Nestled among the hills, in a peaceful area of the Western Indian city of Pune, lies the National Chemical Laboratory, India's foremost center for research in chemistry and materials science. As an integral member of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and with over 190 senior scientists, NCL is a place steeped in the scientific culture of India. And it is there, in one of India's leading research institutions, that I am working on a research project over this summer, in the heart of my gap year.
Actually, I am currently carrying out my work in the NCL Innovation Park. It is the section of NCL dedicated to (as the name suggests) innovation. Within the Innovation Park is the Venture Center, a not-for-profit organisation dedication to entrepreneurship development and incubation. It provides startups with seed funding, management know-how and lab space to develop their technology. Additionally, experts at Venture Center provide counseling sessions and conduct workshops on technology management and patenting, for fledgling entrepreneurs who are just taking off into the world of technology, business and development.
This trend of tech-incubation is still relatively new in India. Very often it happens that young innovators with brilliant ideas and capabilities get their dreams crushed because of lack of funding, or because they don't know how to play the market well. This was the very problem that Venture Center was created to tackle. Its founder (who, incidentally, is also my research supervisor) aims to create an environment where the path from science to an implementable technology is not ridden with insurmountable obstacles. The center boasts of a library dedicated to entrepreneurship, technology management and patent law, a lab block with state-of-the-art instrumentation that can be rented out, and an enormous POC (proof-of-concept) center where ideas can come to life. All in all, it's the innovator's paradise, and I love it here.
A little bit about my research: I had read about a team of scientists at Rice University who claimed to have come up with a novel technology for super-efficient steam generation using just solar energy. It involved focusing sunlight onto a solution of broadly-absorbing nanoparticles to create steam instantaneously with a very high conversion efficiency. Realising the enormous potential of such a solar-driven technology in a country like India, I approached my would-be advisor here at NCL with my ideas on the topic. He agreed to mentor me and allow me to use the facilities at NCL - so, over this summer, I am conducting research into this phenomenon, looking at ways to improve and optimise it, and working on various applications.
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My (aforementioned) advisor is a remarkable man, with a brilliant mind. He is highly logical, deeply insightful and extremely practical. Along with his research in polymers, he also finds the time to manage and run Venture Center, hold meetings with potential clients, guide interns and co-workers and spend time with his family! (Phew!) He embodies the very mission that the NCL Innovation Park stands for. His enthusiasm and drive are quite infectious, and I'm quite glad that I got this opportunity to work with him.
The work that I'm currently doing at NCL (more about that in the next post) requires me to collaborate with 3 other scientists (experts in multiphase systems, nanotechnology and photonics), since I am not an accomplished scientist in any of these fields. I eagerly look forward to my discussions with them, for how often does one get to interact with 3 excellent scientists? Their inputs and advice have been invaluable, and have definitely spurred me along in my research. What I found most amazing is that none of them have doubted my capabilities! None of them looked down upon me as an inferior being because I've just finished high school! They take complete interest in my work and are always ready to add their suggestions and insights. This attitude of theirs has taught me an important lesson: everyone has their own strengths and qualities, and that one should always take someone seriously when approached - not brush them aside just because they might be "under-qualified"! Each individual that I have collaborated with so far has been extremely helpful, and that is a quality I look to cultivate in myself.
Besides my research, the highlights of my stay here at NCL are definitely the talks and seminars that I get to attend. Since these talks by visiting scientists are not open to the general public, I'm literally seizing every opportunity that I get to attend them! These lectures are my window into scientific research as it is carried out in the real world, and interacting with various scientists and students during the seminars is a great way to network with new people (something that my stint at NCL has taught me the value of).
NCL and the Innovation Park are excellent institutions, very conducive to creativity and inspiring thought. Even the location and ambiance are perfect - there is something about looking out the window and gazing upon dense foliage or a flock of Lapwings that agrees with me. I seem to have entered one of the most productive periods of my 17-year existence, and I am enjoying every femtosecond of it! Despite being the only 17 - year old on campus (the other interns are all graduates), I don't feel out of place here. Be it working on my research project, interacting with my supervisors or discussing the latest advancements in science with the other interns, I have only experience to gain and ideas to get exposed to.
