Ok so I looked over the essay I posted last night and consider input from various peoples and I have come up with the current revision. Let me know what you think:
Perhaps the best explanation of why I want to be a graduate student and what I hope to accomplish is that I want to be a “mad scientist.” I don't use the term to conjure up mental images of a crackpot or societal deviant. Rather, I use the term to highlight the passion and endless exertion in pursuit of “why.” Many people do not understand or appreciate this passion and tend to view it as abnormal. This response it what I expect and is, in many ways, what I'm going for in my graduate work. As an undergraduate engineer I have already developed such a passion for Electrical Engineering and the corresponding accusations of abnormality.
I entered Virginia Tech as an engineering student and Division I athlete. My “madness” became quickly apparent in my decision to tackle the considerable challenges offered by Bradley's Department along with those presented by Frank Beamer and company. Others would have been satisfied with being a “full time jock,” but I decided early on to pursue a double major, covering both Electrical and Computer Engineering. I knew myself well enough to know I would never be happy if I didn't challenge myself academically. In fact, I entertained the idea of adding a major in Economics to the mix, but, by this time, I could hear my true calling in life and it only involves two “E”s.
That calling was then, and still is, to be that passionate “mad scientist.” In light of this, I dropped my inconsequential past times to more thoroughly pursue my dream. I had become utterly consumed by Electrical Engineering, so much so, that I now consider my Computer Engineering degree a support degree for my EE aspirations. Thus, I took leave of Beamer's squad, to dive, head long, into Electrical Engineering. Many people say that I quit football because I couldn't balance the time demands of sports and school. I simply laugh, thinking of the many ways in which my life became more hectic after football.
Since leaving the football team: I worked in two nationally recognized research labs, became involved in various Engineering clubs, increased both my GPA and course load, and got engaged, all of which demand a considerable time investment. However, it was my work in the research labs that fueled my desire for graduate work the most. I worked in the Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) on the second floor of Whittemore for a year following my departure from the ranks of student-athletes.
In the ASCL I met a group of “mad scientists,” led by, perhaps, the model for the term. During my time with these folks, the ASCL was developing self contained autonomous submarines for the purpose of mapping underwater environments. These people were looking beyond all the naysayers to pursue knowledge that has the potential to revolutionize navigation. It's the sort of world changing work that the average person would simply never think of. It is also an example of the work that Electrical Engineers do everyday, driving their knowledge beyond the limits of conventional thinking to satisfy their own passions. In short, these people exemplify what I mean when I use the term “mad scientist.”
At the ASCL, I was exposed to life as one of those “mad scientists” and I loved it. For a long time I dreamed about being in a research lab, pushing out the boundaries of science, fueled by an unquenchable drive to discover the unknown. I got a small taste of that dream at the ASCL. Although, I was mostly involved in the more down to earth tasks, I knew that the advances made in this small lab had application far beyond the depths of some murky lake. I was aware that the techniques developed there could and would apply to all kinds of things, many of which lie beyond our imagination. Perhaps the ASCL will one day deliver driverless transportation or housemaid robots that don't walk through coffee tables. Either way, the ASCL is making a difference by turning today's fiction into reality one step at a time.
While working in the ASCL, a professor convinced me to give some thought to an area of Electrical Engineering that I had never really considered before: communications. I'd never really thought of the importance of providing systems to connect people before. However, the area seemed to embody many of the aspects of Electrical Engineering that I had grown to love. This area held a special attraction for me, as well, because I didn't know that much about it. So, once again driven by the possibility of new knowledge, I wished the world of path-finding robots well, and continued my journey to a new world know as the CWT.
At the Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT), I met a truly fascinating technology: Cognitive Radio. This systems can sense its environment and react intelligently. This is, therefore, the quincentennial “mad scientist” technology in that it takes a passion for learning from its designer. The interest in bestowing my love of learning onto a machine is what drove me initially to the ASCL. It is also apparently what drove the invention of Cognitive Radio.
Working in the CWT, I experienced a whole new level of my conception of “mad scientists.” This group is developing a system that senses its wireless environment and then proceeds to design the best possible means of communication, all without the aid of a human brain. It's a system that operates in a world completely beyond the senses of humans. The researchers in this lab are truly driven by a passion for exploring and mastering an unknown realm.
The CWT already developed a cognitive radio that can avoid jammers and remember the clever things it has thought of in the past. Currently, a few of the challenges the lab is tackling are: developing smart communication networks that manage themselves, providing communications that only occupy unused sections of the wireless spectrum, and allowing public safety personal to stay connected even without an infrastructure in place. These are only some of the big picture projects the lab is taking on and I already get to play a small part. This exactly the sort of work I can dive into more deeply as a graduate student.
In the work of the CWT, the thinking part of their system is separate from the radio part. That means the thinking part, the Cognitive Engine, could be applied to other situations, completely independent of radios or even any communications. This technology already has the potential to completely revamp the entire communications infrastructure. Even more exciting, though, are the unexplored possibilities of using the Cognitive Engine for other purposes. There are endless possibilities to this work. This is precisely the sort of thing that demands the passion and drive of a budding “mad scientist.”
It is the passionate for exploration of the unknown, the drive to make the impossible a reality, and the willingness to continue to ask “why” in the face of conventional wisdom that forms my view of the “mad scientist.” I have grown to appreciate the nature and work of “mad scientists” through my work in research labs. Many can recite facts or equations, but few possess the passion of the “mad scientist”. The passion of a true “mad scientist” drives me to continue my education through graduate school.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Essay Revisions Everywhere
Well in talking to Spud about my essay, he mentioned that it might be an idea to shift the tone from "insanity" toward "passion", after thinking about it for a bit and giving it a try I agree. I am including below the latest update. This one should be fairly free of spelling and grammar mistakes as well, but please let me know if you find any. Also let me know what you think.
Perhaps the best explanation of why I want to be a graduate student and what I hope to accomplish is that I want to be a “mad scientist”. I don't use the term to conjure up mental images of a crackpot or societal deviant. Rather, I use the to highlight the passion and endless exertion is pursuit of “why”. Many people do not understand or appreciate this passion and tend to view it as abnormal. This response is what I expect and is, in many ways, what I'm going for in my graduate work. As an undergraduate engineer I have already developed such a passion for Electrical Engineering and the corresponding accusations of abnormality.
I entered Virginia Tech as an engineering student and Division I athlete. My “madness” became quickly apparent in my decision to tackle the considerable challenges offered by Bradley's Department along with those presented by Frank Beamer and company. Others would have been satisfied with being a “full time jock”, but I decided early on to pursue a double major, covering both Electrical and Computer Engineering. I knew myself well enough to know I would never be happy if I didn't challenge myself academically. In fact, I entertained the idea of adding a major in Economics to the mix as well, but, by this time, I could hear my true calling in life and it only involves two “E”s.
That calling was then, and still is, to be that passionate “mad scientist”. In light of this, I dropped my inconsequential past times to more thoroughly pursue my dream. I had become utterly consumed by Electrical Engineering, so much so, that I now consider my Computer Engineering degree to be a support degree for my EE aspirations. Thus, after taking leave of Beamer's squad, I dove, head long, into Electrical Engineering. Many people say that I quit football because I couldn't balance the time demands of sports and school. I simply laugh, thinking of the many ways in which my life became more hectic after football.
Since leaving the football team, I worked in two nationally recognized research labs, became involved in various Engineering clubs, increased both my GPA and course load, and got engaged, all of which demand a considerable time investment. However, it was my work in the research labs that fueled my desire for graduate work the most. I worked in the Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) on the second floor of Whittemore for a year following my departure from the ranks of student-athletes.
In the ASCL I met a group of “mad scientists”, led by, perhaps, the model for the term. During my time with these folks, the ASCL was developing self contained autonomous submarines for the purpose of mapping underwater environments. These people were looking beyond all the nay sayers to pursue knowledge that has the potential to revolutionize navigation. It's the sort of world changing work that the average person would simply never think of. It is also an example of the work that Electrical Engineers do everyday, driving their knowledge beyond the limits of conventional thinking to satisfy their own passions. In short, these mean exemplify what I mean when I use the term “mad scientist”.
At the ASCL, I got to be one of those “mad scientists” and I loved it. For a long time I dreamed about being in a research lab, pushing out the boundaries of science, fueled by an unquenchable drive to discover the unknown. I got a small taste of that dream at the ASCL. Although, I was mostly involved in the more down to earth tasks, I knew that the advances made in this small had application far beyond the depths of some murky lake. I was aware that the techniques developed there could and would apply to all kinds of things, many of which lie beyond our imagination. Perhaps the ASCL will one day deliver driverless transportation or housemaid robots that don't walk through coffee tables. Either way, the ASCL is making a difference in the world by helping to lay the foundation for tomorrow.
