Niveditha V Nair

Guiding Professor and University

Dr. Rajendra Singh (The Ohio State University), Dr. Luke Fredette (Cedarville University)

Project Title

Oscillating & Transient Flows in Hydraulic Bushings

Field

Fluid Mechanics

How did you reach out to the prof?

Ohio State University runs the RIYA (Research Internship for Young Academics) (https://mae.osu.edu/research-internship-young-academics-riya-program) program every year. I applied to it through their website, and was selected after some preliminary screening and an interview. The host professor matches you with a professor who may be working on something you like. In my case, I was fortunate enough to be guided by Dr. Singh himself, along with Dr. Fredette.

How did you prepare for your first meeting with the prof? What previous knowledge was required?

My first meeting with the professor was actually during the interview. I had just brushed up on the basics of fluids and thermals before it, but the interview itself was more about gauging my interest and overall skills rather than testing deep technical knowledge. For the actual project, what I needed was a solid understanding of UG Fluid Mechanics, some familiarity with basic linear system analysis, comfort with using CFD software and programming.

What was the research topic? How did you arrive at it? (did the prof give it/did you explore & find it yourself)

I worked on the characterization of oscillating and transient flows in hydraulic bushings. The professor gave the topic.

What was the duration of the project?

It was a 10 week long internship from around mid-May - July.

What was the work done by you as part of the project? Who were the other stakeholders involved?

My role involved studying oscillatory flows in inertia tracks using CFD and a lumped parameter model, and understanding how far off one is from the other. I had to characterize the differences between the two and develop scaling factors for different components of the pressure drop. There weren’t direct stakeholders involved in the project itself, but the work has applications in the automobile industry and this project was a small step in that direction.

What was the mentorship style like and how often did you meet with the professor?

The professors were actively involved in the project. They told me what to do but not how to do it, and encouraged me to experiment with different approaches and models. We had weekly meetings where I presented my progress, and decided how to proceed.

How was the overall experience? (Key learnings & Challenges)

It was a really rewarding experience. I learned how to approach an open-ended research problem, critically analyse research papers, and communicate my findings effectively. We also had weekly group discussions moderated by Dr. Singh along with four other interns, where we discussed broader topics like life after a bachelor’s degree and ethics in engineering. We also attended guest lectures by the founder of Ansol and the creator of Coustyx both of which were insightful, and gave us a sense of how research connects to industry.

What are the future plans following this project?

Working on this project helped me realize how vast the field is and how much more there is to explore. It convinced me to pursue the path of research.

What would you tell someone who is considering their first research project?

It’s alright to not know everything at the start. The whole point of research is to learn something new. When you start out, especially as an undergrad, you may not know enough to dive right into the project. Professors understand that too. What matters most is showing steady progress, being curious and actively putting in the effort to learn!