He has seen Prime Minister Mark Rutte, eaten squid organs and runs errands in a brand-new BMW. Meanwhile, his research project with homemade piezoelectric nanofiber sensors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston continues steadily. Part two of Julian Bos' adventures.
Part 2 – Naturalized
Since my last update, a new roommate has walked into my Ashdown room. The room has always been a two-bedroom, with the second bedroom locked since I arrived. My new roommate Gabriel is from Singapore and is staying for the next two years for his master's degree in Financial Engineering at MIT Sloan School of Management. Fortunately, we get along well and this way it is also a lot cozier in the otherwise lonely room.
Gabriel also brought all kinds of electronics. An Oculus Rift, a desktop computer, Nintendo Switch and a projector that we use for games and movies. In addition, he has access to a car that his father bought here two years ago for his brother. The latter is going back to Singapore after his studies. The car will stay here so Gabriel can use it for the next two years. Gabriel says that cars are very expensive in Singapore, so when his father saw the prices of cars in America, he immediately bought a brand new BMW-3! Now we can drive anywhere, which is also convenient with shopping, although Amazon Prime is also very convenient.
Research project
The project is going a little better in the meantime. I designed a special holder and 3D printed several parts of it using computer program SolidWorks. This holder holds a ‘fairing,’ a thin metal beam that looks a bit like an airplane wing in cross section. This is where the piezoelectric sensor is attached at the bottom. The streamlined fairing reduces the amount of water swirls generated behind the fairing, which in turn causes vibrations and can affect the sensor's output. The entire structure is suspended from the ‘towing tank’ platform and placed behind a cylinder that is also attached to the platform. This kind of experiment, where actually two objects are attached to the ‘towing tank’ platform, has not been done here before. The ‘towing tank’ has so far only been used to investigate the effects of water vortices on cylinders and other shapes, by looking at the force data measured by a sensor in the cylinder holder. I have already done quite a few tests and a nice touch is that I can now handle the Artificial Intelligence Towing Tank quite well. Thus, all the sensors have been tested and we are now moving on to the sensor that generates the highest electrical output. Unfortunately, that electrical output is not as high as hoped (100 mV), especially compared to the much higher electrical output of the sensor in the Ocean Grazer wave tank from the University of Groningen. I am currently trying to figure out how this is caused. The results are not yet perfect, but there is still plenty to do in terms of computer simulations and other experiments, such as connecting an electrical circuit to the sensors to use it to identify the power output. I'm not an electrician, so I have no knowledge of these kinds of topics. Like hydrodynamics, for example, which is one of the most important topics in the MIT Sea Grant department. Of course, this is quite difficult, but it also represents a nice challenge and opportunity to broaden my knowledge and to delve more deeply into different subjects. I can then combine this with each other to come up with a solution to certain other problems. If it turns out that the sensors through water vortices do not provide enough energy, my supervisor at the RuG may send me a few piezo-resistive sensors that I can test here in the MIT Sea Grant towing tank. These piezo-resistive sensors work differently from piezoelectric sensors and could generate more energy when combined with water swirls.
squid organs
In addition to the research, Gabriel and I find enough time to do fun things. For example, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown Boston. This museum can be compared to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is really very big and there are all kinds of different exhibitions including a Dutch one with Delft Blue. There are also some famous Dutch paintings by Vermeer, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Of course we are also exploring Boston more and more. In Chinatown we ate dumplings and strange Chinese desserts. Gabriel once came home with Chinese food that he said I should try. Once I had finished it, it turned out that I had eaten fried squid organs, among other things. Luckily it tasted fine, as long as you don't know what's in it.
super mario
We also visited the Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall and the Copley Square Farmer's Market and went to quite a few shopping centers and malls. Cambridge Side Galleria, for example, has more than 100 stores and restaurants, from electronics to clothing and snacks. At the Science Museum, we saw a vandegraaff generator or band generator that is used to do demonstrations. The light is then dimmed after which you can see huge electric shocks. Besides seeing them, you can also hear them. By using different frequencies, the shocks can be both seen and heard to the tune of Super Mario. And to get a good look at the Boston skyline, we went to the top of one of the tallest buildings in the city.
With temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius, a day at the beach cannot be missed. With the European Club we went by train to the beach of Manchester-by-the-Sea. The film Manchester by the Sea of the same name was also filmed in this picturesque village. Behind the beach are trees, green plants and shrubs which, together with the golden beach and blue water, gives a wonderful tropical feeling. Before we knew it it was time to catch the train back to Boston. We also visited the famous Samuel Adams local brewery and cooled down at the Toscanini ice cream parlor, which according to the New York Times makes the best ice cream in the world. I don't know if that's true, but the ice cream tasted delicious!
Even more American!
Because it's fun to do, we also try to go down as many American fast food chains on the East Coast as possible, such as Taco Bell, Wendy's and Five Guys. But fast food is not the only thing we eat, we also try a local New England delicacy, the Lobster Roll. With the European Club, we ate at a seafood restaurant in the harbor. Then we walked on to a movie theater to watch a movie together. With bacon popcorn with melted butter in hand - it doesn't get any more American than that - we entered a movie theater with mega-sized seats equipped with heating and reclining features. It can be even more American! On Independence Day, June 4, the MIT Visiting Student Association (VISTA) will spend the entire day playing fun games while enjoying snacks and drinks and, of course, we will end the day with a barbecue.
smart kids
In addition to the trips and exploring America, after the experiments for my research project, I also give tours and demonstrations to various groups of high school students. Some very bright but underprivileged high school students from several high schools visited for a few days to see how everything at MIT goes. I told them about how I got there and what my project entails. I also gave them a tour to show them the different facilities at Sea Grant. For example, I showed demonstrations of experiments in the ‘towing tank. They found that very interesting! Perhaps these bright kids will end up here in a few years, too, to participate in similar projects.
Other than that, things are rather quiet in the Sea Grant department. In fact, my ‘weekly’ supervisor is in China, the director is currently in Greece and Professor Consi is on vacation. I am just trying to continue my experiments, but this is going to be difficult with less feedback and supervision. By the way, I have obtained a Harvard ID card so that I can occasionally work on my project in peace and quiet in the famous Harvard library.
Rutte
In addition to students from all kinds of countries, I have also met quite a few Dutch people. Sometimes I can just speak Dutch here, so many Dutch students are walking around here. I did not expect that. Of course it is not bad to speak English, which is of course the official language here, but I also keep up with my Dutch by Skype with my father and my sister in the Netherlands. Unfortunately they can't just drop by, but that way we can still see and talk to each other. Speaking of the Dutch, our Prime Minister Mark Rutte also paid a visit to Boston after his visit to Donald Trump in Washington. He visited Boston Dynamics and the MIT Artificial Intelligence lab, followed by a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. His program was on the internet, so I went to him and actually saw the Prime Minister of the Netherlands here in Boston! Everything was cordoned off and I didn't have a chance to talk to him, but at least I saw him.
Edgerton House
In the coming period I will steadily continue with the project and of course I will also try to see more of the area! I also have to move soon, as my sublease in MIT Ashdown is almost over. Luckily I found a nice spot at MIT Edgerton House just a few hundred yards from Ashdown and so still very close to MIT Sea Grant. I will stay here until September 8, after which I have to find a new place until the end of September. I'll send another update next month! And then the adventure is almost over. Time flies, but until then I'll make the best of it.
Julian Bos
Julian's scholarship is made possible in part by FB Oranjewoud.
