Christabel Ayiku traveled to India to undertake a research internship at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences. The trip was a fulfilment of the College’s compulsory third-year internships for undergraduates. She worked under the supervision of Dr F. T. Josh on passive thermal management in electric vehicles. Despite limited prior exposure to the subject, the internship quickly became a focused and valuable learning experience for her.
Her work combined computational analysis and experimental research. It also involved the use of MATLAB and Python for data analysis, hands-on laboratory experimentation, and a review of relevant literature. Her efforts resulted in a technical research report based on experimental findings.
The research was conducted in the Heat Pipe Mechanics Laboratory, and focused on heat pipes and Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with varying melting points. Temperature data was recorded at 30-second intervals across multiple points, enabling detailed thermal performance analysis for electric vehicle applications.
Christabel acknowledges that beyond technical training, the internship offered important personal and professional growth. Interactions with individuals from diverse backgrounds, exposure to advanced research facilities, and engagement with student-led projects broadened her perspective on engineering research and influenced her approach to her final-year project.
Christabel’s internship highlights the value of international exposure, with the College remaining open to more such opportunities for its students - to broaden their horizons and widen their exposure.
