Tanishka Gurjar - IIT Gandhinagar

Tanishka Gurjar (CH1)

Domain: Research - Nitrogen and Phosphorus Harvesting

Interned at IIT Gandhinagar

Mode: Offline Interviewed by: Anukriti Jain

Introduction

I am Tanishka Gurjar, a 3rd-year chemical engineering undergraduate at IIT Delhi. I pursued a research internship at IIT Gandhinagar under their Summer Research Internship Program (SRIP). There were around 100 projects to choose from, and I applied through their portal. My research focused on treating urine to harvest nitrogen and phosphorus, to utilise these nutrients in fertilisers.

Motivation

I am deeply passionate about chemical engineering and have always wanted to gain research experience. This 2nd-year internship presented a valuable opportunity for me, both in terms of gaining experience in my core field and enhancing my CV. The internship topic combined biology and chemistry, and as a biochemical enthusiast, I found it particularly appealing.

Pre-Internship Process

My internship was part of the SRIP, with applications opening around March. Many other universities in India also open their internship applications around this time. The process involved going to the portal, creating an account, browsing the available projects, and selecting the ones of interest. For some projects, such as the one I applied for, only a Statement of Purpose (SOP) was required, while others included tests along with SOP shortlisting.

There were many internship topics under SRIP. I reviewed the project descriptions, filtered out the ones I was interested in, and checked if I had any prior knowledge in those areas. For example, one project was about chemical reactors, and another was on material science—topics I had covered to some extent in my IITD courses. This ensured I would have some background knowledge, allowing me to fully engage in the internship. I applied to seven projects and was selected for one.

Work Environment

Working at IIT Gandhinagar was an enjoyable experience, largely because of my professor, who was very understanding and kind. For example, when I was busy working on my CV, he allowed me to take a few days off. Another reason I enjoyed the work environment was my peers. They had already completed their bachelor's degrees and were far more experienced than I was. Despite meeting them for the first time, I quickly became comfortable talking to them and discussing any problems I faced. They were always willing to help, whether it was explaining the tasks I needed to complete or introducing me to the machinery and its operation. I never felt abandoned or left to figure things out on my own.

Working Hours

The working hours varied. Since my project involved working with chemicals, the time required depended on how long the chemical reactions took to complete, unlike software internships where the work is often based on set hours of coding. If a reaction took nine hours, I had to wait for nine hours. As a result, I had a lot of free time during the early stages of the internship, often working just 2-3 hours a day. However, as the focus shifted to analysis rather than creating samples, my workload increased, and I worked 6-7 hours a day.  

When I had finished my assigned work, one of the PhD seniors working with me mentioned that he had spoken to my professor and needed help with his thesis. He was working on methylene blue absorption by gels and their potential use in drug delivery. For about 2-3 weeks, I helped him with this project, and sometimes I even worked for up to 12 hours a day.

Post-Internship Experience and Key Takeaways

After the internship, I felt a surge in confidence, especially since my life at IIT Delhi had never been particularly smooth or relaxed. At IIT Gandhinagar, I gained a fresh perspective. I didn't know anyone there, so I wasn't pressured to fit into any predefined expectations. I was alone, managed everything myself, interacted with people independently, and worked as a research intern. This experience made me realise my potential and boosted my confidence. I understood that I could handle tasks and had the energy and capability to complete whatever I was assigned.

I received a certificate for completing the internship, an LoR from my professor, and the project I worked on under the PhD senior was mentioned in the LoR. I also received a stipend, and there is a cash prize for the best intern.