While working in the ASCL, a professor convinced me to give some thought to an area of Electrical Engineering that I had never really considered before: communications. I'd never really thought of the importance of providing systems to connect people before. However, the area seemed to embody many of the aspects of Electrical Engineering that I had grow to love. This area held a special attraction for me, as well, because I didn't know that much about it. So, once again driven by the possibility of new knowledge, I wished the world of path-finding robots well, and continued my journey to a new world know as the CWT.
At the Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT), I met a truly fascinating technology. Systems that sense their environment and react intelligently had always been the most interesting to me. The interest in bestowing my love of learning onto a machine is what drove me initially to the ASCL. It is also apparently what drove the invention of Cognitive Radio.
Working in the CWT, I experienced a whole new level of conception of “mad scientists”. This group is developing a system that senses its wireless environment and then proceeds to design the best possible means of communication, all without the aid of a human brain. It's a system that operates in a world completely beyond the senses of humans. The researchers in this lab are truly driven by a passion for exploring and mastering an unknown realm.
The CWT already developed a cognitive radio that can avoid jammers and remember the clever things it has thought of in the past. Currently, a few of the challenge the lab is tackling are: developing smart communication networks that manage themselves, providing communications that only occupy unused sections of the wireless spectrum, and capabilities for public safety personal to stay connected, even in the face of total loss of infrastructure. These are only some of the big picture projects the lab is taking on and I already get to play a small part, but this exactly the sort of work I can dive into more deeply as a graduate student.
In the work of the CWT, the thinking part of their system is separate from the radio part. That means the thinking part, the Cognitive Engine, could be applied to other situations, completely independent of radios or even any communications. This technology already has the potential to completely revamp the entire communications infrastructure. Even more exciting, though, are the unexplored possibilities of using the Cognitive Engine for other purposes. There are endless possibilities to this work. This exactly the sort of thing that demands the passion and drive of a budding “mad scientist”.
It's the passionate exploration of the unknown, the drive to make the impossible a reality, and the willingness to continue to ask “why” in the face of conventional wisdom that forms my view of the “mad scientist”. I have grown to appreciate the nature and work of “mad scientists” through my work in research labs. Many can recite facts or equations, but few possess the passion of the “mad scientist”. I know I have the drive to turn science fiction into reality.
Perhaps the best explanation of why I want to be a graduate student and what I hope to accomplish is that I want to be a “mad scientist”. I don't use the term to conjure up mental images of a crackpot or societal deviant. Rather, I use the to highlight the passion and endless exertion is pursuit of “why”. Many people do not understand or appreciate this passion and tend to view it as abnormal. This response is what I expect and is, in many ways, what I'm going for in my graduate work. As an undergraduate engineer I have already developed such a passion for Electrical Engineering and the corresponding accusations of abnormality.
I entered Virginia Tech as an engineering student and Division I athlete. My “madness” became quickly apparent in my decision to tackle the considerable challenges offered by Bradley's Department along with those presented by Frank Beamer and company. Others would have been satisfied with being a “full time jock”, but I decided early on to pursue a double major, covering both Electrical and Computer Engineering. I knew myself well enough to know I would never be happy if I didn't challenge myself academically. In fact, I entertained the idea of adding a major in Economics to the mix as well, but, by this time, I could hear my true calling in life and it only involves two “E”s.
That calling was then, and still is, to be that passionate “mad scientist”. In light of this, I dropped my inconsequential past times to more thoroughly pursue my dream. I had become utterly consumed by Electrical Engineering, so much so, that I now consider my Computer Engineering degree to be a support degree for my EE aspirations. Thus, after taking leave of Beamer's squad, I dove, head long, into Electrical Engineering. Many people say that I quit football because I couldn't balance the time demands of sports and school. I simply laugh, thinking of the many ways in which my life became more hectic after football.
Since leaving the football team, I worked in two nationally recognized research labs, became involved in various Engineering clubs, increased both my GPA and course load, and got engaged, all of which demand a considerable time investment. However, it was my work in the research labs that fueled my desire for graduate work the most. I worked in the Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) on the second floor of Whittemore for a year following my departure from the ranks of student-athletes.
In the ASCL I met a group of “mad scientists”, led by, perhaps, the model for the term. During my time with these folks, the ASCL was developing self contained autonomous submarines for the purpose of mapping underwater environments. These people were looking beyond all the nay sayers to pursue knowledge that has the potential to revolutionize navigation. It's the sort of world changing work that the average person would simply never think of. It is also an example of the work that Electrical Engineers do everyday, driving their knowledge beyond the limits of conventional thinking to satisfy their own passions. In short, these mean exemplify what I mean when I use the term “mad scientist”.
At the ASCL, I got to be one of those “mad scientists” and I loved it. For a long time I dreamed about being in a research lab, pushing out the boundaries of science, fueled by an unquenchable drive to discover the unknown. I got a small taste of that dream at the ASCL. Although, I was mostly involved in the more down to earth tasks, I knew that the advances made in this small had application far beyond the depths of some murky lake. I was aware that the techniques developed there could and would apply to all kinds of things, many of which lie beyond our imagination. Perhaps the ASCL will one day deliver driverless transportation or housemaid robots that don't walk through coffee tables. Either way, the ASCL is making a difference in the world by helping to lay the foundation for tomorrow.
While working in the ASCL, a professor convinced me to give some thought to an area of Electrical Engineering that I had never really considered before: communications. I'd never really thought of the importance of providing systems to connect people before. However, the area seemed to embody many of the aspects of Electrical Engineering that I had grow to love. This area held a special attraction for me, as well, because I didn't know that much about it. So, once again driven by the possibility of new knowledge, I wished the world of path-finding robots well, and continued my journey to a new world know as the CWT.
At the Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT), I met a truly fascinating technology. Systems that sense their environment and react intelligently had always been the most interesting to me. The interest in bestowing my love of learning onto a machine is what drove me initially to the ASCL. It is also apparently what drove the invention of Cognitive Radio.
Working in the CWT, I experienced a whole new level of conception of “mad scientists”. This group is developing a system that senses its wireless environment and then proceeds to design the best possible means of communication, all without the aid of a human brain. It's a system that operates in a world completely beyond the senses of humans. The researchers in this lab are truly driven by a passion for exploring and mastering an unknown realm.
The CWT already developed a cognitive radio that can avoid jammers and remember the clever things it has thought of in the past. Currently, a few of the challenge the lab is tackling are: developing smart communication networks that manage themselves, providing communications that only occupy unused sections of the wireless spectrum, and capabilities for public safety personal to stay connected, even in the face of total loss of infrastructure. These are only some of the big picture projects the lab is taking on and I already get to play a small part, but this exactly the sort of work I can dive into more deeply as a graduate student.
In the work of the CWT, the thinking part of their system is separate from the radio part. That means the thinking part, the Cognitive Engine, could be applied to other situations, completely independent of radios or even any communications. This technology already has the potential to completely revamp the entire communications infrastructure. Even more exciting, though, are the unexplored possibilities of using the Cognitive Engine for other purposes. There are endless possibilities to this work. This exactly the sort of thing that demands the passion and drive of a budding “mad scientist”.
It's the passionate exploration of the unknown, the drive to make the impossible a reality, and the willingness to continue to ask “why” in the face of conventional wisdom that forms my view of the “mad scientist”. I have grown to appreciate the nature and work of “mad scientists” through my work in research labs. Many can recite facts or equations, but few possess the passion of the “mad scientist”. I know I have the drive to turn science fiction into reality.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Another Essay Update
Someone be sure to tell Spud that there is another essay update so he is assured that I am not forgetting about this. Also this time I am not posting the requirements.
Here you are then:
Perhaps the best explanation of why I want to be a graduate student or what I hope to accomplish is that I would to be a "mad scientist". Probably not adhering to all of the mental images that the term likely conjures, but I believe the fundamentals of expression accurately describe what I wish to achieve. If you take mad to me crazy and the moniker to be applied by some observer, it precisely defines the response I expect to get from some portion of society.
Already I have in many ways achieve a status that is in line with the label of "mad scientist". As an undergraduate engineer most of my work is in fact based in science, and I am already accustom to accusations of insanity from many of my peers. Entering college I played football for Virginia Tech. Very quickly I was labeled as loopy because I decided to not only tackle the considerable challenges presented by Frank Beamer and Company but also all of those offered by Bradley as well. I had decided before begining my collegiate experience that I would persue a double major, covering both Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. In fact I entertained the idea of adding a major in Economics to mix as well, but by this time I could hear my true calling in life.
