Our fellow, Ilayda Karadag, shares her experiences at our site at City University, Bangladesh. Learn more about Ilayda's adventures below! If Ilayda's experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!
1st Month — Becoming a Science Corps Fellow
As someone who had never taken a gap year in 24 years of continuous full-time education — and had always yearned to — Ilayda was ecstatic to be accepted as a Science Corps Fellow at the start of 2023. At the time, she expected to have completed her PhD thesis before heading out to Bangladesh, but like many other students, the writing phase took longer than anticipated. She was still finishing things up when she headed for Bangladesh at the start of September. Upon arriving at City University, she became a member of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
The Rain
Bangladesh is known for experiencing six seasons, and when Ilayda first arrived in the country, it was towards the end of their rainy season (Barsa Ritu). As a Brit, rainy days are something she's very familiar with; however, the wet weather in Bangladesh was a whole different experience. No light drizzles — only torrential downpours. Thunderstorms were very frequent and closer than she had ever experienced. It was incredible to see how the weather conditions, which would be seen as extreme in the UK, completely unfazed the locals. People went about their days as normal, with children playing in the flooded streets.
Singapore
It was a momentous occasion when Ilayda finally submitted her thesis at the end of her first month in Bangladesh. However, the euphoria was rather short-lived, as she found out on the day of her submission that the visa she had arrived with could not be extended and that she would need to leave the country immediately. It wasn't all bad, though — she packed her bag and headed to Singapore for a short trip and a new visa. She experienced quite a few visa hurdles and frustrations throughout her time in Bangladesh, which were incredibly humbling and led her to realize how much she'd taken for granted the strength of her passport.
2nd Month — Lecturing
In her second month, Ilayda had the privilege of beginning to co-lecture the Metallic Materials Course. This was her first experience lecturing, and it was very exciting. As someone hoping to pursue a career in research and academia, lecturing was something she found very daunting, but the whole experience was very positive, and she looked forward to leading courses the next semester. She enjoyed being able to teach the theory by relating it to real-world problems. Several of the students were part-time students already working in the engineering industry, and they were able to bring their own experiences to the discussions.
Cricket Mania
Ilayda was shocked at the extent of Bangladesh's love for cricket as a nation. The national kit can be spotted everywhere, and down narrow streets where you would expect to see kids kicking around a ball, they had a game of cricket going instead. She was there during the Cricket World Cup, and it was being screened on every television. People stopped to watch the game in shop windows; they gathered around a tiny TV at the gym, and it was even projected across the wall in the mechanical engineering offices.
3rd Month — Lecture Series on Research Work
Having just submitted her PhD thesis while out there, Ilayda was interested to see some of the research being carried out at the university. Reading through past theses submitted for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering, she noticed a trend: the research being carried out was great, but was let down by the presentation. So she began developing a lecture series focusing on critical thinking, which she was able to present in her third month on-site.
The lecture series targeted two groups of students: those at the very start of their projects who were required to write a research proposal, and those who were almost at the end and writing up their work. The size of the lectures ranged from batches of 15 to 40, including young adults and mature students. The students were very engaged and brought up great questions. At the end of the session, many used the Q&A portion to ask about further education, and it was lovely to see how many were interested in taking their studies further. Many of the academics in the department attended the lectures, and they will continue to present the series each semester to students once Ilayda has departed.
Earthquake Experience
In her third month in Bangladesh, Ilayda experienced her first earthquake tremor. It was a small one, and she didn't understand what was happening until it had passed. It was a very strange experience. The best way to describe the sensation, for those from a rather unmoving country such as herself, is as though a high-speed train is passing by and causing the building to shake — but it goes on for just a little too long, and there is an eerie silence that accompanies it as everyone tries to piece together what they are feeling.
Empowering Future Leaders
During her fellowship at City University in Bangladesh, Ilayda Karadag made a significant impact by engaging with university students to support their thesis work. Her dedication to fostering academic growth inspired students to dive deeper into their research, cultivating a new generation of leaders in STEM.
If Ilayda's experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!