Exchange Diaries  

Shivam Pandey | Aerospace Engineering

The University of Washington, USA

Research Area: Turbulence in Aircraft

1: In which University did you do your FT and who was the professor you worked under? What was the topic that you worked on?
I worked at the University of Washington under the professor Robert E Bredienthal. The research topic I worked on was related to the turbulence in aircraft. I was supposed to prepare trajectories and simulate them.

2: How did you apply for the FT?
I applied for FT through personal mailing.

3: Why do you think that FT is important?
There is not much scope of Aerospace in India. So, I did an FT to get adequate exposure. FT is also important to experience the foreign working environment. Other than that, FT also opens gates to various research opportunities.

4: From where did you get the motivation to go for an FT?
Since I wanted to pursue my core, FT seemed to be a great opportunity for that. That was the basic motivation behind my FT. Previously, I had a publication released at a conference in IIT Kanpur. I was optimistic since then to get such an opportunity of working in a foreign university.

5: What was the role of CGPA in the entire process?
If you are going for an FT through programs, then CGPA plays a vital role and even if you are mailing professors personally, then in some cases CGPA matters. So, to be on the safe side, I would suggest students maintain a high CGPA.

6: How did your university manage everything in the confusion of COVID-19?
So, my university managed everything peacefully and my professor was also great, he allowed me for remote training although he changed my project.

7: Did you do any similar projects here at KGP?
No, they all were a little bit different from this project. Like one of them was mainly based on “Aerodynamics of the propellor” topic and others were different too.

8: What were the difficulties that you faced in the entire process?
I was almost out of hope. The universities which had previously offered me FT later refused due to pandemic. I was fortunate enough to get this opportunity at the University of Washington.

9: What was the mode of communication between you and the professor?
The mode of communication was mainly through the mail but occasionally we used to talk on video calls.

10: How would you describe your overall experience?
The overall experience was great. I learnt a lot of things. I had never before worked on my self-developed code. I developed my own code and I am really happy about that.

11: What advice would you like to give your fellow juniors who aspire for an FT?
Patience is the key to obtain an FT. If someone genuinely interested in research projects could not grab an FT, rather than getting disheartened one should keep up his/her zeal and try at some Indian Universities. What matters more is your dedication to your work.