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More heart details: every time the aortic valve closes, a small
wave is generated. The wave travels along the heart wall. The
speed of the wave is governed by the stiffness of the heart.
This, in turn, says something about the health condition of
the heart. In his master’s degree, Erik Løhre Grimsmo used
numerical simulations to investigate how the wave propagation
was affected by material properties such as the stiffness. The
aim was to use the findings as a diagnostic tool.
ALL ABOUT MECHANICS
In his PhD thesis, he has switched material. The topic is
how steel joints, nuts, bolts and welds behave under impact
loading.
“Much of the background theory is the same as in the case of
the heart. It’s all about mechanics,” he insists.
That might well be. Nevertheless, there is a slight difference
between a cardiac valve inducing a wave in the heart wall and
a steel container falling down onto the deck of an oil rig. This
exact difference is one of the challenges of his PhD work.
Full-scale tests at this level are demanding when it comes to
performing them in a controlled manner, measuring the rapid
deformation and extreme forces acting on the test specimens
and then comparing static and dynamic responses. Not only
that: the tests that are carried out have to be simulated
afterwards.
UNDER STRONG INFLUENCE
A glance at Erik Løhre Grimsmo’s family background can
explain why choosing a PhD education was innate. His mother
is a psychologist and an assistant professor at NTNU; his
father a physician and professor at St. Olav’s Hospital, both
in Trondheim.
Then you have his brothers, both of them with PhDs from
NTNU. One is a computer expert working for Google in Zurich;
the other a quantum physics researcher at the Université de
Sherbrooke in Canada.
HARD CHOICE
Still, while the background indicates a strong inclination
towards an academic career, Erik Løhre Grimsmo wasn’t so
sure:
“Before finishing my master’s degree, I got a job offer from
Statoil in Oslo. Passing all the tests at Statoil was an elaborate
process in itself. There were a whole series of them, ranging
from IQ to English to group cooperation to presentations to
multitasking. In the latter, we had to weigh speed against
accuracy, handling the challenges of a virtual email inbox
bursting with all kinds of different challenges.
When I finally passed and was offered the job, I was seriously
tempted. My girlfriend studied medicine in Oslo and had two
years to go. We had long discussions.”
“And now?”
“I am very happy about my choice. I have a lot of freedom
here at NTNU. I can continue educating myself and dig into
the details.
The deal with my now wife is that when I have finished my
PhD, we will most likely return to the Oslo region, where she
is from.”
NOT SO SPECIAL
PhD candidates are a special breed. Or are they? Erik Løhre
Grimsmo begs to differ:
“I’ve heard many times that you need to have a special interest
in your topic to become a good candidate. I tend to think that
if you work intensely with something, you get interested. What
you experience as you go along is that you become deeply
absorbed in whatever it is you are doing. A little self-discipline
is never amiss, but there is no need for extreme qualities.
Independence is good, as is the ability to listen to others and
receive advice.”
FROM NERVOUS TO HAPPY
In his first years as a student, Erik Løhre Grimsmo felt uneasy
about giving presentations:
“I was so nervous I trembled,” he confesses. Then he took
a course. He learned how to handle the stress, first in small
groups, then gradually in larger ones. As a scientific assistant
he initially had to give lectures to 60 or 70 students.
“Now I have audiences of 300 students or more and feel very
comfortable about it. It’s been a really positive leap. Even
better, I now enjoy teaching, so I wouldn’t mind if my future job
involves some teaching.”
Every time a cardiac valve closes, the heart wall vibrates from the impact. Erik Løhre Grimsmo knows about this.
He studied the phenomenon in his master’s degree. Now he’s into steel. Much of the theory is the same.
HEART WALLS
and Steel Joints