Spending a summer abroad in Germany, NC State computer science Ph.D. student Manali Kushabhau Teke gained a crash course in automating complex engineering systems, navigating new technical environments and discovering how software design drives real-world research.

As a student intern at the Institute of Software Technology at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Braunschweig, Germany, through the DAAD RISE Professional program, Teke tackled a challenge central to modern scientific computing: streamlining digital twin simulations.

Before her internship, engineers at the DLR who worked in fields like physics, transportation and flight simulation faced a fractured workflow. They manually configured simulations, executed runs and tracked results across multiple isolated tools. To help solve this, Teke was tasked with developing a centralized WebAPI to automate and manage these digital twin workflows from start to finish.

“The existing workflow was fragmented, requiring engineers to manually configure and run simulations and track results across different tools,” Teke said. “I developed a centralized system to automate job execution, track simulation status, manage large input and output files, and improve the reliability and reproducibility of simulation workflows.”

Building a system of this scale presented both a technical and cultural learning curve. Teke found herself working with unfamiliar software tools while at the same time adapting to an international workplace.

“One of the biggest technical challenges was that I was new to both the technology stack and the domain,” Teke said. “I had not worked with digital twin simulations before, and I was also unfamiliar with technologies such as message brokers, web workers and webhooks. I spent my first week reading documentation, exploring different approaches and building small prototypes to understand the technologies.”

Beyond the code, Teke adapted to working in a bilingual environment, from navigating German workplace interfaces to adjusting to a German keyboard layout. Over time, she built familiarity with key terms and established a rhythm alongside her team.

The collaborative environment at DLR played a major role in helping her navigate those challenges. Supported by her supervisor, Teke was given dedicated time to thoroughly research and prototype solutions before diving into full implementation.

“My supervisor gave me time to learn the technologies and understand the problem before moving into the coding phase, which helped me work more independently,” Teke said. “One part of the day I always looked forward to was lunch, which our department shared together. It was a simple but meaningful opportunity to interact with colleagues and get to learn about their work.”

The experience gave Teke a clearer vision of her goals within the Department of Computer Science and her future career path, confirming that her engineering skill set can empower interdisciplinary research far beyond traditional computing.

“This internship gave me hands-on experience in professional life outside academia while still working alongside researchers. I especially enjoyed developing a tool that could have a real-world impact. It also helped me see how my skills in computer science and software engineering could support domains beyond computing, such as physics, transportation and flight simulation.”

For fellow NC State engineering students considering global research opportunities or international internships like RISE Professional, Teke encourages them to take the leap into unfamiliar waters.

“I would encourage students to take every opportunity that comes their way and step outside their comfort zone,” Teke said. “Experiences like these are a wonderful way to travel to new places, meet kind and inspiring people from around the world and build connections that make the experience worthwhile. Most importantly, it made me more willing to try new things, not just professionally, but in life.”