Innovative Research With Real-World Impact with Mihir

Transcript

This next student you’re about to meet, Mihir, over at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, is an electrical engineering major from India. One of the cool things he’s doing as a freshman here is working in a research lab with a prominent professor. Wait until you hear what they’re working on. The U of I is a world renowned research institution. In fact, they’re number one in the country in university research funding from the National Science Foundation. And they have more than 150 labs, centers and institutes on campus devoted to research. And as an undergraduate student, you can get involved in that research enterprise right away. No matter what your major is. Mihir, you’re on.

Thanks Alex. Hi everybody. My entire life, I’ve been building things. As a kid growing up in India, I used to rummage through e-waste and scrap yards just to find enough parts for my next project. I learned how to weld from a guy who sits in a shack on the side of the road. Electricians in my neighborhood taught me everything I know about electricity. My projects as a kid started off as small flashlights but slowly, somehow turned into 3D printers and CNC machines in middle school. But all this time, I never thought it was anything more than just a hobby.

When the pandemic struck, I figured I could do something slightly more useful with my 3D printer, like making PPE. My dad shared with me an article about Illinois professors making an open source face shield design. I used these designs plans and instructions seven and a half thousand miles away in India to set up my own Illinois production line. We worked day and night and we had a thousand face shields. After the lockdown was over, I moved on to my biggest project yet, the terminator turbo. The terminator turbo is a robot that can disinfect entire rooms. And one single tweet about the terminator turbo changed my life completely.

Illinois ECE Professor, Lav Varshney picked up that tweet and has now become my mentor. He’s changed the way I think about my education, the way I think about my future, and he’s changed the way I think about myself. Professor Varshney has introduced me to more amazing faculty like Professor Abhijit Banerjee who I’m now doing research with. Professor Banerjee is making an electromagnetically activated spine. He is building an animal spine in a lab at Illinois. Even though I work with him every day, this just blows my mind. And that’s what I love about U of I, working in real labs with amazing equipment surrounded by amazing professors. Not the corner of my room, makes me learn so much more about my field than just inside my classes.

Not only that, but at U of I, my academic interests and my social life don’t have to be separate. Once I came to Champagne, I met Ben and Gabe. Ben and Gabe are from Champagne and showed me this amazing place. They also welcomed me with open arms to their family farm just 10 minutes away from campus. Not only do they have two extremely cute dogs that remind me of my little guy back home, they also happened to have a huge workshop. And every single weekend whether it be rummaging through Max’s auto recycling for parts or building our next disaster of a project, I spend every single weekend there doing what I love, surrounded by the people I love.

Going to UIUC isn’t just about showing up for classes. It’s about studying what you’re passionate about in the most amazing labs from the best professors in the world, surrounded by her soon to be lifelong friends and that’s what makes it possible to do anything at U of I. Every day this university makes me a better student, a better researcher and a better person. I want to be the best engineer that I can possibly be and I know you will be able to get me there. Thank you so much for letting me share my story. Back to you, Alex.

I am so inspired by all that you’ve already done Mihir. Now that you’re connected to such a major culture of innovation through the U of I, I can’t wait to see what you’re gonna accomplish next. Cheers my man.