A Mitacs Globalink Research Internship brought Muskan Amaresh from the Symbiosis International University in Maharashtra, India, to the Applied Dynamics Lab (ADL) at McMaster University.
Over 12 weeks, she worked with the research group of Lydell Wiebe, Professor and Acting Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering. During this time, Muskan gained hands-on experience with various equipment and tools and led a ramp-building project at the front of the ADL to facilitate the loading of heavy equipment.
Muskan transformed the ramp from its deteriorated state into a functional and sturdy structure. She utilized Ultra High-Performance Concrete, which is three to four times stronger than normal concrete. Despite its finicky nature, it provided a valuable learning opportunity.
“When I first started studying civil engineering, I actually hated concrete. What I’ve come to learn is that it’s like getting to know a person and trying to figure out who they are. Every time I’d do something, it would behave differently. It required a lot of patience.
Wiebe and people across the department, including ADL Supervisor Paul Heerema and Assistant Professor Ousmane Hisseine, contributed their expertise in concrete to make the ramp a 600-kilogram success.
Outside of her time in the lab, Muskan embraced life in Hamilton, touring historic buildings, joining a poetry open mic and embracing her outdoorsy side amidst so much green space nearby campus. “The people make this place what it is,” she says. “I never felt like I was in a foreign place; I felt like I was on an epic adventure.”
The warm welcome and support she received inspired Muskan to leave behind a commemorative plaque with the names of everyone from the Department of Civil Engineering who supported her learning. Although working in a male-dominated environment, Muskan says she never felt out of place. “There’s a place for everyone in civil engineering,” she says, encouragingly.
Wiebe was struck by Muskan’s enthusiasm to gain experience with all the equipment and tools in the ADL, even if it wasn’t required for her ramp project. “Our lab is essentially an ongoing construction site with a lot of heavy equipment,” he says. “The way she described and spoke about her internship experience in the lab makes me appreciate how even a short amount of time in this environment can have significant impact on academic development.”
Muskan returned to India at the end of the summer to start her final year in civil engineering, with ambitions of returning to McMaster for graduate studies after gaining some industry experience.
“I want to contribute to the energy sector. It’s 2024, and there are people who don’t have access to energy infrastructure and live without electricity,” she says. “When people think about electricity, they often think about something going through wires, but you need the proper infrastructure to support it.”
Reflecting on her McMaster experience, Muskan says: “The theoretical things I knew coming in, I now know what they look like and how they behave in a lab setting. I feel like my experience at McMaster changed me from a student to an engineer.”
