Direct Track students interviewed (3/4)
İrem Alp, Mechanical Engineering
2023/09/07
The Clean Circles Direct Track Programme is aimed at female Bachelor students who would like to do a doctorate on topics in the field of energy research or energy transition. During a two-year Master's phase, they are supported by mentors and prepared for the doctoral phase in the Clean Circles project. Here we introduce some of the students.
İrem Alp
Subject: Mechanical Engineering
Entry into programme: 2022
Mentor: Dr. Benjamin Böhm
Dear İrem, you are studying Master Mechanical Engineering in the second semester, how did that come about?
At school I was passionate about mathematics and physics and always knew that I wanted to study engineering. When it came to choosing a degree program, I chose mechanical engineering because mechanical engineering is a broad subject and at that time I didn't know what field I wanted to work in. After completing my bachelor's degree, I can say that I clearly made the right decision for me.
Which research projects or specializations in mechanical engineering particularly interest you and why?
In order to cope with the ongoing climate crisis, mankind needs methods and technologies to make our energy use environmentally friendly and sustainable. In addition, the growing share of renewable energies poses a great challenge for secure energy supply and makes energy storage a central issue of our time.
Energy supply, storage, management and efficiency have a great potential in mechanical engineering to meet this demand in a cost-efficient way and thus to make a huge contribution to the transformation of our society and industry. Since I was fascinated by this transformation even before I started my studies, I would like to get involved in this area and make a contribution after completing my degree.
How did you get involved in the Direct Track program? Why did you apply for it?
Last year's scholarship recipients, Maren and Antje, are good friends of mine and they told me about their great experiences with the Direct-Track program. I wanted to get a chance to work on the important issues of this program already in my master's degree.
İrem Alp,
Direct-Track student since 2022
From the Direct Track Programme, I get a closer look at working life as a research assistant.
Have you had a chance to dive into Clean Circles research yet? What have you been doing there?
Yes, for the last six months I have been working for the Clean-Circles project at the Institute of Reactive Flows and Diagnostics as a student assistant. In this framework, I am assisting two PhD students in the lab and this has allowed me to learn about two different aspects of iron research: oxidation of iron particles and the behavior of a laminar premixed iron dust/air flame. This has given me the opportunity to further deepen my knowledge in experimental measurement techniques and apply it to solve exciting problems.
What do you hope to get out of the Direct-Track program in the future?
From the Direct-Track program I will get a more detailed insight into the working life as a scientific employee at the RSM. I hope it will help me make an informed decision about a potential PhD after I graduate. In addition, I think that working on the RSM's research topics will make it easier for me to start my doctorate, should I decide to do so after the program.
İrem, thank you very much for this interview.
