Notes by Akshat Jiwan Sharma

 5 June 2025 Happy to announce that bhū travel and tourism council has facilitated a partnership between sports and leisure tours ,SA and Mosafer Travel and Tours ,Qatar. This partnership will enable travellers from both South Africa and Qatar get access to exceptional services that will make their trip hassle free and unforgettable.  At bhū we are committed to promoting the interests of small businesses in the hospitality sector and are always eager to work with partners who share our values.  To learn more about bhū travel and tourism council please take a look at the document outlining our missions and objectives.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C-nKgcQ4HARgqTijoQh6tuOD-Dzvw_5DaP7Z1uEO1O0/edit?usp=drivesdk

  Today I met with delegates from several international universities including National University of Singapore,UBC Sauder School of Business, ENAE Business School Spain, EADA Business School Barcelona,The University of Manchester, Hult International Business School, BI Norwegian Business School, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven),Syracuse University - School ,University of Southern Denmark, gathered in new delhi for the promotion of their institutions.  I discussed the role of AI in providing interactive, socratic style of learning to students and was surprised to learn just how many of these schools are implementing AI in their programs.  Teachers especially in higher educational institutions have now more time to dedicate to fundamental research in their chosen fields and innovate and motivate students to explore new ideas instead of relying on stale teaching methods.  Among the many concerns shared by students was the tough job market. The market h...

Engineering Design of a Stirling Engine Integrating High-Temperature Combustion and Low-Temperature Cryogenic Sources ABSTRACT While Stirling engine analysis using the ideal adiabatic model improves upon the isothermal model by accounting for heat exchange between hot and cold spaces it comes at the cost of complexity requiring the designer to solve for 16 variables and 22 differential equations.  Higher order analysis increases the complexity further by using CFD to analyse the engine. None of these methods answer the basic questions about engine design.  In this technical report we develop a set of equations that can help design a Stirling engine from scratch by reverse engineering from the power input and calculating plate area,stroke length,piston velocity and frequency of the engine along with the temperature at the hot end. We use the results to calculate the working volume of the engine and the pressure and temperature at the hot side to drive the output.  INTRODUC...

A Practical Design Method for Stirling Engine Regenerators Using First Principles ABSTRACT: Regenerators are critical components in Stirling engines that improve its efficiency by recycling heat between hot and cold transitions of the working gas. Although simple conceptually designing of Stirling engine regenerators is quite complex as it's not clear tuning which parameter produces what effect. Furthermore designing a regenerator may involve solving complex navier stokes equations using CFD tools. In this paper we focus on macro properties of the regenerator and present a unique solution that can be used to predict it's behaviour completely bypassing navier stokes equations and complexities that arise from it. Further we outline a simple method to build a foil type regenerator that is both highly efficient and minimises the pressure drop of the working gas.  Regenerators are probably the most important component in a Stirling engine. They act like a thermal sponge and absorb e...

 Had productive meetings today with representatives from University of New South Wales ,Australia.  As competition for talented students & faculty intensifies it has become important for educational  institutions to differentiate themselves. UNSW could do a lot better than its 19th rank on the global stage would suggest.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that UNSW is focussing on academic research to create value & enhance it's well established reputation globally.  As one of Australia's premier institutions UNSW could have an important role to play in shaping Australia's scientific and technological direction. Breakthroughs are needed by Australia to kickstart it's Hydrogen economy. Research into generators,storage tanks and compressors for hydrogen will lead to rewards in the long run.  As energy storage techniques diversify UNSW could contribute in thermal energy storage systems -- sand batteries and liquified air being the most promising ones...

You know one of the biggest problems in nanotechnology is actually manufacturing of nanomaterials.It turns out that breaking materials (chemically, mechanically or electrically) is not so easy. Neither is doing the opposite i.e bottom up synthesis.Making structural nanomaterials is prohibitively expensive. That is why no one is doing it.  I think integrated circuits are probably the biggest success story of nanotechnology. Everywhere else it is still very much a research topic. From the POV of getting a job manufacturing looks more appealing to me. I'm not familiar with the course topics but even in manufacturing you may need to specialise in some material system. Glass,steel,polymers , automation etc.  I think instead of choosing between academia or industry, balance it out. Understand the fundamentals of nanotech well enough that you can switch between promising career paths. For nanotech that is semiconductors ,quantum dots,electrospun fibers and maybe membranes. But rese...