Grad Student Profiles

"I love the fusion in power electronics of so many of electrical engineering’s subfields." - Kyle Goodrick

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 16:24:26 +0000

"I love the fusion in power electronics of so many of electrical engineering’s subfields." - Kyle Goodrick Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2019 - 09:24

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in Knoxville, Tenn., and I got my first exposure to engineering in high school when I joined my school’s FIRST Robotics team. While on the robotics team, I fell in love with engineering design and problem solving. I enjoyed both the software and hardware side of the robotics team, so when I started my undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee Knoxville I choose electrical engineering to study in the area between computer science and mechanical engineering.

While at UT I did several internships that were focused on the computer science and mechanical engineering side of things at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Siemens, but I didn’t find my passion until the spring of my junior year when I started an undergraduate research position working with Dr. Daniel Costinett on power electronics. I love the fusion in power electronics of so many of electrical engineering’s subfields. We work with circuit design, controls, device physics, magnetics, high-speed communication, optimization, and more to conduct our research and I really enjoy bringing all these topics together.

I chose to go to graduate school after starting my undergraduate research at UT. I really enjoyed the process of research, the challenge of difficult problems, and the satisfaction of solving these problems. I also realized during my senior year that if I wanted to work with power electronics, graduate school was required to dive deep into the field. I wanted as much opportunity to conduct independent research as I could get, so I decided to pursue a PhD over a master’s.

I am currently working with Dr. Dragan Maksimović in the Colorado Power Electronics Center. My research is looking at the optimization of power electronics networks for single input multiple output systems and I plan to expand this to more general systems as I work towards my degree.

Why CU Boulder?

My main reason for attending CU Boulder is the research at the Colorado Power Electronics Center. There is extensive research in power electronics within CoPEC, and working with my colleagues in the lab is a great way to learn about the latest advances in the field. Their support also helps me in my own contributions to the field. I also thoroughly working with my advisor Professor Maksimović.

CU also has a fantastic selection of courses in power electronics; everything that you might want to know about power electronics can be found in courses here or at the other campuses in the CU system.

In addition to the great research and academic environment at CU, Boulder is an amazing place to live. It’s a very relaxed city that very much has a college town feeling. The city puts a lot of effort into making Boulder a nice place to live as well as putting together a nice transportation system. There are buses everywhere in the city as well as to Denver and the airport plus a huge system of bike paths that make biking in Boulder a great experience.

Boulder’s proximity to the mountains is also fantastic; there are spectacular hikes within walking distance of campus and the city’s bus network even runs to the closest ski resort. Within a few hours of driving there is a lifetime of hiking, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, and more. Living in Boulder makes having a good work-life balance easy.

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"I wanted to continue to study controls – but I also wanted my work to have a positive environmental impact." - Michael Sinner

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 16:06:32 +0000

"I wanted to continue to study controls – but I also wanted my work to have a positive environmental impact." - Michael Sinner Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/31/2018 - 10:06

Name: Michael Sinner
Hometown: Nelson, New Zealand
Advisor: Lucy Pao

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in Nelson, New Zealand. I didn’t have a good idea of what engineering was about until my final year of high school – but I had always enjoyed building and experimenting with things, and liked physics and math in school. So, when I finally did learn about engineering, it seemed like a natural fit for me.

I moved to Auckland, NZ, to start at the University of Auckland and after a year of general engineering, chose to go into mechanical engineering. At the time, I liked the idea of dynamics, mechanisms and design – although only the first of these has really followed me into my graduate studies. Most of the coursework was good, but not great – I found that my initial interests petered out, and weren’t replaced until I took a class in control systems in my junior year. At the time, I had no idea what ‘control system’ meant, and distinctly remember not enjoying the first few weeks of the class – but after the preliminaries and introduction were out of the way, we got into material that finally I could be really passionate about. I attribute this passion, in no small quantity, to the excellent teaching of Dr. Karl Stol.

Having ignited my interest, I took all the remaining undergraduate controls courses the university had to offer, and took on a senior project designing a control system for a hydrofoiling yacht with Dr. Stol as my adviser.

