The collaboration also gave Zaifman a window into the way industry operates. “It was a real eye-opener to see how a company operates. It is very different from the academic experience, it was a new experience for me. Things like communications, project goals, and deadlines are approached very differently in an industry setting.”

This September, Nivarti is returning to the University of British Columbia to start his master's degree after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur with the best mark in his class for his Honour's thesis in mechanical engineering.