That calling was then and still is to be that "mad scientist". In light of this I dropped the inconsequential past times I had taken on to more thoroughly persue my new addiction. I had become utterly consumed by Electrical Engineering; so much so, that I now consider my Computer Engineering degree as a support degree for my EE aspirations. After I had taken leave of Beamer's squad, I dove, head long, into Electrical Engineering. To those who say that I quit football because I couldn't balance the time demands of sports and school, I display my life since that point.
Since actively rejecting the status of deranged sportsman, I have worked in two nationaly recognized research labs, become involved in various Engineering clubs, increased my GPA and course load, and gotten engaged, all of which demand a considerable time investment. However, it was my work in the research labs that fueled my desire for graduate work the most. I worked in the Autonmous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) on the second floor of Whittemore for a year following my departure from the ranks of student-athletes.
In the ASCL I ment a group of young "mad scientists", lead by a very kind man, who is also thoroughly outside of the normal thought processes of mankind. During my time with these folks, the ASCL was developing self contained autonmous submarines for the purpose of mapping underwater environments. To see why I keep refering to insanity, consider the idea that these grown men are attempting to seriously build a boat that swims through the water, guiding itself. This is the sort of thing that science fiction is made of, but much more importantly this is the sort of thing that has the potential to completely the change the world. This just one example of the taskes Electrical Engineers have taken on that both seem far too difficult to complete and have the power to completely alter the world in which we live. In short this the sort of thing that the average person would call someone crazy for attempting.
At the ASCL I was one of those crazy people tackling a new chanllenge that might not have a solution, and I loved it. For a long time I have dreamt about being in a research lab somewhere sitting on the forfront of science and perhaps the world as we know it. I got to live that dream at the ASCL. I was mostly involved in the more down to Earth tasks involved in keeping the dream machines operational, but I knew that the advances made in this small lab had application far beyond the depths of some murky lake. I was aware, just as the other members of my asylum, that the techniques developed there could and would be apply to all kinds of things, many of which we can not image. Perhaps the ASCL will one day deliver tansportation that is fast, effiecient and driveless, or maybe the techniques will be the key to unlock housemaid robots that don't walk through a coffee table. Either way, the ASCL is making a difference in the world and the people there are doing exactly the kind of work that I have dreamt about.
While working in the ASCL a professor convinced me to give some thought to an area of Electrical Engineering that I had never really considered before, communications. Previously I had felt disconnected from the disciple, having a larger interest in making systems make intelligent decissions. However, it seemed like a good idea to experience a new area of a major I had grown to love. So I wished the world of path finding submarines well and continued on to a new world know as the CWT.
The Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT) is were I meant the technology that is the fulfillment of my short life's dream. I mentioned earlier that I have wanted to work as a researcher for a large portion of my life, but I negelected to mention that I wanted to develop a system that senses its environment and reacts intelligently. This is what drove me to look at the ASCL in the first place; it is also a brief an simplified definition of Coginitive Radio.
Now if the staff of the ASCL is crazy, there is not a sufficent term to describe the insanity of the members of the CWT. These people are trying to develop a systems that senses its wireless environment and then proceeds to design the best possible means of communication given the information it has gathered, all without the aid of a human brain. If you have seen the movie "Terminator", this is the system SkyNet would use to talk to is drones. It's a system that opporates in an imaginary world (in that humans can not directly sense radio waves) and produces a useful result.
What a result it is, though. The CWT as already made a Coginitive Radio that can avoid jammers and remember the clever things it thought off in the past. Now the only work that's left is developng smart communication systems that never lose connecton, systems that don't interfere with other users of the specturm at all, intelligent networks that update and maintain themselves without need of human supervision, and that's just a few of the things currently being developed. Also that limits the field to communication applications.
On of the biggest advantages of the CWT Coginitive Radio system is that thinking bit is seperate from the radio bit. That means that the part of the Coginitive Radio, the Coginitive Engine, could be apply to other situations and is independent of the radio used.
This technology already has the potential to complete revamp the entire communications infrastructure of the world, let allong what could be done if the Coginitive Engine was applied elsewhere. This is exactly the technology that I've always wanted to be a part of.
The members of the CWT fulfill my definition of "mad scientists"; they are developing the sort of thing only heard in science fiction. If they were biologist Coginitive Radio would be renamed Frankenstein. People look at the work they are doing and just shake their heads, knowing that it can never work, knowing that these people are crazy for trying. This is the spirit of Electrical Engineering, pasted down from manic Maxwell, flaky Faraday, and (one of my heros) twisted Tesla. This tradition of thinking radios follows in the footsteps of the man that originally brought us radios. Tesla is still viewed as being insane because of how far from "the box" he thought, and that is exactly how I would like history to remember me.
Here you are then:
Perhaps the best explanation of why I want to be a graduate student or what I hope to accomplish is that I would to be a "mad scientist". Probably not adhering to all of the mental images that the term likely conjures, but I believe the fundamentals of expression accurately describe what I wish to achieve. If you take mad to me crazy and the moniker to be applied by some observer, it precisely defines the response I expect to get from some portion of society.
Already I have in many ways achieve a status that is in line with the label of "mad scientist". As an undergraduate engineer most of my work is in fact based in science, and I am already accustom to accusations of insanity from many of my peers. Entering college I played football for Virginia Tech. Very quickly I was labeled as loopy because I decided to not only tackle the considerable challenges presented by Frank Beamer and Company but also all of those offered by Bradley as well. I had decided before begining my collegiate experience that I would persue a double major, covering both Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. In fact I entertained the idea of adding a major in Economics to mix as well, but by this time I could hear my true calling in life.
That calling was then and still is to be that "mad scientist". In light of this I dropped the inconsequential past times I had taken on to more thoroughly persue my new addiction. I had become utterly consumed by Electrical Engineering; so much so, that I now consider my Computer Engineering degree as a support degree for my EE aspirations. After I had taken leave of Beamer's squad, I dove, head long, into Electrical Engineering. To those who say that I quit football because I couldn't balance the time demands of sports and school, I display my life since that point.
Since actively rejecting the status of deranged sportsman, I have worked in two nationaly recognized research labs, become involved in various Engineering clubs, increased my GPA and course load, and gotten engaged, all of which demand a considerable time investment. However, it was my work in the research labs that fueled my desire for graduate work the most. I worked in the Autonmous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) on the second floor of Whittemore for a year following my departure from the ranks of student-athletes.
In the ASCL I ment a group of young "mad scientists", lead by a very kind man, who is also thoroughly outside of the normal thought processes of mankind. During my time with these folks, the ASCL was developing self contained autonmous submarines for the purpose of mapping underwater environments. To see why I keep refering to insanity, consider the idea that these grown men are attempting to seriously build a boat that swims through the water, guiding itself. This is the sort of thing that science fiction is made of, but much more importantly this is the sort of thing that has the potential to completely the change the world. This just one example of the taskes Electrical Engineers have taken on that both seem far too difficult to complete and have the power to completely alter the world in which we live. In short this the sort of thing that the average person would call someone crazy for attempting.
At the ASCL I was one of those crazy people tackling a new chanllenge that might not have a solution, and I loved it. For a long time I have dreamt about being in a research lab somewhere sitting on the forfront of science and perhaps the world as we know it. I got to live that dream at the ASCL. I was mostly involved in the more down to Earth tasks involved in keeping the dream machines operational, but I knew that the advances made in this small lab had application far beyond the depths of some murky lake. I was aware, just as the other members of my asylum, that the techniques developed there could and would be apply to all kinds of things, many of which we can not image. Perhaps the ASCL will one day deliver tansportation that is fast, effiecient and driveless, or maybe the techniques will be the key to unlock housemaid robots that don't walk through a coffee table. Either way, the ASCL is making a difference in the world and the people there are doing exactly the kind of work that I have dreamt about.
While working in the ASCL a professor convinced me to give some thought to an area of Electrical Engineering that I had never really considered before, communications. Previously I had felt disconnected from the disciple, having a larger interest in making systems make intelligent decissions. However, it seemed like a good idea to experience a new area of a major I had grown to love. So I wished the world of path finding submarines well and continued on to a new world know as the CWT.
The Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT) is were I meant the technology that is the fulfillment of my short life's dream. I mentioned earlier that I have wanted to work as a researcher for a large portion of my life, but I negelected to mention that I wanted to develop a system that senses its environment and reacts intelligently. This is what drove me to look at the ASCL in the first place; it is also a brief an simplified definition of Coginitive Radio.
