A Frenchman comes to town

Charlie Fevrier from Toulouse was in IIT Kharagpur recently on a short term internship

Mr Charlie Fevrier from the Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France was in IIT Kharagpur on a short term internship at the Electrical Engineering Department starting April, 2018. Foreign students doing their Masters Programs from any recognized institute/university, and interested in carrying out course work/research not leading to a degree may visit IIT Kharagpur for a short period not exceeding two consecutive semesters with the intervening summer/winter term. Such students are accepted as ‘visiting students’. Students also visit for joint programmes of short duration such as Practicum and Workshops which are organized by the partner universities. The interview with Mr Fevrier was taken during his stay at IIT Kharagpur.

 Tell us about yourself.

I am Charlie Fevrier. I am from France, Toulouse. I finished my MSc in renewable energy. I came for a six month internship in April. I am scheduled to go back in September, but I have some travelling to do. I will go back by the first week of October.

What made you choose IIT Kharagpur?

For a long time now I have wanted to visit Asia, especially India. I wanted my first destination to be India. One of my teachers knows IIT Kharagpur. I sent my mail and my internship was accepted. I did not know anything about IIT Kharagpur. But it has been a nice surprise here.

What did you discover about  IIT Kharagpur?

Everything was a discovery. I did not know that it was a small town like this. This was new for me. It is very different from France. Everything is within the campus. Everyone lives within the campus. You can do everything you want within the campus… go the Golebazar, eat what you like.

How were the facilities here?

My internship was under Prof. Karabi Biswas of the Electrical Engineering Department. My work was to make a prototype to measure voltage etc. I met all the lab personnel. It was very easy to introduce myself. Everyone was kind and helpful. I went to the library to read, and there was AC, which was an additional benefit. The Office of International Relations was very helpful. Every time I had problem, I went to them. In the lab, everybody helped me to find things. Everyone was. very helpful.

How does IIT Kharagpur compare with the laboratories and facilities in France?

In France, it is an open university, not closed like IIT Kharagpur, where everyone and everything is on one campus. There are no doors and walls like this. Most of the students cook their meals. There is not difference where the laboratories are compared. The only difference is that in France, there is too much security in the labs. However, I guess students here have to be careful also. In the Electrical Engineering lab, there is always a chance to get electrocuted.

What was your cultural experience?

I met a lot of people, visited temples. Principal difference was the food. I tried every dish in every canteen and everywhere in every restaurant. I met people and travelled with them. I visited the museum and also played sport. In the three months, I shared my passion with many friends in sports.

Will you encourage others to come here?

The good point is that IIT Kharagpur is very clean… the air is clean, there is little dust, and such a lot of trees. Compared to other cities, there is a lot of nature here. It is a pleasure to go around IIT Kharagpur. Yes, compared to IITs in the other cities, there might be less to do in the campus. But I would prefer to be in IIT Kharagpur than in IIT Delhi, where the air quality is very bad.

What is your feedback?

I am happy with my work. In five months, I have completed my prototype. I created a final prototype that is working. I have written a user manual, a calibration report. I am teaching others to use it correctly. My objective was to create something to help measure power efficiency. In the lab people are using sensors, but these are not energy efficient. I come from ‘renewable energy’ background. I wanted to make sensors autonomous by adding batteries, solar panel. My prototype is now measuring how much power has been consumed. So I made the prototype that measures power, voltage, AC/DC, frequency, fast drift so that I can measure the data.

What is your favourite place in IIT Kharagpur?

I like Vikramshila, where we were training, especially when there is nobody. I like the guest house. Up the staircase, there is a place from where you can view the sunrise and sunset. And Chedis’, where I have been many a time.

Following the conclusion of his internship at IIT Kharagpur, Mr Fevrier left for a month-long tour that started in North-eastern India. He began his journey from Shillong, and travelled to Darjeeling, Nepal, parts of Himachal Pradesh and finally Rajasthan. His only regret is that he did not have time to visit South India. His two-day stay at IIT Kharagpur following his trip was taken up with meeting and bidding goodbye to the friends he had made in the campus, and a few more visits to Chedis’. Mr Fevrier left for France on October 3, 2018.