Record Interest in SIMLab

The following is an excerpt.
Student interest in research group SIMLab has never been higher. This is promising news for the quality of SFI CASA master’s students and PhD Candidates.

PhD Candidate John Fredrick Berntsen (left) and students Else Tjønn, Lene Æsøy and Ingrid Bye Løken listen to Professor Magnus Langseth during the demonstration in the lab.

The good signs were evident when SIMLab presented itself to potential project and master’s students in May: 30 NTNU students in their fourth year turned up. The impression was further strengthened when 17 of them put SIMLab as first choice for their project and master’s work. Although not present at the information meeting, another 17 students had the same priority, adding up to a total of 34 students. This is considerably better than last year’s total of 25 and an all-time high.

Better gender balance

In the application for a new SFI, SIMLab stressed the ambition to recruit more female students and staff. Several measures have been taken since SFI CASA opened officially last summer. This year’s project and master’s applications seem to reflect that the work is beginning to pay off: among last year’s applicants, only 5 of the 25 were female. This year 10 applicants are female. Although the total number is up to 34, female percentage increases considerably.

Professor Arild Holm Clausen introduced the students to SIMLab and their possible tasks.

Presentations and guided tour

The presentation in May was led by Professor Arild Holm Clausen, who started by presenting SIMLab and the content of the project and master’s work. He also informed that CASA partners BMW and Audi want to engage a number of master’s students in specific research tasks.

Holm Clausen was followed by three PhD Candidates. Vegard Aune presented his work on behaviour and modelling of deformable plates subjected to blast loading, Jens Kristian Holmen talked about computer-aided design of lightweight protective structures and Erik Løhre Grimsmo about the behaviour of steel joints, nuts, bolts and welds under impact loading. Master’s students Henrik Møgster Granum and Lars Marcus Løken followed suit.

After the presentation, the group was given a guided tour of SIMLab’s lab facilities, including a demonstration of what happens when the kicking machine hits a shock absorber.

Mixed group

The participants at the presentation were students specializing in structural engineering in the Engineering and ICT programme and the Civil and Environmental Engineering programme as well as students specializing in industrial mechanics in the Mechanical Engineering programme.

Pizza, refreshments and informal conversation between staff, PhD Candidates and interested students rounded off the session.