Doing research where Oppenheimer did

Hunor Csala, a BME Faculty of Mechanical Engineering graduate, is a PhD student at the University of Utah, spends his summer as an intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Unlike Oppenheimer, he uses neural networks and differential equations to model blood flow.

Were you interested in pursuing engineering education since your childhood?

I grew up in Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc), Transylvania, Romania. My parents are electrical engineers, and my brother pursued electrical engineering during his undergraduate studies. However, I wanted to follow a different path than everyone in the family. Although I had a genuine interest in mathematics and physics, there was a somewhat negative perception of math and physics major programmes in my environment. People around me encouraged me to pursue engineering, believing it would be more practical. Moreover, within physics, mechanics always attracted me more than electromagnetism, which eventually led me to choose mechanical engineering for my studies. Looking back, I would have enjoyed studying physics or applied mathematics as well, but overall, I don't regret my decision to become a mechanical engineer.

To be honest, I don't really like the Hungarian term "gépészmérnök" (mechanical engineer, literal translation "machinist engineer") because I was never truly fascinated by machines themselves. In English and many other languages, they call this field "mechanical engineering," I find that much better, as my main interest lies in mechanics itself—solid and fluid mechanics—rather than the machines built upon it.

 

Why did you choose the Mechanical Engineering programs at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME)?

Among the options available in the region, this seemed to be the best program, plus Budapest is a fantastic city. I mainly considered universities in Hungary and Romania. Since the application process for Hungarian universities started earlier, I ended up not applying to any universities in Romania. Overall, I consider it a good decision because, in these two countries, I believe BME stands out and offers the best engineering education.

As for the Master's program, I stayed mainly because it was the most convenient option. I did look into some foreign programs, but it's usually quite challenging to get scholarships for Master's studies.

 

What experiences did you gain during your studies at BME?

I completed my Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering in 2019, and it was a completely positive experience. Of course, it wasn't easy, but no one expected it to be. I was particularly interested in solid and fluid mechanics. Professor Gábor Stépán has quite an influence, and many, including myself, were drawn to the field of mechanics because of him. During specialization selection, I essentially chose a department, and I was most fascinated by the Department of Applied Mechanics. I also wrote my thesis here, focusing on human balancing with the guidance of László Bencsik, PhD. Overall, the BSc program provided me with a strong foundation, and I would confidently recommend it to anyone interested in mechanical engineering.

 

I finished the Mechanical Engineering Modeling Master's program in 2021. Honestly, I can't say I had the same positive experience with the Master's program. It was a mixed experience for me. Before starting the MSc, I spoke to some PhD students who had completed the same program, and they painted a completely different picture. While this wasn't necessarily the main reason for choosing a foreign PhD program afterwards, it certainly contributed to it.

I worked with Dániel Gyürki at the Department of Hydrodynamic Systems for my Master's thesis, and that part was absolutely positive. Although we didn't achieve outstanding results by the end of the research, I learned a lot. During this time, I began to delve into blood flow and explored chaotic mixing in brain aneurysms.

 

How do you look back on your years at BME?

My years at BME were enjoyable; it was a good community, and there was time for both studying and having fun. I've already discussed the programs enough in the previous question, but I'd like to touch on two other topics: internships and exchange programs.

Thanks to the Erasmus program, I had the opportunity to spend half a year in Naples, Italy, at the University of Naples Federico II. Participating in an exchange program can be very beneficial; it broadens your perspective, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It's also interesting to meet students from other countries and cultures. I also took part in some shorter courses through the BEST and ATHENS programs; it's essential to make use of such opportunities.

 

During my BSc studies, I did an internship at Furukawa Electric Institute of Technology (FETI), and I continued this part-time work almost continuously until the end of my MSc studies. It was a great experience, and it was during this time that I genuinely fell in love with fluid mechanics. I learned a lot and developed my skills significantly, thanks to a great mentor with whom I still keep in touch. During my MSc studies, the time spent at FETI was far more valuable than the time spent at the university; hence I mainly focused on my research at FETI.