Now if the staff of the ASCL is crazy, there is not a sufficent term to describe the insanity of the members of the CWT. These people are trying to develop a systems that senses its wireless environment and then proceeds to design the best possible means of communication given the information it has gathered, all without the aid of a human brain. If you have seen the movie "Terminator", this is the system SkyNet would use to talk to is drones. It's a system that opporates in an imaginary world (in that humans can not directly sense radio waves) and produces a useful result.
What a result it is, though. The CWT as already made a Coginitive Radio that can avoid jammers and remember the clever things it thought off in the past. Now the only work that's left is developng smart communication systems that never lose connecton, systems that don't interfere with other users of the specturm at all, intelligent networks that update and maintain themselves without need of human supervision, and that's just a few of the things currently being developed. Also that limits the field to communication applications.
On of the biggest advantages of the CWT Coginitive Radio system is that thinking bit is seperate from the radio bit. That means that the part of the Coginitive Radio, the Coginitive Engine, could be apply to other situations and is independent of the radio used.
This technology already has the potential to complete revamp the entire communications infrastructure of the world, let allong what could be done if the Coginitive Engine was applied elsewhere. This is exactly the technology that I've always wanted to be a part of.
The members of the CWT fulfill my definition of "mad scientists"; they are developing the sort of thing only heard in science fiction. If they were biologist Coginitive Radio would be renamed Frankenstein. People look at the work they are doing and just shake their heads, knowing that it can never work, knowing that these people are crazy for trying. This is the spirit of Electrical Engineering, pasted down from manic Maxwell, flaky Faraday, and (one of my heros) twisted Tesla. This tradition of thinking radios follows in the footsteps of the man that originally brought us radios. Tesla is still viewed as being insane because of how far from "the box" he thought, and that is exactly how I would like history to remember me.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Essay Update Again
Many thanks to all of you that contributed. Even the "need more emphasis on desire to be mad scientist" comments proved helpful. So here is the latest update, again with instructions include so you all know what I have to do with this essay.
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
Since the 19th Century Electrical Engineers have changed the world more than any other group of professionals. Almost all of the advances of the modern age are in some way based on the work of Electrical Engineers, including the use of electricity, radioes, and computers. I have experienced some of the cutting edge of this group during my work in some of the research labs at Virginia Tech. I have so far worked in both the Autonomous Systems Control Lab at Virginia Tech (ASCL) [check name] and the Center for Wireless Telecommunications at Virginia Tech (CWT). Each lab focuses on a different aspect of the broad and influencial field of Electrical Engineering. The ASCL workes on autonmous aquatic vehicles, where the CWT workes on cognitive radios.
In my work at the ASCL I worked on developing a submarine that sensed its environment to decided how to move through it based on a set of mission goals, as discribed by the operator. At this lab I worked more as an outsider offering help to Graduate Students, but the level of inaction with the Graduate students was enough to pick up a falvor of Graduate student life. Most of the work I did her was support of the research projects going on in the lab by mantaining and reconfiguring the hardware of the submarine, however in this work I saw first hand the sort of research projects that were going on within the lab.
In the CWT I take on the role of a "Junior Graduate Student" in many ways. Once again I am working in support of the various research projects of the labs, but the nature of these projects is different. There is not a heirarchy of work in CWT; rather, all the work done in the lab is of a higher level. I am more connected to research done in this lab, more involved in the research. I have already started to consider taking on my own research project within the lab, much in the same way that the true Graduate students of the lab do. Within the CWT I have advanced the experience gained from the ASCL to come closer to life as a Graduate student, with a little more freedom and responsibility that than of an undergrad.
In both of these labs I was experiencing life as a graduate student, but more importantly to me I was advancing a life long dream. In both cases of my lab work, I was helping to design systems that sense their environment and react in a useful way. This is what I wanted my life to be about for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I viewed Engineers as the people that made science useful to people; since then I have not experienced anything that would make me reconsider this view point. As I continued my education I discovered Electrical Engineering, a profession that has made the largest impact in research history and certainly has the potential to continue reshaping the world for decades to come. I became enthralled with the idea of creating systems to take care of the work that I didn't want to consider.
This combine with my interest in working a research lab on the leading edge of knowledge, drives me to my goal of acheiving a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering. I know that this is the best way to achieve my goals of changing the world. Already in my work in the ASCL and CWT I have experienced systems that have the potentail to impact the entire world. The implications of developing even a submarine that can autonmously map waterways or a radio that can intelligently navigate a wireless specturm are endless. Beyond even that, though, I see the possibility of extending the knowledge gained through these endevours to impact everything. If I can help to master the techniques required to design systems that can dynamically access various bandwidths to provide efficient and durable usage of the wireless specturm, I believe those same techniques can then be extended to design a system that, given a clearly defined task, can go on to gather all the required information and provided a efficient and reliable way of completing its goals.
These systems will certainly change everything that they can be integrated into, providing a more "optimal" outcome with least effort from humans. This will allow humans to spend their time and effort on more difficult problems or tasks that are less clearly defined. Naturally all of this is decades away, but these are the exciting possibilities of the work I would like to do in Electrical Engineering. Part of the sucess of computers is based on a concept know as abstraction, the separation of outcome from implementation; I believe abstraction can be applied to some of the cutting edge research being done in communications and controls to provide general thinking systems.
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
Since the 19th Century Electrical Engineers have changed the world more than any other group of professionals. Almost all of the advances of the modern age are in some way based on the work of Electrical Engineers, including the use of electricity, radioes, and computers. I have experienced some of the cutting edge of this group during my work in some of the research labs at Virginia Tech. I have so far worked in both the Autonomous Systems Control Lab at Virginia Tech (ASCL) [check name] and the Center for Wireless Telecommunications at Virginia Tech (CWT). Each lab focuses on a different aspect of the broad and influencial field of Electrical Engineering. The ASCL workes on autonmous aquatic vehicles, where the CWT workes on cognitive radios.
In my work at the ASCL I worked on developing a submarine that sensed its environment to decided how to move through it based on a set of mission goals, as discribed by the operator. At this lab I worked more as an outsider offering help to Graduate Students, but the level of inaction with the Graduate students was enough to pick up a falvor of Graduate student life. Most of the work I did her was support of the research projects going on in the lab by mantaining and reconfiguring the hardware of the submarine, however in this work I saw first hand the sort of research projects that were going on within the lab.
In the CWT I take on the role of a "Junior Graduate Student" in many ways. Once again I am working in support of the various research projects of the labs, but the nature of these projects is different. There is not a heirarchy of work in CWT; rather, all the work done in the lab is of a higher level. I am more connected to research done in this lab, more involved in the research. I have already started to consider taking on my own research project within the lab, much in the same way that the true Graduate students of the lab do. Within the CWT I have advanced the experience gained from the ASCL to come closer to life as a Graduate student, with a little more freedom and responsibility that than of an undergrad.
In both of these labs I was experiencing life as a graduate student, but more importantly to me I was advancing a life long dream. In both cases of my lab work, I was helping to design systems that sense their environment and react in a useful way. This is what I wanted my life to be about for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I viewed Engineers as the people that made science useful to people; since then I have not experienced anything that would make me reconsider this view point. As I continued my education I discovered Electrical Engineering, a profession that has made the largest impact in research history and certainly has the potential to continue reshaping the world for decades to come. I became enthralled with the idea of creating systems to take care of the work that I didn't want to consider.
This combine with my interest in working a research lab on the leading edge of knowledge, drives me to my goal of acheiving a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering. I know that this is the best way to achieve my goals of changing the world. Already in my work in the ASCL and CWT I have experienced systems that have the potentail to impact the entire world. The implications of developing even a submarine that can autonmously map waterways or a radio that can intelligently navigate a wireless specturm are endless. Beyond even that, though, I see the possibility of extending the knowledge gained through these endevours to impact everything. If I can help to master the techniques required to design systems that can dynamically access various bandwidths to provide efficient and durable usage of the wireless specturm, I believe those same techniques can then be extended to design a system that, given a clearly defined task, can go on to gather all the required information and provided a efficient and reliable way of completing its goals.