My complaining stomach is reminding me that I haven't eaten in 6 hours, and that dinner is due. But before I sign off, I would like to mention that my next blog entry is going to be about my project, and the work that I am doing here at NCL.
Until next time.
Actually, I am currently carrying out my work in the NCL Innovation Park. It is the section of NCL dedicated to (as the name suggests) innovation. Within the Innovation Park is the Venture Center, a not-for-profit organisation dedication to entrepreneurship development and incubation. It provides startups with seed funding, management know-how and lab space to develop their technology. Additionally, experts at Venture Center provide counseling sessions and conduct workshops on technology management and patenting, for fledgling entrepreneurs who are just taking off into the world of technology, business and development.
This trend of tech-incubation is still relatively new in India. Very often it happens that young innovators with brilliant ideas and capabilities get their dreams crushed because of lack of funding, or because they don't know how to play the market well. This was the very problem that Venture Center was created to tackle. Its founder (who, incidentally, is also my research supervisor) aims to create an environment where the path from science to an implementable technology is not ridden with insurmountable obstacles. The center boasts of a library dedicated to entrepreneurship, technology management and patent law, a lab block with state-of-the-art instrumentation that can be rented out, and an enormous POC (proof-of-concept) center where ideas can come to life. All in all, it's the innovator's paradise, and I love it here.
A little bit about my research: I had read about a team of scientists at Rice University who claimed to have come up with a novel technology for super-efficient steam generation using just solar energy. It involved focusing sunlight onto a solution of broadly-absorbing nanoparticles to create steam instantaneously with a very high conversion efficiency. Realising the enormous potential of such a solar-driven technology in a country like India, I approached my would-be advisor here at NCL with my ideas on the topic. He agreed to mentor me and allow me to use the facilities at NCL - so, over this summer, I am conducting research into this phenomenon, looking at ways to improve and optimise it, and working on various applications.
-
My (aforementioned) advisor is a remarkable man, with a brilliant mind. He is highly logical, deeply insightful and extremely practical. Along with his research in polymers, he also finds the time to manage and run Venture Center, hold meetings with potential clients, guide interns and co-workers and spend time with his family! (Phew!) He embodies the very mission that the NCL Innovation Park stands for. His enthusiasm and drive are quite infectious, and I'm quite glad that I got this opportunity to work with him.
The work that I'm currently doing at NCL (more about that in the next post) requires me to collaborate with 3 other scientists (experts in multiphase systems, nanotechnology and photonics), since I am not an accomplished scientist in any of these fields. I eagerly look forward to my discussions with them, for how often does one get to interact with 3 excellent scientists? Their inputs and advice have been invaluable, and have definitely spurred me along in my research. What I found most amazing is that none of them have doubted my capabilities! None of them looked down upon me as an inferior being because I've just finished high school! They take complete interest in my work and are always ready to add their suggestions and insights. This attitude of theirs has taught me an important lesson: everyone has their own strengths and qualities, and that one should always take someone seriously when approached - not brush them aside just because they might be "under-qualified"! Each individual that I have collaborated with so far has been extremely helpful, and that is a quality I look to cultivate in myself.
Besides my research, the highlights of my stay here at NCL are definitely the talks and seminars that I get to attend. Since these talks by visiting scientists are not open to the general public, I'm literally seizing every opportunity that I get to attend them! These lectures are my window into scientific research as it is carried out in the real world, and interacting with various scientists and students during the seminars is a great way to network with new people (something that my stint at NCL has taught me the value of).
NCL and the Innovation Park are excellent institutions, very conducive to creativity and inspiring thought. Even the location and ambiance are perfect - there is something about looking out the window and gazing upon dense foliage or a flock of Lapwings that agrees with me. I seem to have entered one of the most productive periods of my 17-year existence, and I am enjoying every femtosecond of it! Despite being the only 17 - year old on campus (the other interns are all graduates), I don't feel out of place here. Be it working on my research project, interacting with my supervisors or discussing the latest advancements in science with the other interns, I have only experience to gain and ideas to get exposed to.
My complaining stomach is reminding me that I haven't eaten in 6 hours, and that dinner is due. But before I sign off, I would like to mention that my next blog entry is going to be about my project, and the work that I am doing here at NCL.
Until next time.
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