June 15, 2017
Undergraduates from premier Indian institutions spending summer conducting research at Purdue
PURE participant Sourajit Dey Baksi (left) with Nobel laureate Ei-ichi Negishi, the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and lab mates. (Photos provided by PURE)
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Twenty-nine undergraduate students from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, IIT Hyderabad and IIT Madras are in West Lafayette participating in the second annual Purdue Undergraduate Research Experience. In this nine-week program, from May 15 to July 14, students are selected by a faculty mentor to work on a specific research project in their field of study.
The following eight departments/schools at Purdue are participating: aeronautics and astronautics; biomedical engineering; chemistry; civil engineering; computer science; earth, atmospheric science and planetary sciences; electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering. Students’ research projects address many areas of importance for both the U.S. and India, including energy, health, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, communications and information technology.
PURE builds upon strategic partnership agreements with the IITs, further strengthening linkages between Purdue and these participating Indian institutions. Past and ongoing activities have included undergraduate and graduate research and joint design projects, workshops, bilateral faculty sabbaticals and visiting scholar exchange and collaborative faculty research.
Suresh Garimella, Purdue's executive vice president for research and partnerships, said, “PURE brings bright students from three of India’s premier educational institutions to campus to work on meaningful research projects. It is a win-win for all. Students gain valuable research experience that helps them decide if they wish to pursue graduate studies, while Purdue faculty benefit from having these highly talented students in their labs who may later return to complete a master’s or doctoral degree. The program also helps us deepen the partnerships between academic departments and research groups at Purdue and their counterparts at the IITs.”
In addition to being an intensive summer research program, PURE is also a cultural exchange opportunity for Indian undergraduates to learn about American culture while interacting with local students and community members and also experience life on a U.S. campus.
Shurya Arya works at Birck Nanotechnology Center with a nitrogen gun.
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Shaurya Arya, an electrical and computer engineering student from IIT Bombay, said, “PURE has given me a great opportunity to work at a superb facility and with awesome people. I have had a taste of many research topics pertaining to transparent conductors and am involved in one of them.”
On his experience so far, Jagannadh Boddapati from IIT Madras said, “PURE introduced me to world-class research …. PURE is training me for graduate study. Both of my professors are highly friendly and encouraging. Their knowledge is astonishing. It's been a vibrant experience every day I’ve walked into the lab, department and campus.”
“PURE to me has been a window to grad life,” said Visha Vasani of IIT Bombay. “I now have a better understanding of how higher studies will be, and this experience will be a great help in making an informed decision whether I would like to study further or not. Besides, the cultural exchange bit has been great fun!”
PURE student recruitment and placement involved a collaborative effort between the Indian institutions and Purdue academic departments, with central coordination by Purdue's Office of Corporate and Global Partnerships and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships. The Center for Intercultural Learning Mentorship Assessment and Research at Purdue was instrumental in the students’ orientation to campus and in involving all PURE students in the International Friendship Program.
Source: Heidi Arola, harola@purdue.edu
http://www.purdue.edu/india/