UniPi merit scholarship of 14,000 Euros for UPES student

Samridh Patial from B.Tech Aerospace (Avionics) gets through University of Pisa and Virginia Tech for Master’s Program in Space Engineering

It was a proud moment for UPES when a final year student got through the Master’s Program in University of Pisa and Virginia Tech. Samridh Patial from B.Tech Aerospace (Avionics), class of 2016-2020, shares his journey of being selected for the Master’s Program in Space Engineering. Says an ecstatic Samridh, “After my junior year, I was determined to pursue my Masters in Spacecraft Propulsion. Dr. Sudhir Chaturvedi helped me connect with the faculty and alumni,guided me with the admission procedures, and provided me with required recommendations.”

Talking about his inspiration, Samridh explains, “I have been fascinated by aircraft since my schooling days. I always wondered how these aircraft were able to fly and how it actually felt to break the sound barrier. These questions led me to pursue engineering in the Aerospace domain.”

Pursuing his B.Tech degree in Aerospace Avionics from UPES helped him gain academic excellence in the area. Says Samridh, “The experience helped me develop the skill-set to encounter real-world problems in this domain. Since my freshmen year, I had my interest in research projects in Astrodynamics and Propulsion, but actually working on one seemed out of reach to me in the beginning. Thanks to our course curriculum, we have proper blend of academic courses with design projects which helps us gain exposure to various ongoing research topics.”

Faculty at UPES, he further adds, are open to new project ideas and helping out students, both academically and in extra-curricular activities. Informs Samridh, “My teachers helped me represent our design teams in various international competitions. Under the mentorship of Mr. Zozimus Dinesh Labana, I represented Team Agastya in AIAA DBF competition in Wichita, Texas, and under the mentorship of Dr. Gurunadh Velidi, I had the  opportunity to present our country and university in Singapore Space Challenge. Similarly, I worked on a research project under the guidance Dr. Rajesh Yadav and Ms. Ashlesha Boldavelu on effect of cavity on NACA airfoils which was represented in the prestigious AIAA Scitech Forum 2020. These all opportunities and experience helped me build connections and gain an edge in my research base along with academics.”

Samirdh’s mentor Dr. Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, Faculty, School of Engineering, helped Samridh Patial achieve his career goals by guiding him through the admissions process and providing him the required recommendation. “Under guided process,” says he, “he was not only able to secure admission in Master’ Program in Space Engineering,but also bag a merit scholarship.”

An ecstatic Samridh thanks his alma mater UPES profusely for the unconditional support and mentoring. Says he, “With all the hard work and guidance from my teachers, I was fortunate to land the UniPi merit scholarship of 14,000 Euros. Overall, these past four years in UPES helped me have a redefined outlook of the engineering domain and look forward to an amazing career.”