- February 11, 2022
MIT's MISTI Program allowed Peter to experience the academic community at one of the top engineering programs in Spain. "Being able to get to know a new culture and break down my language barrier opened me up to the world."
Peter never could have guessed the dimples in a golf ball double the driving distance, but after studying boundary layers in Malaga he can't think about it any other way.
Confirming calculations
Peter connected with Ramon Fernandez Feria through the University of Malaga’s (UMA) department of Fluid Mechanics. As head of the Department, Dr. Fernandez-Feria was able to integrate Peter into the research project undertaken by graduate student Danieh Feria on the Inverse Magnus Effect as applied to a soccer ball. Peter worked on a team of three graduate students to physically confirm the calculations Danieh had made in his thesis. Within the team, Peter performed a range of tasks including sensor configuration and calibration, data analysis using Matlab, and the production of real life explanations to describe the data that the team collected.
Bringing it all together
In his work in Malaga, Peter developed the skills needed to prepare himself for his career in Mechanical Engineering. He was glad to be able to work in such a hands on laboratory and with motivated people. At MIT, Peter is a member of the maker community and focuses his work in aerodynamics and composites. He is also a member of the Solar Electric Vehicle team at MIT. Through his work with UMA he gained invaluable skills in analyzing the aerodynamic efficiency of a body and optimization. In Malaga, he was able to not only learn the fundamentals of aerodynamics, but also see them in practice.
While living in Malaga, Peter met many incredible people but some of his most influential experiences were from his traveling. Having never been to Spain, Peter made an effort to travel at every chance he had. From the running of the bulls in Pamplona to kitesurfing the strait of Gibraltar, he spent few weekends home. Traveling with classmates, colleagues, and newfound friends opened Peter’s horizons and motivated him to be more outgoing and accepting when he returns to MIT.