Across the pond to scale new heights

Nathanael Jenkins had at all times needed to review aerospace engineering, he simply hadn’t fairly discovered the suitable place for it. He had explored choices near his dwelling in Hampshire, U.Ok., however had by no means thought-about learning in the US. That modified when a household trip introduced him to the MIT campus in 2018. “MIT felt thrilling, high-energy, and really totally different from my small highschool again dwelling. My lasting reminiscence was the truth that they’d a nuclear reactor in the midst of a bustling metropolis,” he says.

But after weighing monetary, journey, and household concerns, he opted for a prime science and engineering college a bit nearer to dwelling, at Imperial School London (ICL), majoring in aeronautical engineering. Nonetheless, he by no means took his sights off MIT — and he didn’t should.

Since 2019, MIT’s International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program has labored with Imperial School London to change college students from eight MIT departments in search of a worldwide schooling expertise, and has seen eight Imperial college students spend the yr at MIT’s Division of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro). When Jenkins discovered in regards to the alternative, he was decided to take one other shot at an schooling overseas. He and his colleague Timur Uyumaz, who had by no means been to the US, utilized for the change and have been accepted into Course 16.

“I used to be undoubtedly very excited,” says Jenkins. “The prospect of touring to the U.S. nonetheless felt fairly surreal till we’d really landed in Boston.”

Educational pursuits, first-hand and hands-on

Jenkins joined the Aerospace Plasma Group, the place he labored on lightning strike simulations for plane fuselage security. Uyumaz grew to become a member of the Computational Turbulence Group, increasing his work on high-fidelity fluid simulations. The research-focused setting allowed each to dive into their research with out the concern of a high-pressure examination looming on the finish of their programs.

“At Imperial, 90 % of my lessons are exam-focused,” says Jenkins. “At MIT, I’m working arduous on a regular basis, studying extra actively each week, and there’s no terror on the finish.”

One of many educational highlights for each college students has been the flexibility to take lessons with specialists and pioneers in science, engineering, and aerospace. “In my first semester, I took 18.C25 (Actual World Computation with Julia) — taught by Alan Edelman, the precise co-founder of Julia,” says Uyumaz. “It was a privilege to be taught by innovators inside their fields.”

Final yr, Jenkins took a 16.891 (Area Coverage Seminar) class led by MIT Media Lab Director and former NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, and Professor Daniel Hastings, a former chief scientist on the U.S. Air Drive. “You’re studying from the individuals who have been a part of these enormous milestones in area analysis. They’re not instructing as in the event that they have been there — they have been really there,” says Jenkins.

Having specialists working collectively in a single place gives infinite potentialities for collaboration, and Jenkins has taken full benefit of MIT’s labs and state-of-the-art amenities. He has even performed an experiment within the nuclear reactor that piqued his curiosity years in the past.

Scaling new heights with out of doors adventures

Outdoors the classroom, each Jenkins and Uyumaz have turn out to be energetic members of the MIT Outing Club (MITOC), taking the chance to go on out of doors climbing adventures throughout New England. “We thought it might be like British climbing — rain and low altitude,” they chuckle, however instantly discovered that the group was inclined to tackle a more difficult trek.

They first tackled Man’s Slide, a steep Adirondack-style climb on Mount Lincoln in New Hampshire. “This climb has locations with ‘no-fall zones,’ which simply means ‘significantly, don’t fall.’ The chief for the journey requested us ‘are you positive’ a number of instances earlier than we signed up, understanding we have been new climbers. As soon as we talked about our limits, we bought cleared to go.” After the four-and-a-half-hour climb to Mt. Lincoln’s 5,089 foot summit, the pair have been hooked. “Our factor was being exterior from then on.”

They climbed Mount Washington final winter as each members and leaders of the expedition, with different change college students, workers, and even alumni from throughout the Institute alongside for the climb. “There was a number of snow, and views for miles.” Inviting different change college students has helped them construct connections with different college students from ICL, MIT, and universities world wide.

Onward and upward

Whereas Uyumaz has returned to ICL to finish his research, Jenkins is trying ahead to formally becoming a member of Course 16 as a graduate pupil within the fall, nonetheless within the Aerospace Plasma Group. “I’m eager on — adamant, actually — that I’ll do a profession in engineering, most likely in fluid simulations,” he says. He acknowledges that having a spot like MIT on his resume, with robust business collaborations and well-connected college, will profit his profession within the brief and long run.

“I’m grateful for the hospitality we acquired from MIT — from AeroAstro, MITOC, Baker Home (and resident home canine, Biko and Louie, who at all times added pleasure to our day). This system enabled one thing I by no means thought doable.”

Within the coming years, Jenkins seems to be ahead to spending much more time outside with MITOC throughout his time as a graduate pupil. “I am hoping to run some stand-up paddle boarding journeys on the Charles [River], and proceed exploring the White Mountains. In some unspecified time in the future, I am planning to enterprise additional west to discover some even greater mountains in Colorado.”

Uyumaz is trying ahead to utilizing his new cross-cultural connections to strengthen partnerships between ICL and MIT and inform his educational journey. “Though it was a one-year change, I’ve been supplied with perspective and alternatives for a lifetime,” he says.