Exchange Diaries  

Rishank Diwan | Physics

University of Madrid, Spain

Research Area: Astrophysics

Q.Which university did you get into, and what was your research topic?
Ans. I got into the University of Madrid, and my research topic was Astrophysics.

Q.How did you apply for FT?
Ans. I started doing a project under my dept prof , who had fellowship in a group named CTA. I became a member of this group, which used to work on gamma rays . From there I gained contacts to get into a one month internship and also got a chance to visit the university. I worked from both places.

Q.From where did you get the motivation? How did it all start?
Ans. Firstly I started exploring all the fields, slowly I got to know my interest towards astrophysics and cosmology. Unlike other fields, my interest was constantly increasing in regard to the above topics which motivated me to work towards them.

Q.What was the role of CG?
Ans. According to me having a good CG is always a plus point but it depends on the application process as well. The CG carries a good weightage when appliying through a program, whereas it is not of such great importance when not applied through a program.
Having a good CG is one of the ways that helps one to gain better funding, which is one of the crucial requirements.

Q: How did you manage the time as you had to simultaneously do your acads as well as the internship?
Ans: I feel time management is one of the most important aspects one has to take care of.I focused more on classroom learning so that I could devote my time after the classes towards the intern, research and learning.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing that has helped you to grab the intern opportunity?
Ans: The main idea I would suggest is that one needs to be precise in one's choices instead of randomly getting under projects. One can easily find professors in one's department working under various fields of research. One has to find his/her area of research, start working seriously towards it under the dept professors corresponding to that field of interest.

Q.Did the current pandemic situation affect you in any way?
Ans: Yes it did. Firstly the project that was given to me was based on application of Machine Learning in Astrophysics. But this couldn't be taken forward due to the pandemic. So I was switched to an alternate project , in which I had to submit a proposal for the astro satellite of India.

Q: What was the mode of communication between you and the university for the remote internship?
Ans: Zoom application was used as a mode of communication.

Q.What were the difficulties you faced during the entire process?
Ans: In the research internships the interaction with the professors and a thorough visit to the campus plays a key role. Due to the pandemic and online meetings I felt the interaction with the professors couldnt happen properly. Also the servers were not functioning properly.

Q: How was a normal day to you , during your foriegn intern?
Ans: The facilities that were provided for me to stay were quite comfortable. The only major problem I faced was the language barrier.

Q.Did you do any similar projects here in KGP?
Ans. In the research, most of my work was simulations. It was kind of similar to a project I did in the second year, as the software used was the same, but the designing portion was entirely different in both cases.

Q.How did your university manage everything in this confusion of Covid-19?
Ans. The university was very co-operative. It was a paid internship, and they really helped and smoothened the process for me. Whenever there was some issue, they were pretty quick in responding.

Q.How would you describe your overall experience?
Ans. Overall it was pretty good; I got to learn new things. Everyone faced the same situation as they could not go where they wanted to. The professor and teaching assistants were helpful and co-operative.

Q.What advice would you like to give to our fellow KGPians who aspire for FT?
Ans. I would advise you to start early and don't waste time getting confused. Whenever you send an email, keep it brief. Please don't add your whole resume in mail content itself; keep the mail short and precise.