Unveiling the future of communication through software defined radios

Smriti, a passionate 4th-year undergraduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering, dives into her incredible summer in Vancouver, at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she assumes the role of a MITACS Research Intern. Her focus revolves around a captivating venture within the domain of next-generation Wireless Communications.

About me:

I’ve always been intrigued by the dynamic world of wireless technology. My journey into research was born out of a desire to explore the uncharted territories at the intersection of technology and academia. Throughout my bachelors, I’ve delved deep into research projects focusing on wireless communications, IoT, Radar Technology, etc. My passion for this field has driven me to publish three conference papers in esteemed international conferences like GLOBECOMM, WCNC etc, and a journal in the IEEE Internet of Things Journal. In my second year summer, I interned at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) where I worked on Joint Radar and Communication Systems.

The Application Process:

Since I’ve been invested in research right from my third semester, I was already aware of international research fellowships like MITACS, DAAD, Charpak, etc. The application process for MITACS Internship is quite straightforward. Their Globalink Research Internship (GRI) website provided all the necessary details and prerequisites. As part of the application, I submitted my academic transcript, 2 letters of recommendation, resume, and other required documents. The project selection process involved choosing a maximum of 7 projects from a sea of projects offered, ones that align with your field and research experience. After submitting my application, I awaited responses from project professors, and was fortunate enough to be selected for my first preference project after a brief interview by the professor.

Research Topic:

My project was based on Software Defined Radios and their application in Intelligent Transportation and Satellite Communications.I was tasked with building and deploying a Doppler shifter based Channel Emulator and a m-sequence Channel Sounder using the ADALM-PLUTO SDR. This hands-on project allowed me to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.

My Team:

I worked as a part of the Radio Science Lab Team, led by Professor David Michelson. Highly esteemed in the field, Dr. Michelson is himself an alumnus of UBC and serves as the Director of the AURORA Connected Vehicle Testbed initiative of Canada. My team included a few other Masters and PhD students and another international intern from Italy. The group worked on various projects ranging from Satellite Communications, V2X Hub, Naval Measurements, etc.

The Experience:

This summer was an incredible turning point in my life and truly a transformative journey. This project was my first preference not just due to the interesting topic, but because UBC, one of the top 3 universities in Canada, was located in the picturesque city of Vancouver – where city meets mountains meets ocean. I had a fascinating group of friends from Germany, France, Mexico, Hong Kong, UK, etc. So while I worked hard on my project, I balanced that with numerous activities like sunsets at the beach, Kayaking, hiking, club-hopping, weekend trips, concerts, etc. Surrounded by forests on three sides and the Pacific ocean on the fourth, the UBC campus was a mini-universe in itself. A highlight for me was visiting TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator, which was located on campus. On a professional note, the internship proved to be highly enriching. During this time, I actively participated in the coordination of the EMTS International Conference, an event for which my advisor, Dr. Michelson, served as the Chair. This provided me with invaluable networking prospects, enabling me to connect with esteemed professors from renowned institutions such as Purdue, UT Austin, and UCSD. Moreover, I had the privilege of interacting with accomplished scientists, as well as high-ranking executives including vice presidents and directors hailing from prominent companies like Altair, Intel, and HP.

Future Plans:

Currently, I am continuing my collaboration with UBC through a Co-op project. I am also working on a research paper based on our abstract which was accepted at the Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference. In my final semester, I will be working at NUS (National University of Singapore) on a research project as a part of the WEISER group. My future plans include pursuing a masters, or perhaps a PhD at one of the universities in the United States.

So that’s all about my exciting journey as a research intern.
Thank you and all the very best!

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.