When I graduated with my bachelors in mechanical engineering, I felt that I had only gone knee deep in the material that I wanted to pursue a career in – there was so much more to know about control systems engineering. I wanted to learn more, and the obvious way to do that was to continue my education. Having now taken 10 graduate classes at CU, I realize that when I finished my bachelors, I was far from knee deep – I had really only wet my toes.

I’m currently completing an MS (due to graduate fall 2018) and PhD in electrical engineering. I’m in the dynamics & controls research group, and have a research focus in model predictive control for wind power systems.

Why CU Boulder?

The major reason for my ending up at CU is that Dr. Lucy Pao, now my academic adviser, is a professor here. When I finished my undergraduate studies, I wanted to continue to study controls – but I also wanted my work to have a positive environmental impact. A natural crossover was control systems for wind turbines. As it happened (I make it sound like a coincidence, which is certainly not the case), Dr. Stol received his PhD from CU Boulder in aerospace engineering in 2001 – and his thesis topic was on control systems for wind turbines. He was able to put me in touch with Dr. Pao, a specialist in wind turbine control, and she agreed to take me on as a student.

The other big reason for coming to CU is its location. I need a good work-life balance, and for my particular set of interests, the ‘life’ part couldn’t be better than on the front range of the Rocky Mountains. I’m a mountain biker by summer and snowboarder by winter, with a bit of car camping thrown in the mix, so the Rockies are a paradise for me, and the access from Boulder is unbeatable. I do miss the sea though … that is the one major drawback of Colorado!

From an academic point of view, I have had a fantastic experience with the quality of classes and professors in electrical engineering department. Classes have consistently been both challenging and rewarding, and the professors teaching them have been approachable, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.

I couldn’t have asked for a better research environment than Dr. Pao’s research group. My colleagues have a variety of research interests that complement my own and are always willing to answer my questions and respond with questions of their own. Moreover, Dr. Pao is an excellent adviser.

Aside from the work, I love the bike culture at CU! The university has great facilities and resources for cyclists, and the students make use of it.

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"A graduate degree is a license to work on the most interesting and difficult problems accessible to modern technology." - Thomas Dearing

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 16:02:18 +0000

"A graduate degree is a license to work on the most interesting and difficult problems accessible to modern technology." - Thomas Dearing Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/31/2018 - 10:02

Name: Thomas Dearing
Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Advisor: Xudong Chen

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and always had strong interests in STEM. Originally, those interests developed from my family’s love of science fiction and my innate desire to make those seemingly impossible dreams a reality. I began my undergraduate career by studying topics in physics and mathematics. However, I quickly developed a greater interest in the current problems tackled by modern systems and electronics engineers. My first real interest in control theory originated from a class design project about flight control and autonomous vision-based navigation of quadrotor racing drones. While many of the team designs were unsuccessful (and some were of the flaming, kamikaze variety), the problem was incredibly challenging, rewarding and genuinely enjoyable to solve. I explored problems of similar complexity, but with far greater impact and relevance during summer research internships at the Institute for Complex Additive System’s Analysis (ICASA) and at Sandia National Laboratories. Those internships developed my love for research and led me unerringly towards my graduate school career.

In modern industry and research, a graduate degree is equivalent to a license to work on the most interesting and difficult problems accessible to modern technology. Since my lifelong goal has always been to work on the front lines of technological innovation, a graduate degree was never in question for me. My time at ICASA and Sandia only emphasized the importance of academic research experience in pursuing this goal and pushed me to apply to the best of the best.

My current topic of research is the characterization and classification of controllable sparse matrix spaces in linear time-invariant systems. In terms of applications, this topic of research aims to immediately identify system architectures which are not controllable by any means: a topic of extreme relevance in modern systems composed of large numbers of wirelessly connected, cooperative agents. In addition, I am pursuing ongoing research with Sandia National Labs relating to new communications technologies in non-conductive solid materials.

Why CU Boulder?

I considered over 20 different schools when I began applying for graduate school, each of which had excellent research opportunities in control theory and robotics. From the beginning, CU Boulder stood out because of recommendations from my colleagues at New Mexico Tech and Sandia National Labs. However, when the time came to visit each of my top schools, I found that CU Boulder had by far the most friendly and exciting atmosphere. The people in the ECEE controls department are supportive, funny and genuinely excited to meet prospective students and talk to them about possible opportunities in their labs. In my undergraduate career, I discovered the incredible importance of being happy where you are and with the people you work with. This played the largest part in my selecting CU Boulder’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. The location in beautiful Colorado didn’t hurt at all either.