These systems will certainly change everything that they can be integrated into, providing a more "optimal" outcome with least effort from humans. This will allow humans to spend their time and effort on more difficult problems or tasks that are less clearly defined. Naturally all of this is decades away, but these are the exciting possibilities of the work I would like to do in Electrical Engineering. Part of the sucess of computers is based on a concept know as abstraction, the separation of outcome from implementation; I believe abstraction can be applied to some of the cutting edge research being done in communications and controls to provide general thinking systems.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Grad School Essay Update
At this point I've jotted down a few notes about my grad school essay. I've included the instructions for the essay to provide a framework to judge my notes. Comments are welcomed, perhaps even encouraged. I tend to use run on sentences in the style of many of the great authors, who I am definitely not, so I was making an effort to avoid such. If you feel this is a mistake let me know. Also if there are any points I should elaborate on, that would probably be more helpful.
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
It's always been a dream of mine to attend graduate school. For my entire life I've had a love of learning that drives to continue my education. In my life I will get my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, if for no other reason than to gain all the knowledge that I can. I've know that I was going to be an Engineer for a long time now. After I came to college and started my Engineering education, I've become entranced. I feel as though I have found exactly what I was made to do. Everything about this career field seems to be a perfect fit for me. I could not at this imagine at this point a life that did not involve me working as an Electrical Engineer, and I know that a large part of that work is continuing life long education. Graduate work will not fulfill this goal, rather it would provide a sturdy foundation for continuing the pursuit of that goal.
I hope to expand my knowledge
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
It's always been a dream of mine to attend graduate school. For my entire life I've had a love of learning that drives to continue my education. In my life I will get my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, if for no other reason than to gain all the knowledge that I can. I've know that I was going to be an Engineer for a long time now. After I came to college and started my Engineering education, I've become entranced. I feel as though I have found exactly what I was made to do. Everything about this career field seems to be a perfect fit for me. I could not at this imagine at this point a life that did not involve me working as an Electrical Engineer, and I know that a large part of that work is continuing life long education. Graduate work will not fulfill this goal, rather it would provide a sturdy foundation for continuing the pursuit of that goal.
I hope to expand my knowledge
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Grad School Essay
Well the last thing that I have to do before submitted my application is write a Goal Statement essay. As this moves along I'll be posting...I guess you could call them drafts here and I'm expecting that you all will offer comments upon them.
For now I will post the Guidelines:
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
For now I will post the Guidelines:
Applicants are asked to provide a 3 - 4 page, double-spaced personal statement which includes the following:
* Why do you want to undertake graduate work?
* What do you expect to derive from your program of study?
* If you have a concentration in mind, briefly outline your interests in this area.
* What do you expect to contribute as a student and subsequently as a member of the profession?
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Chapter Of Me at the CWT
Well today as many of you probably know I went to talk to Prof. Bostian about working for him this summer. Here is what I found out.
I will being working for Dr. Bostian starting pretty much now. He will be paying $11.25 an hour, at least for the summer/until he gets more funding, for a maximum of 20 hours per week. Right now my tasks are to get as up to speed on Cognitive Radios as I can. This includes mostly becoming an expert at GNU Radio and reading an information package he gave me.
Dr. Bostian's stated goals for me and the other two undergrads he is taking on are to experience the life of a Graduate Student and to become familiar with the workings of his lab so we can take over when we become grad students.
Pretty darn cool. I know both of the other undergrads I'd be working with-one better than the other. I have my own spot in Bostian's lab, well right now it's temporary but I'll be upgrading as space becomes available.
I'm fairly excited-even if it does mean that I have to change the operating system on my computer again...
I will being working for Dr. Bostian starting pretty much now. He will be paying $11.25 an hour, at least for the summer/until he gets more funding, for a maximum of 20 hours per week. Right now my tasks are to get as up to speed on Cognitive Radios as I can. This includes mostly becoming an expert at GNU Radio and reading an information package he gave me.
Dr. Bostian's stated goals for me and the other two undergrads he is taking on are to experience the life of a Graduate Student and to become familiar with the workings of his lab so we can take over when we become grad students.
Pretty darn cool. I know both of the other undergrads I'd be working with-one better than the other. I have my own spot in Bostian's lab, well right now it's temporary but I'll be upgrading as space becomes available.
I'm fairly excited-even if it does mean that I have to change the operating system on my computer again...
Monday, June 8, 2009
And Now for Something Completely different
Well, I've taken further advantage of the unlimited text messages I have with this phone to set up mobile posting to this blog from my phone.
But now for something completely different.
I'm reading this book called Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. It was highly recommended by Prof. Bostain. So far I'm more than half way through and it's really interesting but definitely for a more computer savy/interested reader. It's a chronicle of the development of a program call Chandler that's supposed to provide a flexible solution to storing and sharing information on a computer. In truth though it's more about the perils related to ambitious programing projects.
It highlights many of the things that you wouldn't necessarily think of as problematic when it comes to software. The book points out interesting bits like Brook's law which tells us that software projects only slow down when we throw more labor at the problem; definitely the sort thing that is good to remember.
Anyway as I'm not finished with it yet and I don't want to write a summary of the book for you all that's all on that.
I've started to play around with python and so far it seems easy and fairly useful, but I'm running into the same problems that I always hit with programing languages and such-the documentation is too dense and I can't think of a use for it right away. I know that I seem impatience here, but I feel that if I don't start practice with a language (any kind really) I'll forget stuff about it faster than I'll learn. Maybe if I get good at python and I have plenty of thing (read as the following will never happen...) I'll write my own tutorial that teaches the language by having the user write programs as they go. Perhaps I'll spend enough time with it to do something cool, and perhaps not.
Oh well, The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.
But now for something completely different.
I'm reading this book called Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. It was highly recommended by Prof. Bostain. So far I'm more than half way through and it's really interesting but definitely for a more computer savy/interested reader. It's a chronicle of the development of a program call Chandler that's supposed to provide a flexible solution to storing and sharing information on a computer. In truth though it's more about the perils related to ambitious programing projects.
It highlights many of the things that you wouldn't necessarily think of as problematic when it comes to software. The book points out interesting bits like Brook's law which tells us that software projects only slow down when we throw more labor at the problem; definitely the sort thing that is good to remember.
Anyway as I'm not finished with it yet and I don't want to write a summary of the book for you all that's all on that.
I've started to play around with python and so far it seems easy and fairly useful, but I'm running into the same problems that I always hit with programing languages and such-the documentation is too dense and I can't think of a use for it right away. I know that I seem impatience here, but I feel that if I don't start practice with a language (any kind really) I'll forget stuff about it faster than I'll learn. Maybe if I get good at python and I have plenty of thing (read as the following will never happen...) I'll write my own tutorial that teaches the language by having the user write programs as they go. Perhaps I'll spend enough time with it to do something cool, and perhaps not.
Oh well, The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Actually Bored
Well, classes are winding down quickly now. Everything seems to be coming to a close and I am getting bored because I don't have the same level of homework that I did before. I guess I should enjoy it though, because I know I'm going to have plenty to keep me busy next year. Oh well. Short post today.
I had my last stat test today and it was really easy, to the point that I feel like I forgot something... Oh well I guess I'll find out soon.
I had my last stat test today and it was really easy, to the point that I feel like I forgot something... Oh well I guess I'll find out soon.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Big Event
Well, every year VT has a day of service called the Big Event. It basically consists of the students organizing themselves and descending on the town of Blacksburg to complete various service projects. Yesterday there were about 5,800 volunteers involved. I was part of the representation of TBP (the national honors society for engineers). We had 17 people show up and were thus assigned three projects, Pick up trash and pull weeds, rake leaves, and paint a porch. We split up into 3 groups, trash and weeds the biggest at 10 people was the one I was in. So we arrive on site, a clean little neighborhood in Blacksburg and discover that they have a path by the highway that gathers trash from the cars. It was short so most of us started on that while other people started on the pulling weeds. Well, when you get a bunch of highly motivated engineering honor students together tasks don't take that long. We quickly finished with the trash and moved on to help the weeders, again we finished quickly. There were two more jobs wait-trim a grass/bush thing-like those plants that used to be in ma's yard, and clear some drain pipes. Again we split up to conquer these tasks-I got to cut up the bush thingy. Again we quickly crushed our tasks. Then we went to help out the leave raker guys-with the added help it took maybe 5-10 minutes to finish everything. We did not go to help the painting folk because they had limited brushes. All told though I left the apartment at 8:45 and was back and showered at 12:45-which is really cool. It is amazing how quickly a bunch of engineers can complete any task.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Past Week or So
So the past week or so has been crazy busy. I've signed up to be on the Smart Radio Design Challenge team. This is the team that works with Dr. Bostian and won basically all the major awards ever given in both the Smart Radio Design Challenges. I had to fill out some of the paperwork for that.
