
Seeing Singapore was a dream of mine ever since I learned about the Gardens by the Bay and the Botanical Gardens. Living there over the summer introduced me to its incredible culture (mostly food) and people. Thanks to the Streicker International Fellows Program, I was able to curate an internship that aligned perfectly with my academic interests and personal goals
SERIS is the main solar energy research institution in Singapore. They work with all aspects of solar energy from the cell level to module and grid levels. It focuses specifically on solar energy on Singapore which faces challenges like lack of land area and diffraction of light due to a large number of cloudy days. SERIS frequently collaborates with the industry to build new technologies or to test and maintain existing technologies and systems. My specific project was to perform simulations to inform the design of an innovative Building Integrated Photovoltaics solution. I learned how to code and run simulations, how to design prototypes and print parts. All these skills will potentially be helpful for my thesis research and execution. They were using graphic simulations before which largely constrained the size of the solar panel systems they could simulate. Thanks to my code we could simulate thousands of cells in seconds and get valuable data like the efficiency and specific voltage drops across cells. I also worked on solving some mechanical and electrical problems they had with the existing prototype by changing the design and printing new parts.
This was the first time I truly experienced living independently in a different country. I had to learn how to set up my bank account and my phone number all on my own. This experience gave me the courage to pursue different opportunities abroad in the future. I was also completely immersed in the culture of Singapore, eating and shopping where the locals did and exclusively using public transportation. I could not have asked for a more intellectually satisfying summer, and I recommend it to anyone who has specific or niche interests and goals that existing programs can not satisfy.