With a special scholarship, RuG student Julian Bos will spend the next few months working on a research project with homemade piezoelectric nanofiber sensors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. He follows the Master's program Industrial Engineering and Management and keeps us rregularly informed of his experiences and experiences.
Part 1 – Here we go!
On June 10, the trip to Boston, Massachusetts finally begins. A lot had to be arranged beforehand, such as a proof of enrollment, housing, health insurance, ‘English proficiency’ a credit card and visas. But, I'm not going to talk about that. First, a brief explanation of what exactly I will be doing in Boston.
I will be working on a research project with flexible piezoelectric nanofiber sensors. I fabricated these sensors at the University of Groningen and took them with me to Boston. The piezoelectric effect is the phenomenon that crystals of certain materials produce an electrical voltage under the influence of pressure, for example due to bending. The idea is to place my homemade flexible sensors behind a cylinder and drag it through the water. Behind the cylinder, the water then creates eddies that bend the flexible sensor back and forth, causing the piezoelectric material to generate electrical voltage. So it's a kind of ‘energy harvester,’ but that's still in the future. We are still in the testing phase right now. The Sea Grant department at MIT has a suitable ‘towing tank’ to drag objects through the water, so I can experiment with this. But, of course, that's not the only reason I came to Boston. I am also looking forward to experiencing American culture and exploring the area.
Ashdown House
It was quite difficult to find a good place to stay as I want a location close to MIT and at a reasonable price. That was not easy, because the rent is quite high here. Fortunately, I have a generous budget that should be sufficient for my three-month stay. After a long search, including on Craigslist, Facebook and dubious rental sites, I ended up at MIT Housing (Ashdown House). Only MIT students stay here and I temporarily rent a room from a PhD student. Unfortunately the contract is only until August 15th, so for my further stay I have to find another place. Anyway, I've been living here for just over two weeks now and it's been great so far!
Reconnaissance
Once on the plane, I found it quite exciting. Fortunately, the flight went well and I was able to easily get from the airport to Ashdown by bus and streetcar. Over the next few days I explored Cambridge a bit, which is sort of an ‘independent city’ in the larger city of Boston. I walked to Central Square with its many restaurants and visited the MIT Museum. I also went to the MIT main building, where I browsed around inside. At Harvard Square, I took a look around Harvard. Here is also the Harvard Museum of Natural History which I will definitely visit again. Before I can begin my research with the MIT Sea Grant department, I must complete my registration with MIT and receive my MIT ID card, which also has a chip in it for travel on public transportation. Unfortunately, I also found out that my European cell phone does not handle most American cellular frequency bands well, as I had good reception almost nowhere. And when I do speak reception, the Internet speed is so slow as to be unusable. So I got myself a 4G router, which gives me normal coverage everywhere again and thus allows me to use Google Maps and not get lost in this big city.
MIT
Beforehand, I didn't really know what to expect from MIT. It is bigger than I expected and consists of many different buildings that make up one big campus. The Sea Grant department, where I will be working for the next few months, is quite small but has good equipment like expensive laptops and the ‘towing tank. And if anything is missing, they order it right away. Doing the project itself is difficult, since it all works a bit differently here than at the university in Groningen. It takes some getting used to, also for the professors because they are busy with all kinds of things, so there is little time for meetings and guidance. The pressure is high, but I feel it is a nice challenge!
Student life
Every day I go to the gym belonging to MIT where you can play all kinds of different sports including basketball, soccer and swimming. I joined a ‘visiting students’ association. They organize a picnic especially for visiting students. I also sailed with some fellow students on the Charles River, with great weather! And I went to downtown Boston. There I walked the Freedom Trail, a four-kilometer historic walk through downtown along 16 sites of national historic interest, such as the Boston Common, the Old State House and the Old North Church.
Bicycles
The city is very large and public transportation does not always (read: never) leave on schedule. So I took out a BlueBike membership, which allows me to use blue bikes scattered in racks throughout the city for $35 for the next few months. You then have to be brave enough to bike among the cars, mega pickup trucks and SUVs on the road. I also went to a baseball game, where the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5. This was a wonderful experience! Furthermore, the weather in Boston is nice and warm, but very changeable. One second it can be raining cats and dogs and the next second the sun is shining and it is 30 degrees. I find the American food a bit strange. Fast food is sold everywhere and the rest of the food is full of sugar. The healthy food that is available is unfortunately quite expensive. Just like everything else here. That makes it difficult to eat normally.
I do miss everything and everyone In Holland, but I am definitely making a great time here in Boston. I am looking forward to getting into the project. I also hope to see more of the culture and environment and to participate in all kinds of activities and meet even more nice people.
Julian Bos
Julian's scholarship is made possible in part by FB Oranjewoud.
