SIMCenter Intern Receives DAAD RISE Scholarship
One of thirteen Ohio State Students to receive DAAD RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) scholarships, Ben Higgins will spend his summer conducting research on applications of piezoelectric and shape memory alloy materials at the Technical University of Chemnitz in Chemnitz, Germany. While the working language in the lab is English, Ben will participate in a German language course for beginners two weeks before starting his research position. Ben also plans to travel as much as possible and already has lined up trips to Amsterdam, Paris, and Prague.
During his SIMCenter internship Ben was paired with Dr. Sheng Dong and spent the year working on projects involving friction characterization and modeling for sponsors such as Honda R&D Americas, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and KTH. He conducted tests to investigate static and dynamic friction coefficients between various materials used in automotive simulations (e.g. painted steel, aluminum extrusions, airbag, leather seats, roof top). Ben also worked with Emily Nutwell to test the center's new online course Introduction to LS-Dyna.
When Ben returns to the United States, he will start a co-op position at Tech4Imaging, a Columbus-based company that works with non-invasive sensors for applications such as multi-phase flow. His role will involve engineering and business. Ben shares, "I am excited to see projects through "full circle in this type of role."
Due to graduate Autumn 2019, Ben is still weighing his postgraduate options. He plans to take the GRE this fall, so he's ready in case he decides to go the graduate school route.
Established in 2005, RISE Germany is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office with an objective to promote student exchange to Germany and to motivate undergraduate students to learn more about Germany’s research landscape and study opportunities.
