Summer internships offer students a unique opportunity to dive into the real world of research and industry, providing invaluable hands-on experience. Two students from IIT-BHU, Rickhto Sarkar and Chaitanya Gambali, embarked on remarkable journeys this summer. Chaitanya took on an internship at IIT Bombay, while Rickhto ventured to South Korea’s Changwon National University. Their experiences, though in different countries and fields, share a common thread of intense learning, growth, and discovery!
Rickhto Sarkar, a sophomore from the Electrical Engineering department at IIT-BHU, is currently undertaking a summer research internship at the Visual Artificial Intelligence Lab at Changwon National University, South Korea, under the mentorship of Professor Oh-Seol Kwon. His research focuses on deep learning, specifically in computer vision. His primary task involves implementing research papers related to object detection and innovating to enhance the results.
Unlike typical internships where the professor provides a topic or improvement ideas, Rickhto is required to identify and improve research topics independently. This process, although challenging, embodies the true nature of research: reading numerous papers, selecting a pertinent topic, implementing it, and striving for improvement.
This experience has substantially improved his ability to read, understand, and execute research papers—a task that seemed daunting just a few months ago. Adapting to the demanding South Korean work culture, which involves 12-hour lab sessions from 9 AM to 9 PM, was initially overwhelming but gradually became manageable. Beyond academic growth, this internship has instilled discipline and hygiene, hallmarks of Korean culture. Regular meals with Professor Kwon and his labmates have fostered a strong sense of community and belonging. The humility and kindness of everyone there have made this experience both enriching and enjoyable.
Chaitanya Gambali, also a sophomore in Electronics Engineering at IIT (BHU) Varanasi, had the opportunity to intern at IIT Bombay under the prestigious INSA-IASc-NASI Summer Research Fellowship Program, under the guidance of Dr. Sandip Mondal in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
The focus of Chaitanya’s internship was to develop an FPGA-based controller for 3D-stacked NAND Flash memories. This journey began with a deep dive into memory technologies, particularly non-volatile memories like NAND Flash. He learned about the structure, functioning, fabrication, and characterization of flash memory devices.
Subsequently, Chaitanya taught himself how to work with FPGA devices and SoCs, programming in Verilog and exporting designs to run on an FPGA. He also learned embedded C programming, interfacing with raw NAND Flash chips using GPIO pins. Implementing precise control commands to interface with these devices was a critical aspect of his work. Currently, he is experimenting with the reliability and endurance of NAND Flash chips and exploring various hardware security paradigms.
This was Chaitanya’s first research internship, offering a glimpse into the life of a researcher. Research differs significantly from industry work, often pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and experience. While rewarding, it comes with unique challenges—solving problems with no existing solutions. Many nights were spent in the lab, grappling with seemingly insurmountable issues. This internship has provided invaluable insights, helping him decide whether to pursue academia or industry.
These experiences from IIT-BHU students highlight the diverse and enriching nature of summer internships, each offering unique challenges and learning opportunities. Whether it’s working independently in a cutting-edge lab in South Korea or exploring new technologies at IIT Bombay, these internships are shaping the future careers of these budding engineers!