CU Boulder has plenty to offer in terms of research opportunities, funding and internships as a result of its friendly atmosphere and faculty. There is also no problem with finding fun things to do on the weekends, as Boulder’s proximity to the mountains gives access to a huge variety of outdoor activities (rock climbing, kayaking, skiing, as well as virtually any sport). In addition, the city of Boulder has an extremely well-maintained pedestrian and bike trail system, so one can walk or ride virtually anywhere in the city. The most important part of graduate school is to maintain a balance between producing great research and staying a happy human being. I have not found either of these goals to be difficult to acquire or maintain at CU Boulder.

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Undergraduate student explores cutting edge technology through an ECEE degree

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:58:59 +0000

Undergraduate student explores cutting edge technology through an ECEE degree Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 12:58

Name: Mia Tomasulo

My Path to Engineering

I was originally in the Aerospace program at CU but realized I didn't really enjoy the mechanical side of engineering as much as the electrical side. I was more interested in the career paths of EE including energy and control systems so I made the switch to electrical engineering.

What is your full degree (minors, focuses, etc)?

Electrical Engineering with a minor in Space and a focus in Systems and Signals (though I may add this on as a second minor).

What is the most interesting thing you learned or explored during your time in the program?

I've learned a lot about renewable energy systems in a practical and applicable manner. It’s been interesting to explore how they work and what’s been going on with them in the present day as well as what we expect to see in the future. My favorite class so far has been ECEN 2270 Electronics Design Lab. The majority of our work for this class was hands-on and we gained a lot of experience with building circuitry and debugging, along with building practical knowledge. The professors and Learning Assistants were very available and helpful when we needed assistance. The class was very well organized and focused on application and industry expectations.

What do you hope to do after you finish your degree / what are you doing now (i.e. internships, on campus research, etc)?

Currently I am in my second year so as of now I’m not participating in any research or internships. My hope for the future is to learn more about control systems. I haven’t settled on one career path yet, I’m really interested in a couple different sectors of EE and I’m looking forward to exploring them in my future classes.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering?

It's a very challenging degree and requires serious dedication but it is also very rewarding. Professionally, electrical engineers are always in demand and the industry will always be prevalent. We are on the cutting edge of technology so I think if you’re willing to put in the work you’ll find EE has a lot to offer.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do? (Hobbies, interests, etc.)

I spend a lot of time doing schoolwork in the Circuits Lab so when I’m not working I like to do something outside to give my brain a break. This usually involves running, playing soccer, skiing, or just enjoying the sun on warmer days.

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"CU’s Tibet Himalayan research initiative let me study all aspects of my hometown in-depth from thousands of miles away." - Dak Dou

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:25:04 +0000

"CU’s Tibet Himalayan research initiative let me study all aspects of my hometown in-depth from thousands of miles away." - Dak Dou Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 12:25

Name: Benjia “Dak” Dou, PhD student
Hometown: Tibet, China
Advisors: Frank Barnes & Sean Shaheen

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in the beautiful mountainous area of Eastern �ֲ��ý Plateau, where my family grows Himalayan barley and herds yaks, among other things. With an average elevation over 4,000 meters and an area of 2.5 million square kilometers, the plateau is the highest and largest plateau on Earth and known as the third pole. It has a variety of unique geological features such as large areas of glaciers and permafrost, both are sensitive to warming climate. Growing up, I witnessed significant changes in local ecological system such as large-scale desertification of grasslands and disappearing of snow-covered mountains. Particularly, while I was in my freshman year of the undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at a university in an eastern Chinese city, I had the opportunity to tour around a large part of �ֲ��ý plateau with an ecological research group, which educated me that the changes I witnessed in my hometown is not a local phenomenon, but a systemic change that is threating the fragile ecological system of the plateau. Learning that one of the technical solutions to address such challenge is developing renewable energies that leave minimal footprint on local environment, I was motivated to study renewable energy technologies that could offer a sustainable development path to my hometown. With such motivation, studying solar energy naturally become very interesting to me.