 

How do you like it in the United States?

I've spent almost exactly two years in the United States so far, and I've lived in three different states. I spent one year in Flagstaff, Arizona, starting my PhD studies at Northern Arizona University. However, my advisor moved to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City after a year, and I followed him there.

 

Currently, I'm spending the summer in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where I'm doing an internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I feel great here in Los Alamos; it's a small town where everything revolves around science, and practically everyone works at the lab.

 

This town probably has one of the country's highest per capita numbers of PhDs. While the lab has been primarily involved in nuclear weapons since the Manhattan Project, nowadays, there are also numerous not classified open scientific projects. I am working on one such project, using neural networks and differential equations to model blood flow. I met a Hungarian researcher here who also attended BME VIK, although there might have been more Hungarians during the Manhattan Project than now. I just watched the Oppenheimer movie, and it's fascinating to see how the lab has transformed since then.

 

Nonetheless, many foreigners still work here; the current director of the lab is originally from somewhere other than the United States. There's a higher proportion of immigrants and naturalized citizens here compared to other national laboratories. Of course, there are strict rules regarding access to certain areas and information based on the classification level and the individual's clearance.

 

In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, and the western part of the USA is perfect for that. Northern Arizona and southern Utah are the most beautiful areas I've ever seen. The region has numerous breathtaking national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce.

Obviously, it's not a fairy tale here either; I'm missing many things from Europe, and I don't like plenty of things about America, just to mention a few examples: the lack of public transportation, healthcare or guns.

 

What experiences have you gained during your studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City?

 

I am pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and am about halfway through, hopefully. I conduct my research at the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, so most of my colleagues come from the field of computer science. My research lies at the intersection of blood flow and machine learning. In the first year, I worked on dimensionality reduction. Currently, I'm focused on denoising and cleaning hemodynamics data, applying machine learning algorithms commonly used in the image processing community to fluid flow data.

 

I particularly like the diversity among PhD students; they come from various backgrounds; I have colleagues, for example, from Iran, India, Egypt, and, of course, the United States. Each person has a slightly different background, which is advantageous as it provides different perspectives. Having many colleagues with computer science and data science backgrounds is beneficial since they can always assist me with machine learning methods.

 

Living in the United States has opened up many more opportunities for me. I came to Los Alamos through connections due to a new collaboration between my advisor and a scientist here. Many research centres and big tech companies seemed quite unreachable to me back home. Still, now I have friends who have worked or are currently working at NASA, Facebook, and Amazon for various periods. While it is undoubtedly possible to reach such places from Hungary, the path is much more challenging. I believe the mentality back home holds people back from daring to "dream big." The local students here aren't fundamentally different from those at BME; the main difference is that they believe they can achieve any goal they set.

 

In contrast, I feel that back home, there is a bit of negativity; many think, "Well, I'm not good enough." The students here are much more confident, and their social and soft skills are far more developed than back home, despite the "hard" skills, i.e., knowledge, not differing much. I am also lacking in these areas, but I'm working on improving them.

 

I would also like to highlight the importance of attending conferences. Fortunately, I can attend some of the world's leading conferences. In my field, about half of the conferences are in the United States, and the other half are held elsewhere, in Europe or Asia. Last summer, I met Professor Gábor Stépán at a conference in Austin, and then, in Indianapolis, I ran into a former ELTE student. It's always nice to see familiar faces and have a chance to speak Hungarian for a while.

 

Do you plan to return to Hungary?

That's a difficult question. My parents live in Romania, so since I started my PhD, I haven't been back to Hungary, only visiting home in Romania a few times. After completing my PhD, I don't currently have plans to return either to Romania or Hungary, but we'll see what the future holds. I'm not ruling out the possibility of returning.

As of now, I don't envision pursuing an academic career. Few opportunities in Hungary offer both professional challenges and satisfactory salaries.

(László Benesóczky)