Preshit is currently working on a
project investigating the exposure of virtualization and cloud
computing systems in information technology services used
primarily in academia. As a second year student with UROP, he
has also been involved in a project examining flow dynamics.
Please describe your UROP project.
I am investigating erosion in a 90 degree elbow bend. I am using software
programs such as Fluent and Gambit to create and analyze these models. I am
working with three other people on this project. Our job is to create a virtual
elbow and analyze it to determine erosion if the particles are flown at a
certain velocity. I am an Engineering Science major and my faculty advisor is
Dr. Quamrul Mazumder.
How did you get involved in research?
This is the first time I am getting involved in a research project. I was always
interested in research programs because I wanted to have an experience using the
powerful software which are used in creating virtual diagrams.
How has participating in research impacted your education?
Participating in research has impacted a lot on me; it has taught me time
management and qualities such as being patient and being optimistic. Sometimes
if a method didn’t work for me after a long time, I would give up. However in
this research project, the software I am currently working on didn’t work for at
least continuous 2 weeks. But one day, it finally worked! So it has taught me a
quality of not giving up quickly.
What has been the most satisfying aspect of your research experience?
My advisor is always there to help me if I am stuck. Generally if something
doesn’t work well, the advisors tend to scold you but Dr. Mazumder was very kind
to give me more time to work on it. Eventually his patience has paid off. The
part which I am working on is working well.
What are your future plans? How has participating in research helped you in
preparing for those future plans?
My future plans in education would be to get a degree from UM-Flint and then go
on to gain a Masters degree in science. If I get another chance to get involved
in a research project, then I would certainly do it again. Research has already
had a strong impact on my resume because my major is engineering, so it is great
for me to get involved in this type of research which will help me throughout my
life. Getting exposure to software programs such as Gambit and Fluent is also
great because these programs are not user friendly and there are very few people
in the world who know how to run them effectively. So at a very young age I have
started to learn something which is very demanding for the future.
What advice would you give to students interested in being involved in
research?
No matter what, stay persistent! Talk to your
professors and see what kind of work they are doing. If their work sounds like
something you'd like to work on, don't be afraid to ask them. Visit them during
their office hours, talk to them, get to know them. You'll find out that many
faculty LOVE working with students. Once you find a project, it is important to
stay committed to the project. If you put yourself into the project, you'll be
amazed at just how enjoyable it can be!
