities in helical milling experiments, cnc programming, machining center set up. Description (measuring) of  surface roughness and form deviation in holes. Skills: Some basic knowledge in computer numerical control (CNC) and machining processes.

Number of places: 1

Valorization of agricultural and agroindustrial residues

Valorization of agricultural and agroindustrial residues through biorefinery processes (liquefaction, pelletization, and anaerobic biodigestion); Anaerobic biodigestion process: Studies on monitoring, control and biogas production.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Dairy Production in Brazil

1- Visits to milk producers in Brazil;
2- Technical assistance to milk producers;
3- Field research activities;
4 -Trainings and capacity building in dairy cattle;
5- Nutritional, reproductive, and sanitary management in dairy cattle.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Sustainable management of resistant weeds, environmental fate of herbicides, contamination of agricultural soils by microplastics, herbicide nanoparticles for weed control, chromatographic analysis of pesticides

Project 1: The use of herbicides is the main form of weed control in crops, but there have been confirmed cases of resistance of sourgrass biotypes (Digitaria insularis) in at least 10% of Brazilian agricultural areas. Against this background, the aim of this study is to evaluate the status of sourgrass resistance to glyphosate in coffee in the Zona da Mata Mineira.

– Project 2: Agricultural soils can be contaminated by microplastics depending on the agronomic practices used. Therefore, the aim of this project is to evaluate the contamination of agricultural soils by microplastics and their dynamics with the herbicides hexazinone and S-metolachlor.

– Project 3: The use of pre-emergence herbicides applied directly to the soil promotes early and efficient weed control with the possibility of residual control. However, herbicides can contaminate the environment and non-target organisms if applied incorrectly. An alternative to reduce the risk of contamination is to use formulations that increase sorption and provide controlled release of the herbicide into the soil solution. Nanomaterials such as double lamellar hydroxides (DLHs) can be used as herbicide storage matrices for controlled release by forming nanohybrids (DLH + herbicide). In this sense, the aim of this study will be to evaluate the sorption and desorption of the herbicide hexazinone intercalated with lamellar double hydroxides (Hex-HDL) in soils.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Food Technology

Application of Emerging Technologies for Extraction and Modification of Food Ingredients: Our laboratory focuses on emerging technologies such as ultrasound, pulsed; electric field, cold plasma, and ohmic heating for the modification of macromolecules (carbohydrates and proteins) and extraction of bioactive compounds from agro-industrial residues, assessing their techno-functional and nutritional activities.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Multiple Attractor Cellular Automata and its Applications in Bioinformatics

In this project we study basics of symbolic dynamics, cellular automata and attractor cellular automata. Then we study the application of multiple attractor cellular automata and their use in Bioinformatics. The student working on this project will study the following topics:

1- A simple introduction to topology, metric space and dynamical systems;
2- Symbolic dynamics as examples of dynamical systems;
3- Cellular Automata;
4- Attractor and multiple attractor cellular automata;
5- A simple introduction to bioinformatics;
6- Applications of multiple cellular automata in bioinformatics.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Natural products and Antimicrobials

In response to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, our research seeks to investigate and characterize the antimicrobial properties of these extracts and explore their synergistic effects when combined with traditional antibiotics. The project employs state-of-the-art methodologies to assess the efficacy of plant extracts against a range of microbial strains, including bacteria and fungi. Additionally, the project explores the synergistic interactions between these plant extracts and conventional antibiotics, aiming to enhance the overall antimicrobial effectiveness. Our goal is to offer innovative solutions to combat microbial infections, address antibiotic resistance, and contribute to the advancement of global health initiatives.
Students will work on the production of plant extracts, evaluation of antimicrobial activities of plant extracts and mechanisms of action.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Climate-smart Agriculture

Climate-smart agriculture practices, mainly no-tillage, cover cropping, soil fertilization with organic amendments, and crop-livestock and crop-livestock-forestry systems, and its effects on soil quality and plant yield.
Implantation and management of agroforestry systems (smallholding or large scale).
Carbon balance of agricultural and livestock systems.
Soil organic matter and soil quality, focused on climate change adaptation.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Biodiesel

Simulation and optimization of biorefineries, mainly related to the production of biofuels (e.g., bioethanol, biodiesel, levulinic acid with professors Fábio/Marcio and technical and economic viability, competitiveness, industrial layout, legislation and investments with Professor Ronaldo).

Examples of previous internships:
– Energy use of biogas from landfill effluent – Aspen modeling (Fabio / Lex Verheem, 2);
– Aspen modeling of biodiesel production via oil esterification (Fabio/ Joost Endepoel, 4);
– Charcoal cooling in a large rectangular furnace: modeling and CFD simulation (Marcio / Rob Hageman, 30).

Number of places: 4 (Living Lab)

Wastewater treatment and resources recovery (biogas, nutrients)

(i) Assesment of treatment plant performance;
(ii) Diagnosis and optimization of biogas production from industrial, municipal, and agricultural effluents;
(ii) study of resources recovery (biogas and nutrients) in wastewater treatment.

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Biorefinery – ASPEN modeling

Examples of previous internships:
– Aspen modeling of furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) production via dehydration of pentoses and hexoses (Fabio / Matthijs Muilwijk, 3);
– Simulation and economic evaluation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural production from biomass (Fabio / Jesse Huebben, 45);
– Simulation and economic evaluation of levulinic acid production from biomass (52).

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab)

Wastewater treatment, sludge management and resource recovery

Combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes for improved wastewater treatment and management (e.g., reuse of waste and effluents, decentralized sewage systems, environmental quality, advanced wastewater treatment, ecotoxicology).

See example assignment descriptions:
– Removal of bioactive substances during wastewater treatment (Joris Mallens, 40).

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab)

Reuse of residual streams

Combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes for reuse or recycling of residual streams (e.g., industrial wastewater reuse, industrial waste recycling).

See the example assignment description:
– Thermophilic treatment of pulp mill effluent using granular sludge (Lynn Joostens, 8);
– Respirometric tests for prediction of toxic effects in the effluent treatment plant and drainages optimization during maintenance shutdowns on pulp and paper mills (Brian Barbieri, 9);
– Improvement of the anaerobic digestion process of sludge from the paper & pulp industry (Lara Lobotic, 46);
– Alternatives of energetic recovery of organic residues in pulp and paper plants according to the biorefinery concept (Alessio belmondo, 6).

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Food Technology

Bioactive compounds in foods: extraction, quantification, and antioxidant properties. Laboratory work; food natural colorants; anthocyanins; solvent extraction; ultrasound; antioxidant capacity.

Improving food quality and human health through grain chemistry and technology. Laboratory work; dietary fiber; resistant starch; tannins; bioactive compounds; food processing

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Research on innovation environments in Minas Gerais (e.g., startups in biotechnology, business management, incubators, and technology parks).

Support the development of new technology-based companies and startups in the Technology Park of Viçosa (tecnoPARQ).
https://centev.ufv.br/

Number of places: 1 (Living Lab project)