Exchange Diaries  

Kshitij Anand | Aerospace Engineering

University of Calgary, Canada

Research Area: Design the internal and external structure, and controller of a transitional unmanned aerial vehicle

What was the University and topic of research that was taken up by you during the FT?

I was acting as an undergraduate research intern at the Robotarium Lab at the University of Calgary. My topic was to design the internal and external structure and controller of a transitional unmanned aerial vehicle.

Why is an FT important? How would one compare research in Indian universities and foreign universities?

FT is important. It is a very integral step if one wants to do masters abroad. I have done two projects in Indian universities and two projects in foreign universities. The main difference between these two is the freedom of work direction in Foreign Universities. In Indian universities, the degree of supervision is comparatively higher, in foreign universities, you can explore endless ways to obtain the solution. The first week of FT is completely a case study, where one would be given a problem and it is completely one’s own decision as to which literature and method one would follow to approach the problem.

FT vs corporate internship, what are all the things we are missing out on, and what are we gaining more?

In today's scenario in the corporate, there are two roles one is a research profile role and another one is an applied engineering role. Incorporates you are expected to know a lot of things beforehand but in FT that is not the case in FT time will be given to learning a new software whereas incorporate that is not the case. Although there is no significant difference in pay in the corporate sector you will have control over a lot of equipment which may not be the case in FT because certain equipment may not be available in that University but incorporate it already has those equipment present. I had received a corporate offer from Siemens in March, but I had already opted for FT for a more interesting project and also the working hours for Siemens were much more.

Should BTech students aspiring for higher studies from abroad opt for an FT?

Yes, if one is planning for graduate studies the place where he or she is going for an FT should be a country where they are planning to do an MS. It is advantageous if one can get an FT in the university where they are planning to do an MS because he/she would have their connections already laid and the chances for getting selected and getting financial aid for MS in that University becomes exponentially high. So, doing FT is a very integral step if one wants to do a Masters abroad.

What exactly is the application process for the FT? Are there any important documents one must keep?

There are two ways to apply for an FT, one is applying through standard programs and the other is by individually emailing the professors. In standard programs, there are two categories, one category is where they arrange everything for you (e.g.: Mitacs) and the other one in which you have to arrange your work and the program will fund your work. For Mitacs you have to apply through their portal and for DAAD you have to email the professor and make sure that they take you as an undergraduate research intern. You can also individually apply by mailing the professor but in these cases, you have to ask the professor themselves for funding. In these cases also the stipend may be below. You can also apply for research internships at various companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Larsen and Toubro, and other international companies in your field via their careers for student sections.
There are two important documents that one should keep: one is the resume and cover letter, and the second one is supporting documents and whatever work you have done before. In FT one cannot simply get away with writing a project, you should also have something to show them. If you have done a coding project it should be on GitHub, if you have done a design project on a CAD model you should create a report of it and paste a drive link to your resume if you have done an internship before or have done a project before you should have a letter of certification of that project or internship.

How did the process get affected due to the online nature of the applications?

The process of application is the same whether it is before or after COVID. The only difference is that you don't need a passport after COVID. Now that the post COVID scenes are almost gone, all the changes that we had seen are gradually reverting. By next summer hopefully, most of the people will be going abroad.

Did you have to mail the professor personally for the project? For how much time did you wait for a reply?

People think that mass mailing can increase the chances of getting an FT but that is not the case. The last time I also applied for DAAD, so I sent twenty emails in three weeks and got four responses but during the interviews, the projects that they were offering were not aligned with my interests.
If you write a general cover letter and try to change the parts specific to the research area of the professor it won't help, the professor can make it out. Your cover letter must be very precise about what you want to do, why you want to do it and what you have done till now, all these points should be written in technical language and also you must have a really good explanation as to why they should take you.

When should one start applying for an FT? How long did the procedure last till you got the desired FT?

You should start preparing for FT from your second year. If you have already done two projects in your institution, you are sure to get an FT after your second or after your third year.

What is the role of CGPA in the selection process?

CGPA is a reflection of how much academic discipline you possess. The role of CGPA in the selection process is also dependent on the kind of work you are going to do but a bare minimum of 8 CGPA is required for getting FT, but exceptions exist when your skills speak a lot for yourself. You should have something to show, so participate in competitions, be a member of online communities and show the projects that you have contributed to. Just writing about a project won’t help, you should have something to show and that should be valid.

How did the pandemic affect your application for the project? Did the pandemic have any positive impact on the project?

On average the pandemic had a very negative impact. There was not sufficient interaction with the research team as we cannot sit on a video call all day, there was not sufficient guidance, there was an absence of teamwork and there was no hands-on experience with the lab equipment. Other than people who were doing data science and machine learning, where a computer is sufficient, it was a disaster for the others as they were not physically present in the labs.

Where should a student, who is unaware about the entire application process, look up information about professors and their research work for opportunities?

Google and Google Scholar is the best way to get information about professors. You will also find a lot of guiding articles on Medium as well. I, myself, have written two articles on Medium, one is about which skills are important right after first year and the other is about research.

How should a first-year student prepare beforehand for his FT application in their subsequent year?

You can refer to my Medium article on how I would prefer to spend my first-year summers. First of all you need to learn about a programming language preferably C + + and Python and learn about object oriented programming. Secondly, in mathematics one should learn introductory linear algebra, introductory differential calculus and introductory Probability and Statistics. Don't hesitate to write to professors of your own institution, ask them to assign some projects as projects are one of the most efficient ways to learn about new things.

Does belonging to IITKGP provide any added benefits for getting your FT? 

I am certainly grateful to the professors at my department especially Professor Sandeep Saha for igniting the research rationale in me as he uses quite an engaging pedagogy in his courses and which I suggest be adopted in other courses as well. On a side note, I haven't felt any special advantage in being a student of Kharagpur. Being a student of the IIT ecosystem in general anyway helps you get access to a lot of funding opportunities via MoUs and other fellowship programs specifically targeted for IITians. Most of the working knowledge and skills which is required for FT or doing projects were acquired by me via online MOOCs. A complete lack of opportunity for practical learning if I am not able to make it to research groups in the first year just because I did not have CS in 12th is something I would certainly like to see changed at Kharagpur.