I was highly motivated to study solar energy. While my undergraduate program in Tianjin, China, offered me a unique opportunity of learning all aspects of technological fundamentals of challenges of solar energy, including materials, power electronics, power system integration, I was not satisfied with the depth. Therefore, I decided to apply to a graduate school to deepen my understanding of solar energy and to find possible ways to implement the technology in developing communities like my hometown.

Why CU Boulder?

When I was planning to apply to graduate schools in the U.S., I had a very limited knowledge of universities and the different programs universities offer. However, I was fortunate to have an American friend. I consulted her with regard to where should I apply to study solar energy in the states, and she forwarded my inquiries to a wide range of professors she knew in her college. Among the multiple responses I got, CU is the most recommended school with its excellent engineering education and its unique collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the nation’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, and the largest and the best-known research lab for renewable energy development in the world. Without hesitation, I applied to the school as my first choice, and I was thrilled when I was accepted.

My PhD research focuses on printing high efficient, more stable, scalable solar cells with roll-to-roll coating system, the same technology that is used for printing newspapers all over the world. With high throughput, low-labor-cost and low materials usage, roll-to-roll of the solar cell can be a transformative manufacturing method that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy.

The number one thing I love about CU is the tremendous research opportunity it offers. Due to CU’s special connection with NREL and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, I, as a graduate student, had the chance to perform my doctoral study in NREL to study with some of the best scientists in the world on solar energy. All the faculty members I worked with are super-supportive and give me all the resources I need to perform my research. Beyond my technical study, I appreciate my educational experience at CU more due to its active, collaborative, in-depth research focus on the world and its investigations that are making a significant impact globally. For instance, it has a very robust contemporary Tibet Himalayan research initiative that connects Himalayan experts from different disciplines, including geology, anthropology, critical media practices, linguistics, religious studies and sociology, to form active, robust and healthy research community of the region. With such a program, I was able to learn in-depth analysis of all aspects of my hometown while thousands of miles away from home.

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"I was able to analyze signals and use the knowledge to help defend our country against foreign threats." - Andrea Ashley

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:14:26 +0000

"I was able to analyze signals and use the knowledge to help defend our country against foreign threats." - Andrea Ashley Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 12:14

Name: Andrea Ashley
Hometown: Owasso, OK
Laboratory: Dimitra Psychogiou Lab

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in Owasso, Oklahoma, and became interested in STEM at a very young age. My father is a mechanical engineer and I was always interested in the type of work he did. Throughout elementary and high school, I excelled in math and science classes, and took advantage of an opportunity to compete in a country-wide engineering challenge. After graduating high school, I was accepted in to Kettering University (formerly known as General Motors Institute) in Flint, Michigan. There I studied both mechanical and electrical engineering, and completed six co-op rotations, two at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems in Elyria, Ohio, and four with the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation I accepted a full-time position with the U.S. Government as a weapons signals analyst.

I always knew I wanted to go to graduate school; however, I didn’t know what specific area I wanted to study until my work at the U.S. Government. During those three years of work, I was able to analyze signals and then use the knowledge I obtained in my analysis to help defend our country against foreign threats. I enjoyed the work, but I realized that my current electrical engineering knowledge was not enough to reach my full potential. I began to search for graduate programs that would assist with expanding my knowledge, while also working in defense-related projects.

Why CU Boulder?

I decided to go to CU Boulder’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering after researching multiple electrical engineering programs, and after receiving emails from the university encouraging me to apply. Given their research programs aligned with my future career goals, and Colorado was a place my husband always wanted to live, we decided to move from D.C. to Boulder. During the interview process I felt welcome from day one, and I even had the opportunity to interview with many of the professors and tour the school before making a decision.

CU has several things to offer students. First, the location is fantastic! Being near the mountains gives students numerous opportunities to go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Second, as far as the programs go, I love how the advisors are so invested in the students and their research; each student gets hands-on experience designing, fabricating and measuring the prototypes. These experiences have given me a unique education that I’m not sure I would have obtained elsewhere!

