Now that classes have started and my jet lag is officially gone I can start reflecting on the trip that I took this winter break to India. As part of the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership (MAGEEP) we attended lectures, visited labs, and connected with students from December 28th to January 8th to better explore the global contexts of engineering problems/topics. Specifically we stayed in New Delhi just across the way from the India Institute of Technology (IIT) where we spent a majority of our time. It was exciting to see the research going on at this school as well as see how research from Washington University St. Louis was influencing their programs. I personally got excited with their air monitoring and clean air center of excellence. I always thought that water was the resource I wanted to work on but air and aerosols have definitely become a topic of interest.
The technical part of the trip was definitely fun but what I was really excited for was the cultural exploration part of the trip. For me if you miss the context for what you are studying then you miss the problem you are solving all together. If we were not explore this diverse culture then there would have been not point at all in understanding the technical. While we were there we visited Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. We also spent the whole weekend there exploring just about every site to see in Delhi. My hope is to share some more detailed stories and images as time goes on. But, as always school is a real bummer sometimes.
For now here is a thought I had:
If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is; especially in this place. The noise, smell, motion, the cacophony of color and people force your mind into a dizzy spin. But, after some time you refocus and see the beauty in the complex energy created here. It’s completely overwhelming to those who are only visitors but, must be the fountain that fuels the frenzy of life.