I had threeish tests-Apparently I got the highest score on two of them, and the third one is yet to be graded. Oh, I got the highest score on the Stat test too, but so did 4 other people (we all got 100s). So that's going really well and makes me happy.
Labs are winding down, which is good because I'm definitely getting tired of dealing with them.
Had a project all about modeling the solution to Laplace's equation within a region defined by known voltages. I wrote a nifty matlab program that simulates various situations and comes up with a solution by numerical iteration. The report on that was 36 pages. I'm very happy with the program but not as much with the report, it was kind of a victum of time. In any case I most happy that that one is done.
And just incase you think my life is 1000% about school, yesterday Dake, Paula, and I are sitting in AC Circuits. Just before that class Paula and I had a test in E-Fields, both of us feel pretty good about that one, but Paula was super nervous going into it because she didn't do as well as she would have liked in the first test. Anyway, in as AC was finishing Paula and I we just happy to be done with a long week or so of tests and projects and such, and Dake was happy cause he's Dake. So Dake suggests going out on the town after we all finish our various labs that night. Definitely some of the most fun I've had in a while. Dake, Paula, Angelia, and I made up the EEs for the group, but we brought Angelia's roommate (Linsy the Bio major) and Jen allong to round out the group. Started the night with Salsa Dancing becasue Dake is a big fan of such and surprising good. This was not a fair start though, because Dake is taking creative dance, Angelia is from Peru, and Linsy is from Puerto Rico <-cheaters! I can not salsa. Jen is throughy ok with this because Dake took her for one dance and she apparently doesn't salsa really well either. Paula, (from the Philippines) apparently knew how to salsa too. So Jen and I were just surprised and not so good. Anyway, after all this we went to VT's (the bar that Paula works at), which was made even cooler by the fact that of the 10 people in the bar our group made up 6. That was fantastic! Nathan, in town for the memorial, showed up at VT's around 12 ish. Then all went to Ihop, throughly good times.
Ok that's enough stream of thought for you (no I can not spell)
I had threeish tests-Apparently I got the highest score on two of them, and the third one is yet to be graded. Oh, I got the highest score on the Stat test too, but so did 4 other people (we all got 100s). So that's going really well and makes me happy.
Labs are winding down, which is good because I'm definitely getting tired of dealing with them.
Had a project all about modeling the solution to Laplace's equation within a region defined by known voltages. I wrote a nifty matlab program that simulates various situations and comes up with a solution by numerical iteration. The report on that was 36 pages. I'm very happy with the program but not as much with the report, it was kind of a victum of time. In any case I most happy that that one is done.
And just incase you think my life is 1000% about school, yesterday Dake, Paula, and I are sitting in AC Circuits. Just before that class Paula and I had a test in E-Fields, both of us feel pretty good about that one, but Paula was super nervous going into it because she didn't do as well as she would have liked in the first test. Anyway, in as AC was finishing Paula and I we just happy to be done with a long week or so of tests and projects and such, and Dake was happy cause he's Dake. So Dake suggests going out on the town after we all finish our various labs that night. Definitely some of the most fun I've had in a while. Dake, Paula, Angelia, and I made up the EEs for the group, but we brought Angelia's roommate (Linsy the Bio major) and Jen allong to round out the group. Started the night with Salsa Dancing becasue Dake is a big fan of such and surprising good. This was not a fair start though, because Dake is taking creative dance, Angelia is from Peru, and Linsy is from Puerto Rico <-cheaters! I can not salsa. Jen is throughy ok with this because Dake took her for one dance and she apparently doesn't salsa really well either. Paula, (from the Philippines) apparently knew how to salsa too. So Jen and I were just surprised and not so good. Anyway, after all this we went to VT's (the bar that Paula works at), which was made even cooler by the fact that of the 10 people in the bar our group made up 6. That was fantastic! Nathan, in town for the memorial, showed up at VT's around 12 ish. Then all went to Ihop, throughly good times.
Ok that's enough stream of thought for you (no I can not spell)
New Pictures!
I know it's been a while since I have last posted anything but I've actually been busy (surprise surprise) but I have been updating some pictures and all. I'm using Picasa right now and I like it so far. Links to the Picasa albums can be found on my photo blog.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dr. Bostian Update
So I know all of you are waiting very patiently to hear the next bit on news on this front. I myself am a little bit less patient but here's how it goes.
Yesterday AC Circuits let out early ( this is the class I take with Dr. Bostian) I was talking to him after class about grad work and all. He was telling me that there are three or maybe for projects that he could win moneys for. One of them would be a melding of Cognitive Radio with Autonmous robots for the purpose of rescue opporations (I told him that I am very interested in that project-because it's exactly what I would like to do). He is working with a guy from Penn State on that one who is a world leader in the field of automonous robots. So basically that project looks good in terms of funding as well. After all of this he told me (numerous times) that should he get funding he'll be taking on more students and that he would very much like me to consider his lab. (I am unoffically offically being recruited to do grad work with Dr. Bostian) After all of this he took up to see his lab, and introduced me to everyone in there. They do some cool stuff up there-I have a bit to learn before I can help too much, but I'm not even graduated yet so I have time. (I did remind Dr. Bostian that I'll be taking all the classes that apply to his work next year, that I currently work in the Autonmous Systems and Controls Lab, and that I have experience in most of the software that his lab uses.)
Basically the way it looks right now is that I'll be do grad work under Dr. Bostian likely on a melding between Coginitive Radio and Autonmous Vehicles.
Yesterday AC Circuits let out early ( this is the class I take with Dr. Bostian) I was talking to him after class about grad work and all. He was telling me that there are three or maybe for projects that he could win moneys for. One of them would be a melding of Cognitive Radio with Autonmous robots for the purpose of rescue opporations (I told him that I am very interested in that project-because it's exactly what I would like to do). He is working with a guy from Penn State on that one who is a world leader in the field of automonous robots. So basically that project looks good in terms of funding as well. After all of this he told me (numerous times) that should he get funding he'll be taking on more students and that he would very much like me to consider his lab. (I am unoffically offically being recruited to do grad work with Dr. Bostian) After all of this he took up to see his lab, and introduced me to everyone in there. They do some cool stuff up there-I have a bit to learn before I can help too much, but I'm not even graduated yet so I have time. (I did remind Dr. Bostian that I'll be taking all the classes that apply to his work next year, that I currently work in the Autonmous Systems and Controls Lab, and that I have experience in most of the software that his lab uses.)
Basically the way it looks right now is that I'll be do grad work under Dr. Bostian likely on a melding between Coginitive Radio and Autonmous Vehicles.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Snowy today
It's snowy, we got around 4-8 inches of snow last night so day it's all over the place. Was very very pretty yesterday, but today it's mostly trampled. I didn't get any classes canceled and my shoes cut up my ankles for some reason-lucky the general store had duck tape. Add that to the uses of duck tape/star it if it's already there. I have to do a lab now and don't really want to.
Friday, February 27, 2009
HOWTO: Sign Up for Twitter
Yes, Skip this is for you
Step 1) Point your favorite/used browser (internet program thingy) to twitter.com, or just click the link (right click and open in a new tab to leave this window open
Step 2) Click on the large green button labeled "Get Started-Join"
This should take you to a page labeled "Join the Conversation"
Step 3) Fill out the information it asks for
Step 4) After you click the green button to submit the info your in.
Step5) Click on home at the top of the page and then add by the word following on the right hand side
Search for people on Twitter (click the first tab) and enter "mnfork" you should see my picture pop up, click on it, then hit the button that pops up that says submit
Step 6) you can continue step 5 to find more people or you can click on my picture again an sell the people I'm following.
Step 7) make sure to go to settings at the top right an go through all the tabs and set things up the way you want For example go to the devices tab under settings to add your phone number to receive texts from twitter and to update twitter from your phone
After that you can go back to you home page then click on following on the right side to toggle which updates you'll get on your phone
if you have any more questions leave them in the comments
Step 1) Point your favorite/used browser (internet program thingy) to twitter.com, or just click the link (right click and open in a new tab to leave this window open
Step 2) Click on the large green button labeled "Get Started-Join"
This should take you to a page labeled "Join the Conversation"
Step 3) Fill out the information it asks for
Step 4) After you click the green button to submit the info your in.
Step5) Click on home at the top of the page and then add by the word following on the right hand side
Search for people on Twitter (click the first tab) and enter "mnfork" you should see my picture pop up, click on it, then hit the button that pops up that says submit
Step 6) you can continue step 5 to find more people or you can click on my picture again an sell the people I'm following.