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2022 ECEE graduate continues education as a Master's student

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:01:57 +0000

2022 ECEE graduate continues education as a Master's student Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 12:01

Name: Gabriel Altman
Program: Bachelor's-Accelerated-Masters (BAM); Traditional Master of Science

My Path to Engineering

Many years ago, I got a degree from a liberal arts school in Florida. This didn’t lead to the career options I had hoped for so I spent a number of years working in the trades - I worked in welding shops, machine shops, as a bicycle mechanic, and as a bicycle tour guide for companies with interesting tours, including one that had a tour that went from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa. I also worked for fire rescue in Florida as Emergency Medical Services. Somewhere along the lines I got a Masters in Horticultural Science from the University of Florida. Similar to the liberal arts degree, this really didn’t lead to the career opportunities I wanted. Eventually, I did some self reflection and decided that I had always wanted to study engineering. Growing up in upstate New York, the hometown heroes were always the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute engineers. I always dreamed of playing hockey for the Engineers but realized I was bad at ice skating so I am doing engineering without ice hockey. After life events happened, I decided to see what the most challenging thing was that I was capable of doing and leave nothing untried and go in and see if I really had the dedication to succeed as an engineering student and become an engineer. So I enrolled at a community college in southern Florida, Palm Beach State College. I went down to take a math assessment on the computer and the results were that I needed to repeat high school mathematics. I then enrolled in a number of math classes there and it turns out, if you go to class, do all the homework assignments, ask for help when you need it, and study very hard - you can do very well. I was a straight A student at Palm Beach and then began looking for a school where I could get a bachelor's degree in engineering. I knew I wanted to go to a state school where I could qualify for in-state tuition as well as a school that had a reputation of having excellent academics when it came to engineering. I also wanted to live in a town where I could get around on my bike instead of having to drive. I applied to many colleges and got into them all but when I came to Boulder and my friend gave me a tour, I decided this is where I want to go. I sent in my application and despite a few setbacks, I powered through and received my bachelors degree from CU Boulder in Electrical Engineering in May 2022.

Why CU Boulder?

I think engineering was the hardest thing I could think of to study. I was not a very good math student in high school and I was looking for academic redemption. A big part of it is, I love science, machines, and understanding how/why things work. That is why I loved working in welding shops, machine shops, and being a bike mechanic. Electrical components always seemed like a bit of a mystery to me. It was a personal challenge, I wanted to try the hardest thing I could and see if I could actually do it in the end. I was looking for a profession where I felt I had accomplished something truly profound. To me, engineering encompasses a very high level of professional accomplishment. As an undergraduate, you learn a lot of fundamentals with theory and background but graduate school is where you really learn a lot more of the nitty gritty details of actually specializing in this and building things. To me, everything to do with radios is almost magic in a way. Everything depends on RF now and I want to know how it works.

Graduate school will make me stand out as a candidate when applying to jobs because it will indicate to employers that I have a lot of expertise in the area. I really love it here and it provides an opening towards long term financial stability and career satisfaction. There will always be challenges in engineering and my job will always require me to study and learn more. I am a lifelong learner and can not imagine life without being required to learn all the time.

What is the most interesting thing you learned or explored during your time in the program?

I would say my favorite class is the undergraduate sophomore elective called Wireless Communications for Electrical Engineers. You built a small ham radio transmitter and I finally felt like I was really doing it. There were all these complicated circuits and lab equipment that I had no idea how it worked but we got through it. My second favorite class was PCB Design with Professor Bogatin. This is when I finally started designing and making my own hardware and I had something in my hand that I had designed and it worked. That was a big stepping off point.

What do you hope to do after you finish your degree?

Other than finally being able to enjoy my weekends fully, my hope is to work for a company where my job isn’t stagnant. I want there to always be new things to learn about and build. I would be very happy to see something I design and build actually be used.

I currently work with Professor Bogatin in the Senior Capstone lab as a Teaching Assistant. I definitely did not have a lot of teaching experience beforehand and have a lot to learn but it has been a wonderful experience for me. I love seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the students, I feel that I can relate to them as I just went through the same program as them.

I would love to stay in Colorado after I graduate and work for one of our many local Aerospace or RF companies. I would love to work in satellite communications as well.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing a degree at CU in electrical engineering?

If electrical engineering is your dream, never give up. No matter how many setbacks you have, do not leave the program.

When you’re not working/studying, what do you like to do?

I enjoy riding my bicycle, playing the banjo, and practicing martial arts.

