Exploring Material Properties and Damping Behavior: A Summer Intern's Journey at Ruhr-Universität

Lokesh B Jogi, a proficient 4th-year undergraduate majoring in Mechanical Engineering, unveils his enriching journey as a summer intern at Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany. Through his meticulous work and passion for mechanical engineering, Lokesh played an integral role in the Micromechanical and Macroscopic Modelling (MMM) research group while working on the topic of 'Material Properties and Damping Behaviour of Fibre Reinforced Composites (FRCs).

Intro About the Internship:

I did my internship at Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany. It is a fully funded internship of 3 months. I worked on the topic “Material Properties and Damping Behaviour of Fibre Reinforced Composites (FRCs)” under Micromechanical and Macroscopic Modelling (MMM) research group. Most of my work in the internship was computational. All the computations were done using ABAQUS software. I am planning to continue my research work in the upcoming semester.

Motivation:

I am very much interested in core Mechanical Engineering and I wanted to pursue higher studies after my B.Tech. from IIT Dharwad. I wanted to experience the feeling working with established researchers at the top of their field. I knew this would be that kind of opportunity to do research and more important than that, build very good connections. It also strengthens our profile a lot when you apply for Masters. Therefore, I decided to apply for this Internship.

Application Procedure:

I got to know about this internship from one of my Professors at IIT Dharwad (Prof. Satyapriya Gupta). He is also a former scholarship holder. The internship is funded by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). The internship is popularly called DAAD WISE (Working Internships in Science & Engineering) internship. Students in the last and penultimate years are eligible for this internship. Application deadline is usually at the end of September each year. Students must approach German Professors/ Researchers under whom you are interested to pursue your research and request them to provide you an invitation letter from the German University. Try to reference something from their research while mailing. Also try to look for personal websites since that can give you an idea of the kind of mail the professor wants. The format for the invitation letter can be found on the DAAD portal. Having a good CV definitely helps as there are a lot of projects available and professors are on a constant lookout for enthusiastic researchers. Prepare a good CV and SOP(Statement Of Purpose) and get them reviewed by your seniors/profs. Start mailing German Professors as early in the month of June/July to increase your chances of getting an invitation letter. I believe getting invitation letter is the hardest part of getting the internship. Mail as many professors as possible. You can choose between the projects if you get multiple invitation letters. The next step is to submit the invitation letter, CV, SOP, Marks Transcript, NOC issued by college in the DAAD portal. Minimum CPI to apply should be greater 8.5. When it comes to getting accepted the more the merrier usually works. You will receive intimation about your internship status by the end of February. Keep checking the DAAD portal regularly for important details.

Internship Experience:

I interned at Ruhr Universität in Germany. My main aim was to understand the influence of fiber orientation and fiber volume fraction on the overall material properties and damping behavior under different loading conditions. The research was fully computational. I am planning to further contribute to the work by understanding the full component behavior using the composite material under different flow conditions. This internship helped me a lot in connecting to other researchers. I used to interact with PG students and professors regularly. My supervisor (Prof. Alexander Hartmaier) was the director of our research group. I was amazed by his depth of knowledge he had in his domain. Even though I couldn’t understand many talks/seminars given by Ph.D. Scholars, I attended all of them to get an idea of the current topics of research and future developments in the domain. The work hours were very relaxed. I worked 5 days a week. The working environment was great. We also had group parties, barbeques, picnics for relaxation. Living expenses weren’t sponsored. However a decent stipend was provided to cover all costs. I made some great friends there. During the weekends I went on tours along with my friends. Overall, it was a great learning experience and we had a lot of fun too.

Advice to Juniors:

During the initial years, approach the professors based on you interest and ask them if they have any projects suited for you. It will be very helpful for you to decide the area that interests you and also helps you to build your profile. You can also take additional courses available on the internet if you want to specialize in a particular field. While mailing the professors, always keep the mail personalized. It is always advised to mail the professors near to 9 A.M of their local time on the working days as your mail would be likely on top when they read them. During your summer/winter holidays make sure you are doing something to develop your skills/profile. Just keep on exploring. Never be idle. While doing any research work under any professor, always ask them what they expect of you before taking up that project. Take up the project only if you feel you are eligible for the project.

The views presented above are the blogger’s own and are not in any manner representative of the views of Drishti or IIT Dharwad in general.