Aakash Bajpai

          This experience is in line with current expectations as it is a summer internship with a high amount of work and works toward specifically developing a scientific lab scale system to explore a previously not explored topic which is engineering a new tool for scientific discovery.  I learned that it is very difficult to develop a solid research question in comparison to developing the resulting solution. It took a solid week to find my niche in the field and for a summer project I am happy with that but when it comes to my thesis I know it will take a great deal of time to properly find and then define a problem that I can solve. Research is very much a marathon and is an incremental process of increasing the vastness of human knowledge. Research at its core is the advancement of knowledge. This project worked specifically to create a device to find the underlying effects of vibration to down-hole drilling systems for lab use. This is engineering scientific tools of discovery at its core. 

 

Integrity – Throughout the project, I knew what results I wanted to get, and knew I could edit certain inputs to receive my desired output. However, to prove the model works correctly I could back solve from the desired output and explain the value. However, this would be the equivalent of faking data. Instead, I had to advocate for rationalizing each input to the system with some source or engineering calculation

Perspectivism – The project involved the competing ideas of myself, my post-graduate, and my PI. They helped me see what they wanted to do with the project when I didn’t necessarily agree and by being open to other options we came up with the best solution to finish the project on time, with positive results viable for publication

Realistic vision – The biggest press for realistic vision was the time constraint of 10 weeks as the original intention was to build the project if possible but when that couldn’t be accomplished we pivoted to a detailed theoretical simulation.

Teamwork – The REU was designed with other students as well. We would often help each other with different parts of the project and I received a lot of feedback to help improve my project from others. I also collaborated with another student to help design my simulation as I was not as familiar with the software. Now, we still keep in contact and encourage each other as we have applied to graduate schools.

Persistence – There was a time when my lab was gone and I was alone working on the project in a windowless lab. It made me debate whether to do graduate research in the future and many of the results I was obtaining I had no idea I was correct. I kept trying different permutations of what I wanted and wasn’t getting accurate results. Only after a week of attempting the same simulation for several hours a day was I able to get some valid results.

Flexibility – Hand in hand with realistic vision I needed to be flexible with my vision of the project and willing to pivot away from actually building the system when it seemed unlikely to be accomplished. Additionally, Over the past two years I have had to be flexible with my work time as we wrote the publication.

 

Some research specific learning objectives includes self-efficacy and culture of scholarship. 

Self Efficacy – In the first week of my summer research experience I was tasked with creating a dynamics simulation of a power-split hybrid vehicle. However, looking at previous work before me I had seen that it had already be done. I wanted to complete something new and novel so asked my PI if I could be placed on a more difficult project outside my range of experience. My new project, which would be this research project, required me to be very independent in my litereature review, theoretical development, and system design.

Culture of scholarship – This work will be published in the Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science: Part C. It has been very interesting going through the review process so far and has incited me to pursue research in the future.