Step 7) make sure to go to settings at the top right an go through all the tabs and set things up the way you want For example go to the devices tab under settings to add your phone number to receive texts from twitter and to update twitter from your phone
After that you can go back to you home page then click on following on the right side to toggle which updates you'll get on your phone
if you have any more questions leave them in the comments
Thursday, February 26, 2009
A decision coming
Well, my field is electrical engineering. It's the sort of behind the scenes thing that nobody will ever really recognize as the force that has completely changed their lives. I currently am standing on the divide between the two fields that will revolutionize and rebuild the world as we know it. On one hand there is Controls, the building of smarter machines that will take care of things for us, on the other hand there is Communications, the increasing of our capability to have all the information we could ever want at our finger tips. The human race has already experienced some of the full force greatness of communications. The internet is the prime example (although not 100% communications in the EE sense); humanity is already addicted to notion that anything that you want to know can be found in 0.000567 seconds by a Google search. From an EE point of view what if we could transmit more data, more faithfully, further, and fastest? Who do you think comes up with the protocals for WiFi or Radio or anything else? The EE's are the one's expanding bandwidth, range, and speed-everybody else just uses that.
The true potential of Controls has not yet been seen. I mean you still have to do mundane tasks like changing the toliet paper when it runs out and it is ridiculous, at this point, to think of a machine to do that sort of thing for you. But when I was a kid it was ridiculous to think that I could write a letter to some one across the world and they could be reading it in seconds, or to think that I could sit outside with a laptop and edit a document in real time with a group of people anywhere that got signal. What controls needs is an extremely cheap but reliable carrier. Sure a car that drives itself would be nice but your not going to pay 10 grand on top of the price of the car to get a second rate system. No you want to pay 5 bucks for some device that performs a task perfectly and continually. Perhaps a plug in that regulates temperature of the house based on your temperature. Perhaps not. Controls is still that mysterious force that might never come out from behind the curtain.
I have right now the foundation to do either, but what I want, what would be most exciting would be to do both. I hadn't even thought of this Cognitive Radio business before, but it's a perfect fit for me, both intellectually and financially. Imagine a radio that can share a broad transmission bandwidth with a large number of other devices. This radio only transmits on frequencies not currently in use and the receiver seamless switches frequencies along with the transmitter. That's Cognitive Radio. It's a smart radio that can sense it's environment and react to it. To accomplish this task you have to have embedded systems knowledge to build the controller (something I'll get from my CPE degree), knowledge of controls to tell the systems what to do with the data it gets(something I'll get from my interest in Controls), and knowledge of radio waves and communications so you know what and how to transmits and receive (another thing I'll get from EE). This really feels like the perfect project form me. I hope it goes through, but I feel as though I'll find myself working on this even if I don't get the chance to do so with Dr. Bostian.
Still waiting on the email, I have to cut the man some slack though as he's currently putting together a proposal for $5million that could very well kick off my career in the field.
The true potential of Controls has not yet been seen. I mean you still have to do mundane tasks like changing the toliet paper when it runs out and it is ridiculous, at this point, to think of a machine to do that sort of thing for you. But when I was a kid it was ridiculous to think that I could write a letter to some one across the world and they could be reading it in seconds, or to think that I could sit outside with a laptop and edit a document in real time with a group of people anywhere that got signal. What controls needs is an extremely cheap but reliable carrier. Sure a car that drives itself would be nice but your not going to pay 10 grand on top of the price of the car to get a second rate system. No you want to pay 5 bucks for some device that performs a task perfectly and continually. Perhaps a plug in that regulates temperature of the house based on your temperature. Perhaps not. Controls is still that mysterious force that might never come out from behind the curtain.
I have right now the foundation to do either, but what I want, what would be most exciting would be to do both. I hadn't even thought of this Cognitive Radio business before, but it's a perfect fit for me, both intellectually and financially. Imagine a radio that can share a broad transmission bandwidth with a large number of other devices. This radio only transmits on frequencies not currently in use and the receiver seamless switches frequencies along with the transmitter. That's Cognitive Radio. It's a smart radio that can sense it's environment and react to it. To accomplish this task you have to have embedded systems knowledge to build the controller (something I'll get from my CPE degree), knowledge of controls to tell the systems what to do with the data it gets(something I'll get from my interest in Controls), and knowledge of radio waves and communications so you know what and how to transmits and receive (another thing I'll get from EE). This really feels like the perfect project form me. I hope it goes through, but I feel as though I'll find myself working on this even if I don't get the chance to do so with Dr. Bostian.
Still waiting on the email, I have to cut the man some slack though as he's currently putting together a proposal for $5million that could very well kick off my career in the field.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Outrage
Normally this blog is not political but in light of resent events I am simply outraged by some of the bills that are rising for consideration. Recently I heard of an Amnesty Bill that would use tax dollars to pay for the lawyers of illegal aliens, put these criminals at the head of the line for citizenship (ahead of those who have been waiting to do the process legally), and other such ridiculous things. Hey, while we, as a country, are encouraging people to break our laws why don't we declare that every Tuesday Murders get free ice cream instead of sending them to jail? Seriously, what are the people writing these laws thinking? Doesn't any one remember that saying "if you give a mouse a cookie." I think it's pretty clear that a lot of law makers especially need to repeat kindergarten so they can learn this and other such valuable lessons.
And then the thing that prompted the writing of this blog is this new "Let's force taxpayers to pay for abortion" movement. I encourage all of the readers of this blog and every other legal US citizen to write their Congressman to let them know what to do on this issue. After all the Congressman works in Washington simply to make the voice of the people heard. This is where you can sign the petition against this Abortion madness. This is my letter to my Congressman:
I have recently become aware of a movement to strip "pro-life" riders from spending bills. Apparently these riders protect people from being forced to pay for abortions here and overseas. This is about freedom of religion. My religion is against abortion. Is the US government going to simply spit in the face of not only my religion but also its own Constitution. I'm sure that I don't have to remind you that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" Part of exercising my religion is respecting life at all stages of development. Sir, I believe you have a good head and a good heart and I know that you will do what is best I simply want you to know that as a 21 year old college student I have an educated stance on this topic.
And then the thing that prompted the writing of this blog is this new "Let's force taxpayers to pay for abortion" movement. I encourage all of the readers of this blog and every other legal US citizen to write their Congressman to let them know what to do on this issue. After all the Congressman works in Washington simply to make the voice of the people heard. This is where you can sign the petition against this Abortion madness. This is my letter to my Congressman:
I have recently become aware of a movement to strip "pro-life" riders from spending bills. Apparently these riders protect people from being forced to pay for abortions here and overseas. This is about freedom of religion. My religion is against abortion. Is the US government going to simply spit in the face of not only my religion but also its own Constitution. I'm sure that I don't have to remind you that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" Part of exercising my religion is respecting life at all stages of development. Sir, I believe you have a good head and a good heart and I know that you will do what is best I simply want you to know that as a 21 year old college student I have an educated stance on this topic.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
100th Post
WOO Post number 100! woo and what not!
I'm excited, I've been invited to meet with Dr. Bostian so he can tell me about the fun and nifty stuff that he is researching. He mentioned to me a number of times that he would like to sway me toward his area.
Dr. Bostian works on Cognitive Radio. Read about such here if you like, but it is basically a radio that switches it's transmission/reception frequency to one that's interference free when it notices some kind of interference. This is pretty color stuff it combines just about all aspects of electrical engineering, which is pretty nifty. It seems heavy on controls, which I have like for a long time and Communications, which I took a class on last semester and it seemed extremely interesting. I'd like to become a bit more comfortable with electronics and such, but I think I will definitely do that this semester with Analog Electronics.
Very Excited
In other news I'm coordinating the creation of a Video tutorial for HKN. Work is going well, today I learned how to do Surface Mount Soldering (a word that I think should have the "l"). It was cool once I figured it ok and before I started soldering the really really tiny pieces. Class went well, we learned about BJTs as switches today. I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with BJTs but the true test of that will be this week's homework. Well I think I'm off to read somemore.
I'm excited, I've been invited to meet with Dr. Bostian so he can tell me about the fun and nifty stuff that he is researching. He mentioned to me a number of times that he would like to sway me toward his area.
Dr. Bostian works on Cognitive Radio. Read about such here if you like, but it is basically a radio that switches it's transmission/reception frequency to one that's interference free when it notices some kind of interference. This is pretty color stuff it combines just about all aspects of electrical engineering, which is pretty nifty. It seems heavy on controls, which I have like for a long time and Communications, which I took a class on last semester and it seemed extremely interesting. I'd like to become a bit more comfortable with electronics and such, but I think I will definitely do that this semester with Analog Electronics.
