Daniel Joy Gracias : 8 Random Seniors

Daniel was an undergraduate in Metallurgical Engineering and Material science, read about his journey going from music, the Mars Rover team and other adventures in college to following his passion for research and finally ending up at Cornell University.

Q. Where are you from? Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey leading up to here.

I am originally from Pune and have been very studious my whole life.I went for JEE without much consideration for the long term, but thankfully, I really enjoyed engineering

Q. What clubs and teams were you part of?

I was a part of the Mars Rover Team from my first year. As my first semester was online due to COVID-19, I did not get to see the Rover myself, but when I did, I loved the experience. I also enjoyed mechanical design and simulation. That being said, working on the rover while being on campus was more fun due to the hands-on experience it gave me. I left the team in my 3rd year. 

I was also active in Symphony from my first year, music has been a dear hobby of mine since 10th grade. I like playing guitar and working in music production. My first interaction with Symphony happened in Summer Bands, which was an online music event as COVID limited any physical interaction. There, I met people who later became my closest friends, and I worked on the guitar and production, mixing more than 50 tracks. Completing the project was really fulfilling. The song is currently on YouTube.

(here is the link-: Lazarus | Bad Haircut Quartet | IIT Bombay

Once I came to campus again, I participated in Battle of the Bands, Goonj and Surbahar, which were all great experiences. Interacting with other musicians helped me learn more and reinforce my foundation, and it was also a way to relieve myself of other stresses.

During my experience in Symphony, I explored a lot of new music and met many musicians. Symphony became a family towards the end.

Q. What is something that you’re proud of having accomplished during your journey here?

First of all, I grew a lot as a person, became aware of my surroundings, and made many friends to cherish for life. 

I also discovered my enthusiasm for research in material science. I did my BTP in my third year which involved research on gold nanoparticles and got the Undergraduate Research Award too, which was given to only two material science students that year.

I participated in Goonj GC and was heavily involved in the composition of the original track, where we came second, missing the first by a tiny margin. 

Q. Any funny incidents you’d like to share?

I had many funny incidents  – like recently I went to Sameer Hill for the first time in four years. On our way, we met 10 dogs who acted like our bodyguards and escorted us up the hill. It felt like the witness protection program that happens in movies. But, when we were coming down, we saw another group of people who were on their way up and these dogs ditched us and joined them (XD), I guess we were not cool enough for them.

Q. Could you tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

Since 11th grade, I have had a tendency to grow my hair and beard really long and then have a super short haircut right after, due to which many times during online classes and meetings, friends couldn’t recognise me. In short, I am good at having a bad haircut, even our band was called the Bad Haircut Quartet:)

Q. What are your future plans?

I am passionate about research in material science, especially nanomaterials. I am going for a Master’s at Cornell University, but I am not sure about a PhD right now. I also want to continue pursuing music. 

Q. So you are going for a Master’s- what were the experiences and the thought process that led to this decision?

I always wanted to try my hand at research so, in my second year I did MRT, iSURP, etc. which helped me gain some research experience. I looked for some research projects, and I got one on Gold nanoparticles, which was luckily very self-driven. Later on, I also took a project in mechanical engineering, which was completely different and a great experience too. When I went to the University of Alberta for my third-year internship via MITACS – that’s where I fell in love with the research – the labs, the process, everything.

Q.  Do you have any regrets? Anything you wanted to do during your insti life but could not do for some reason?

I regret the first year a little because if not for the pandemic I would have explored a lot more of cult, and tech and might have gotten into research from the start. That said, the pandemic was also a unique experience as I met many people I could not have met otherwise.

Q. What is your favourite spot in insti? And what places did you explore around the campus?

I loved the lakeside area, the walks on roads around the Director’s bungalow, and the enjoyment of boathouse sunsets with friends. The terraces of different buildings (my favourite being H18) were great. Gymkhana was also quite pleasant during the winter.

I have explored almost all generic spots around the campus like Gateway of India, Marine Drive, etc. Besides that, I remember spontaneous Zoom car rides at 1 am when we went to Atal Setu and got down at some small shady sunrise spot mentioned on Google Maps, which was initially freaky, But eventually, we spotted some people and boats and it was great fun. 

Q. If your college experience was a movie, what genre would it be and why?

I think it would be a pretentious psychological drama with many monologues because of the stress and overthinking but it turns into comedy when you step back—a Psychological Comedy.

Q. A message you would like to give to your fellow batchmates, the outgoing batch?

Unfortunately, our journey started with COVID and ended with bad placements due to the looming recession, but I think we must not lose hope and keep trying. And finally, I would like to tell them that this experience was worth it. 

Q. Some tips you would like to give to students here, some realisations as you end your journey here?

This is a very competitive environment. When you see people here doing multiple things and succeeding, try not to be stressed about it. Calm yourself, build a solid core or it will become very chaotic and always have a proactive hobby that can help you manage stress effectively.

Editorial Credits: Goutam Singh