Internship Experience | Juvin Sajan | Knorr-Bremse Research and Development Center, Budapest, Hungary

At a glance

College – University of Illinois at Chicago

Place of work – Knorr-Bremse Research and Development Center, Budapest, Hungary

Process of application – through the Karunya-IAESTE membership

Duration of the internship – 7 months

Stipend – 128,000 HUF per month

Research topic – designing a test bench and code-scripting the microprocessor of the Pneumatic Braking system for Tractor-trailer Trucks

In detail

InterFeel (IF): Please tell us something about yourself. Where are you studying currently? What are your hobbies and interests?

Juvin Sajan (JS): I am Juvin Sajan, a person trying to figure out the mysteries of life and decode it ASAP! My hobbies are to read miscellaneous articles on the internet, play guitar and listen to instrumental classics. I was working with Lucy Electric India until recently but as of now I am pursuing my masters in the University of Illinois at Chicago.

IF: Tell us something about your internship including stipend, duration and place?

JS: My internship was at Knorr-Bremse Research and Development Center, Budapest, Hungary (2013-2014) (7 months). I was working as a research assistant in the Electronic Air-supply Control (EAC 2.5) Unit. Just a side-note: I would like to avoid this clergy man-like language and embrace a Layman’s stance; So there you go: my project was all about designing a test bench and code-scripting the microprocessor of the Pneumatic Braking system for Tractor-trailer Trucks. Our Clients were Volvo Trucks, Man Trucks, Mercedes Actros, etc. just to name a few. My stipend was 128,000 HUF per month.

Duration of the internship – 7 months

Stipend – 128,000 HUF per month

Research Topic – designing a test bench and code-scripting the microprocessor of the Pneumatic Braking system for Tractor-trailer Trucks

IF: Tell us about the procedure to apply for the internship. Who all are eligible to apply for this internship?

JS: Procedure is pretty easy:

You get the Karunya-IAESTE membership.
You search for jobs and offers in the Karunya-IAESTE online portal.
You select the ones that might match your requirements and apply to all those vacancies.
You get selected or rejected (if rejected, check for other offers).
If selected, proceed for Visa process.
Meanwhile, have a follow up with your prospective Department and Co-ordinate your dates and try to synchronize those dates with you exams you’re supposed to give at Karunya. (Here I would like to mention that I am from the Mechanical Sciences department and the Director, Dr. T.V. Christy Sir and the HOD Dr. Sekar Sir are extremely supportive)
Also, Karunya is a deemed university, so students won’t face much challenges in regards to adjusting with their lab exams/ model exams or semester exams.
When all is set, Viola!! Fly to the destination and enjoy your stay!

IF: Let’s talk about how competitive the selection process was. Which qualities helped you to have edge in the selection process? According to you, what were the key things that selectors were looking for?

JS: Well, the competition was stiff. Mine was an open internship offer. All the universities in India (all IITs, NITs, etc) and all the colleges around the world which are tied up with the IAESTE (80 countries) apply for open offers. To be honest, it was also a bit of luck. Your resume, statement of intent, extracurriculars, are few factors that the recruiters consider for a good candidature. Only two people were selected for the post of research assistant by Knorr-Bremse R&D Center. One from India (me) and the other fellow was from Jordan.

IF: Could you please highlight the work/research you carried out during your internship period?

JS: My work, as mentioned earlier, was to design a test bench for the EAC device. I also had to design a code-script for the ECU (Electronic control unit) of the EAC. Now, the work that I did was implemented on the Volvo Truck’s Pneumatic braking system and one of its copy was also implemented on Iveco trucks. So yes, the work did get a practical form. Furthermore, The field is related to Mechatronics, which I am planing to pursue as my core subject during my Masters. So you could infer that the pursuit for Masters started from Knorr!