{"id":1982,"date":"2026-06-30T09:38:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/?p=1982"},"modified":"2026-06-30T11:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T08:28:42","slug":"interns-shine-at-gdc-geothermal-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/interns-shine-at-gdc-geothermal-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Interns shine at GDC Geothermal Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a conference largely dominated by seasoned scientists, engineers and energy experts, a group of young innovators from GDC&rsquo;s internship programme emerged among the standout presenters after unveiling practical, tech-driven solutions aimed at solving real industry challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They impressed delegates, and proved that innovation has no age or experience limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the standout innovations was a Smart Data Monitoring System developed by Ms. Lauryn Mayiani and Mr. Isaac Wainaina for geothermal applications in greenhouse farming and aquaculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The innovation uses real-time temperature and humidity monitoring technology to help farmers and aquaculture operators optimise productivity, minimise losses and improve efficiency through smarter environmental management systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the attendees lauded the innovation for its immediate practical application and potential contribution to climate-smart agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to wait until you are fully experienced to make a difference. With the right mindset, guidance and determination, it is possible to turn ideas into real solutions even at an early stage,&rdquo; said Wainaina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Ms. Mayiani, the opportunity strengthened her confidence and inspired her to continue pursuing innovation-driven solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;The most defining moment for me was standing at the podium in front of many people who listened attentively to my presentation and gave positive feedback,&rdquo; she enthused, &ldquo;That moment made me realise that my ideas and contributions are valuable and can create impact.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two credited GDC&rsquo;s internship programme for providing the mentorship, technical exposure and supportive environment that helped transform their concept into a workable innovation ready for industry presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Bill Edwards, another intern, presented a rig-centric equipment maintenance information system designed to improve maintenance operations within geothermal <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Drilling&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;Drilling is the process of making a hole from the ground surface through a predetermined trajectory to a predetermined depth where a desired resource is found. The desired resource can either be oil, gas or steam.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;Drilling can be done for the purposes of exploration, appraisal or development of a resource field. It is also done for well control, that is, to prevent formation fluid from getting into the well bore due to surrounding pressure. &amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/glossary\/drilling\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>drilling<\/a> projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system seeks to improve maintenance scheduling, minimise equipment downtime and enhance operational efficiency through smarter data management and predictive maintenance capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;This innovation seeks to build systems that can predict problems before they happen and improve operational reliability,&rdquo; Bill explained, crediting GDC&rsquo;s internship programme for the exposure to real geothermal <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Drilling&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;Drilling is the process of making a hole from the ground surface through a predetermined trajectory to a predetermined depth where a desired resource is found. The desired resource can either be oil, gas or steam.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;Drilling can be done for the purposes of exploration, appraisal or development of a resource field. It is also done for well control, that is, to prevent formation fluid from getting into the well bore due to surrounding pressure. &amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/glossary\/drilling\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>drilling<\/a> operations and practical engineering challenges, &ldquo;It has really helped me understand the role of innovation in improving efficiency, safety and sustainability within the sector,&rdquo; he quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GDC Chairman of the Board, Hon. Walter Nyambati commended the interns for their creativity and innovation, noting that the Company remains committed to<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">supporting and nurturing young talent into workable solutions that can benefit both GDC and the geothermal industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Download your copy of the <a class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Steam&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;Steam is the vapour component of geothermal fluid that contains thermal energy.&amp;lt;br\/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/glossary\/steam\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'  tabindex='0' role='link'>Steam<\/a> Magazine Issue 18 here: &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Steam-Magazine-Issue-18.pdf\">https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Steam-Magazine-Issue-18.pdf<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a conference largely dominated by seasoned scientists, engineers and energy experts, a group of young innovators from GDC&rsquo;s internship programme emerged among the standout [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,181],"tags":[143,100],"class_list":["post-1982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-steam","tag-gdcteam","tag-geothermal-development-company"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1982"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1985,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982\/revisions\/1985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}