Page 19 - CEMS News Summer 2020
P. 19

                                          STUDENT NEWS
       fundamentally limited by the lack of a physical classroom setting, by the lack of interaction with peers, and by the inherent distance between teacher and student. My ability to learn, despite significant effort, absolutely suffered
in the remote environment.
I struggled as my routine and learning strategies were disrupted, and also because I was distracted by the
development of the pandemic. It is due to the support of my great peers that I was able
to make it through the semester. Graduate school is a transformative period of growth through collaboration and mutual betterment. We grow, persevere, and survive with each other because the world of science is too big to go it alone.
To some extent, I believe there will be positive effects
on my graduate student experience and on my overall perspective on life as a result of the shutdown. I think I will better appreciate the daily travails, and will look forward to brief encounters in the hallways of Amundson. I hope the simple things will have a new shine to them, and perhaps I can move forward with healthier priorities and values. It has not crossed my mind to be disappointed
that my studies were disrupted because there is so
much more at stake. Though we have enjoyed a long period of uninterrupted public health, pandemics are not uncommon historically. Hopefully, we will emerge from this more educated and aware of the risks we should prepare for and the precautions we should take. Ideally, this pandemic will also spur a greater appreciation for science and for responsible leadership.
Through fortitude, compassion, and solidarity, perhaps we could even move forward stronger as individuals and as a society. I believe the CEMS department has demonstrated its commitment to these ideals, and I feel safe and proud to be part of such a unified and proactive family. Though
I would never hope for such a tragic global event, it is comforting to know that the department responds with great compassion for all of its students and faculty.
Ninad Mhatre, ChE Hometown: Mumbai, India Advisor: Satish Kumar
For my current research, I
am conducting a study on dynamic wetting failure in coating applications. My work before COVID involved getting familiar with the literature for my problem, and learning to use the finite element method for obtaining solutions to relevant problems.
Ninad Mhatre
  Ryan Collanton
I was in Minneapolis when the shutdown was announced. As I don’t have family in the U.S., I stayed in Minneapolis throughout the semester. Remote learning was a major transition and it took some time to get accustomed to the new course delivery structure. I continued working on my research as much as I could. My work is computational and I was not as affected as the experimental groups. But I certainly missed my discussions with fellow group members, which have always proved to be immensely helpful.
This (COVID shutdown) was a very unfortunate development, which certainly affected our daily routines majorly. I feel in-person course delivery is more engaging and helps me to learn in a better way. Moreover, research operations suffered due to the shutdown, and this can affect the first years majorly as summer is the time when most students get a head start in their respective projects.
My advice for adapting to the COVID shutdown is that I think the best way to work from home is to try and stick to the same schedule as before the shutdown.
Diana Zhang, ChE Hometown: Katy, Texas Advisor: Michelle Calabrese
In my research, I am interested in how molecular
structure affects the extensional flow of soft materials for applications such as energy efficient window coatings.
My research project is in its early stages, so if labs didn’t have to shut down, I might have started some preliminary and exploratory studies earlier in the semester. My work is
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