This is an article by Suyash Pati Tripathi about his internship experience at University of Pennsylvania under the SN Bose Scholars Programme.
Are you interested in a research-related career, a PhD, or studying abroad? Are you unsure of your interests or career direction? My experiences preceding and including my internship at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA, USA may shed light and help guide you in making your decisions.
I had a vague interest in research even as a child, presenting itself in my intellectual curiosity for tech, new devices, and learning in general. This may seem rudimentary however it encompasses the true essence of research: a desire and drive to learn about the unknown and use this knowledge to improve the human condition. Any of you possessing this basic drive should consider research as a possible career.
Fast forwarding to college year, despite my many interests, I was very unsure as to what specifically I wanted to focus my studies and future career on. I know this is an issue many others on campus also face. Early in college, especially my first year, I focused my energy on machine learning as many do, and are subtly pressured to do, on our campus. Regardless of how interesting this field is, I did not find my true interests and home there. Understanding this, I then looked into hardware-based research and fields. Definitely feeling more passionate, I followed the field of electronics and circuits. However, I soon realized this was also not my main area of interest.
Still unsure of my main interests and career direction by my second year, and admittedly a bit stressed and confused at this point, I decided to take some time off during the summer to learn, take online courses in, and read about various fields in detail instead of pursuing internships. This time was monumental in providing me with much-needed clarity. From here on out I realized my niche interest in nanotechnology and organic electronics. Realizing this I was able to better pursue and prepare for my career. I did research under Professor P.K. Iyer relating to photovoltaic devices based on organic materials which I genuinely felt passionate about and excited by. It took me quite some time to get accustomed to this field as combined knowledge of physics, chemistry and electronics was needed, but I took the challenge and that led to me having a fulfilling research experience.
My research experience and interest along with my high department rank put me in a good position for the S.N. Bose Scholars Program through the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF). For this program, the top two students from all departments of top colleges across India are nominated. Eventually, 50 students are selected to take part in the program. As part of this program, Indian students are placed with US university labs to facilitate a summer-time research internship. I was thrilled to work under the guidance of Dr. Deep Jariwala at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania- a lab focused on the study and development of nanometer and atomic scale devices as well as materials and interfaces for applications in fields as broad as IT, renewable energy, sensing, and computing.
Once I got involved in the lab and in the 2D material based device research, there were 2 major projects I worked on in my few summer months there. My initial project was experimental. For this project, I worked with a grad student in the lab and focused on growing and finding ways to optimize the growth and distribution of Rubrene crystals which was a type of organic semiconductor. The interface of these Rubrene crystals, which are organic semiconductors, and Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which are single atomic layers with a lot of noble properties such as high absorption, good band gap, etc, was also studied. More specifically, we were focused on studying the existence of hybrid charge transfer exciton at the interface of the two materials. The other project I focused on was a simulation-based project that I started. I started this about half-way through my internship as I had to initially spend some time doing background research for it. This second project was focused on computationally developing a device centred on colour tunable passive display. The many intellectual conversations with the professor and my peers as well as the two projects I worked on helped me learn a lot and develop as a researcher. However, this was not the only way in which I grew during the internship.
The experience of travelling, especially for the first time, to a foreign country and working abroad was a very enlightening learning experience on its own and I was thankful for the support I had. Before arriving in Philadelphia, I was speaking to a senior who was pursuing a masters at the University of Pennsylvania. Since he was going to be in California for an internship during the summer, I was able to live in his apartment with his roommate for the summer months I was there. The apartment came with furniture as well as cooking utensils and supplies (even though the cooking itself was initially a challenge) which was very convenient! My new roommate, also Indian, was very helpful. He showed me around the area and pointed out places to shop, eat, and explore. We also cooked and took care of the apartment together. Thus, I did not have a lot of trouble adjusting.
In addition to my roommate, I was able to make several new friends through my lab and other organizations. Getting to know them and understanding their background and culture was illuminating and helped me reflect more on my own culture and background which I felt was a very important benefit of my time abroad. Other than through my new friends, I was also able to gain a deeper understanding of American lifestyle, culture, architecture, food, and more through my travels. I was fortunate enough to travel to and explore many American metropolitan centres such as Chicago, New York City, Portland, Atlantic City, and of course Philadelphia.
Overall, I felt that my experience abroad through the S.N. Bose Scholars Program was very beneficial to my growth, both career-wise and personally.