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"I realized I could help places such as Malawi by contributing to the green energy movement through research." - Joshua Brown

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 17:19:46 +0000

"I realized I could help places such as Malawi by contributing to the green energy movement through research." - Joshua Brown Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/12/2018 - 11:19

Name: Joshua Brown, PhD student
Hometown: Blantyre, Malawi
Laboratory: Shaheen Lab

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in the city of Blantyre, the second largest city in Malawi. In hind sight, I believe living in a third world country during my childhood gave me an appreciation for electricity, water and technology which I would probably otherwise have taken for granted. It was not until I grew a little older that I also began to appreciate the importance of trees. Malawi is a densely populated country with few natural resources, with firewood being the main source fuel source for the population. Consequentially, the country experienced significant deforestation during my childhood which would later guide me into my current field.

I have always had an interest and enjoyment for creating new things. My grandmother was convinced I was destined to become an architect and I gladly accepted that role at first. It was not until high school that I began to figure out where my natural strengths were. I took a design and technology class in which I took great enjoyment out of the hands-on wood and metal work. I excelled in the sciences, specifically physics and chemistry.

After high school I enrolled in Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where I began studying physics. My mathematical skill set up to this point was modest at best. As I pursued my physics degree I quickly realized it was essentially … applied math. During my junior year, I hit a mental wall in calculus II. For some reason, I was unable to grasp the concepts. I went to tutoring, I did my homework outside the office of my mathematics professor, I even took an audio recorder to my classes and would replay the lectures. People are motivated by different things. At the end of the semester I had managed to scrape an acceptable C grade in the class. I suppose that it is my stubbornness that has given me the masochistic tendency to trudge headlong into theoretically complex concepts. I have continued to hit mental walls throughout my academic career, but reflection on my calculus II class has always served as a reminder that the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” does exist.

Part way through the middle of my master’s degree, I began reflecting on what I wanted to do with my education. Eventually, I came to the realization that I could help places such as Malawi by contributing to the green energy movement through research. I decided then that I would pursue a PhD in electrical engineering focused on the development of organic solar cells. I remain hopeful that one day my contributions will benefit resource poor regions of the world such as Malawi, by providing them with an alternative clean source of energy.

Currently, I am studying the electrical properties of organic photovoltaic devices through computational simulations. This is in the hope that we can develop cheap, flexible, green and efficient solar cells.

Why CU Boulder?

There are several reasons why I chose CU. Firstly, CU is in the state of Colorado, which is probably one of the best states to live in if you love the outdoors as much as my wife and I do. There is hiking, white water rafting, great bike trails, skiing and climbing. There is so much natural beauty, and the backdrop of CU campus provides a glimpse of what fills the rest of the state. Having lived in Arkansas and Louisiana during my master's and bachelor'sm the dry mountain air also provides a welcome respite from the South’s high humidity.

Academically, the university itself was and remains ranked highly in many of the science and engineering categories and boasts several Nobel Prize laureates. Another factor that played into my desire to attend CU was the ability to work on solar energy. Along with the nearness of NREL, I found a group at CU working on solar materials in the Shaheen lab, which were strong positive motives for my selection of CU.

Furthermore, in terms of careers after graduation, the Denver and Boulder metropolis was and is becoming a tech hub in the middle of the country. This provided me with the hope that I could network within the state to find a suitable career upon graduation. It is also worth mentioning, that the state hosts several national labs with which the university has strong ties: NIST, NOAA, NCAR and NREL. These labs represent an opportunity to continue to pursue a career in research upon graduation outside of industry.

There are several things that I love about CU. There are some truly great professors who work here, and it is a pleasure to interact with them and pick their brains for nuggets of knowledge. I have found many of the faculty friendly and helpful, which has been essential during the course of my education here. The ECEE department also hosts some amazing staff such as Graduate Program Advisor Adam Sadoff who is a great student advocate and extremely welcoming. Furthermore, the facilities are constantly being updated and new buildings are continually being built. For my group, this has translated to a move from main campus to east campus where we were given a new lab with a state of the art setup and refurbished office space. The university also hosts some great recreational facilities, in the past I have greatly enjoyed downtime playing frisbee on the well-manicured lawns with a graduate student frisbee group dubbed the “Fainting Goats”.

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