Very Excited
In other news I'm coordinating the creation of a Video tutorial for HKN. Work is going well, today I learned how to do Surface Mount Soldering (a word that I think should have the "l"). It was cool once I figured it ok and before I started soldering the really really tiny pieces. Class went well, we learned about BJTs as switches today. I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with BJTs but the true test of that will be this week's homework. Well I think I'm off to read somemore.
Monday, February 2, 2009
February
Ah February, month o my birth.
Today it was 45 in the morning->very warm, I was walking around with no coat cause it was so warm.
after AC (ends at 3:45) it was snowing.
by the end of lab (i finished at 7:15ish) parts of the ground where covered.
it has since stopped, we got less than an inch build up, but we did get a bit so yay for snow.
I'm tired and a bit frustrated by Electronics 2 homework. All the classes are going well, but that one is tough to figure out. I still feel like I have the potential to learn a lot from that class. Then again I have the potential to do well and learn absolutely nothing from that class as well.
Oh well, sleep time methinks.
Today it was 45 in the morning->very warm, I was walking around with no coat cause it was so warm.
after AC (ends at 3:45) it was snowing.
by the end of lab (i finished at 7:15ish) parts of the ground where covered.
it has since stopped, we got less than an inch build up, but we did get a bit so yay for snow.
I'm tired and a bit frustrated by Electronics 2 homework. All the classes are going well, but that one is tough to figure out. I still feel like I have the potential to learn a lot from that class. Then again I have the potential to do well and learn absolutely nothing from that class as well.
Oh well, sleep time methinks.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Classes
Well, I've been to all my classes except for one lab so here is my take so far
STAT 4714
This is Statistics an d Probability for EE's
Pretty much seems like exactly what the name is. Looks like it'll be fairly easy. Taught by a Chinese Professor.
ECE 3106
Electromagnetic Fields II
This is the second half of a class I took last semester. Going to be playing with electric and magnetic fields that vary with time. Heavily math and physics based; Not going to be a cake walk but not crazy hard either. Very interesting stuff. Taught by the Australian I had for the first half of the class. A lot of friends from the first one are back as well. Could be my favorite this time around
ECE 3004
AC Circuit Analysis
Just what the name says, dealing with Circuits driving by AC signals. Looks like I've already covered a good bit of this material in other classes, this one is just going to go back and fill in holes. Taught by the same guy I had for DC Circuit Analysis. A good number of friends in this one as well. Looks to be very fun so far-going to fill in a lot of stuff that I would like to know
ECE 3204
Analog Electronics
Not really sure where this one is going to go. Apparently is the second level to Electronics I where we learned about Transistors and Diodes. Apparently going to go more in depth on those topics. Taught by a Brit who is very application/real world oriented, very very smart guy-not quite on the same page yet. Could be a little tough at first because I learned Electronics I from a guy that could neither teach nor could he speak English. If I can over come my poor foundation here and sync up with the Professor this one is going to fill in a lot of holes and be very valuable.
ECE 3004
AC Circuits Lab
Here we go again, looks like the slightly better put together version of the terrible DC Circuits lab. If everything goes well should be fun
ECE 3074
Analog Electronics Lab
Haven't been to this one yet, but if it's anything like the lab for Electronics I it should be great. I learned pretty much everything I know from Electronics from a combination of study sessions and that lab.
Well That's all the classes, I'll probably put up more information as the semester goes on.
STAT 4714
This is Statistics an d Probability for EE's
Pretty much seems like exactly what the name is. Looks like it'll be fairly easy. Taught by a Chinese Professor.
ECE 3106
Electromagnetic Fields II
This is the second half of a class I took last semester. Going to be playing with electric and magnetic fields that vary with time. Heavily math and physics based; Not going to be a cake walk but not crazy hard either. Very interesting stuff. Taught by the Australian I had for the first half of the class. A lot of friends from the first one are back as well. Could be my favorite this time around
ECE 3004
AC Circuit Analysis
Just what the name says, dealing with Circuits driving by AC signals. Looks like I've already covered a good bit of this material in other classes, this one is just going to go back and fill in holes. Taught by the same guy I had for DC Circuit Analysis. A good number of friends in this one as well. Looks to be very fun so far-going to fill in a lot of stuff that I would like to know
ECE 3204
Analog Electronics
Not really sure where this one is going to go. Apparently is the second level to Electronics I where we learned about Transistors and Diodes. Apparently going to go more in depth on those topics. Taught by a Brit who is very application/real world oriented, very very smart guy-not quite on the same page yet. Could be a little tough at first because I learned Electronics I from a guy that could neither teach nor could he speak English. If I can over come my poor foundation here and sync up with the Professor this one is going to fill in a lot of holes and be very valuable.
ECE 3004
AC Circuits Lab
Here we go again, looks like the slightly better put together version of the terrible DC Circuits lab. If everything goes well should be fun
ECE 3074
Analog Electronics Lab
Haven't been to this one yet, but if it's anything like the lab for Electronics I it should be great. I learned pretty much everything I know from Electronics from a combination of study sessions and that lab.
Well That's all the classes, I'll probably put up more information as the semester goes on.
Another Day
Well, Today is a fun day-normally on Thursdays I would work and have to get to class by 3:30pm (gasp, so early), but today is different. I don't have class until 5:30 and I'm not working so I can get everything I need to set up for this semester.
Specifically I mean my laptop. In the quest to install Dyknow I had to reinstall windows. I had been planning on this coming up for a while, so most everything was already backed up, which was nice. But I still had to install windows and configure everything and install all the stuff I need for school. I figured that while I was installing windows I might as well set up a dual with Ubuntu, as it really didn't add a ton of time to the process (I already have the latest Ubuntu release on CD). So now my laptop dual boots into Ubuntu and Windows. Ubuntu is my default but as of yet I have been unable to configure anything in Ubuntu, simply because I've had to spend so much time getting Windows up and running.
Oh well, I do have a homework assignment due tomorrow at 5 that I haven't really started yet, which I would have liked to get done today, but I kinda need a working Windows to do that as well, so...
But that will turn out just fine, I'm not terribly worried. While fighting with my computer I was also able to do a good bit of organizing and such around my room so Yay for that. Also I find that my 10 pages a day plan is going very very well, and I have figured out some new fun little things to play on the bass as well.
So far life is definitely good, even if I can't install MATLAB yet because VT needs to work out their liscensing situation. But I have indeed got a lot done today.
Specifically I mean my laptop. In the quest to install Dyknow I had to reinstall windows. I had been planning on this coming up for a while, so most everything was already backed up, which was nice. But I still had to install windows and configure everything and install all the stuff I need for school. I figured that while I was installing windows I might as well set up a dual with Ubuntu, as it really didn't add a ton of time to the process (I already have the latest Ubuntu release on CD). So now my laptop dual boots into Ubuntu and Windows. Ubuntu is my default but as of yet I have been unable to configure anything in Ubuntu, simply because I've had to spend so much time getting Windows up and running.
Oh well, I do have a homework assignment due tomorrow at 5 that I haven't really started yet, which I would have liked to get done today, but I kinda need a working Windows to do that as well, so...
But that will turn out just fine, I'm not terribly worried. While fighting with my computer I was also able to do a good bit of organizing and such around my room so Yay for that. Also I find that my 10 pages a day plan is going very very well, and I have figured out some new fun little things to play on the bass as well.
So far life is definitely good, even if I can't install MATLAB yet because VT needs to work out their liscensing situation. But I have indeed got a lot done today.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
School Starting
Well turns out that it's a good thing that I am keep one of my tablet as a windows computer, as I need to run Dyknow for one of my classes.
That's really just an aside for all you folk out there. But I have looked at my schedule and got my books. Initially I thought I would need to buy only two books for this semester but it turns out that I might need to get another one. My earliest class this semester is at 10:10 and my earliest class on Tuesday's and Thursday's is 3:30. I only have one class on Tuesdays. On Monday's I have 4 classes, on Tuesday's 1, on Wednesday's 3, on Thursday's 2 and on Friday's 2. It looks like it will be a good semester for me. I'm planning right now to work on Tuesday's and Thursdays.
Other than school I hopping that this semester I will be able to get to the gym about once a week, read about 10 pages of a none school book everyday, and play on for about 10 minutes everyday. I'm hopping to have a relaxing and happy semester.
Paul is once again needing to do well this semester to avoid suspension. This is Jen's last semester.
That's kinda it for school.
I set up my surround sound system finally because Paul got an entertainment center type thing for it to go on. Well for now Jen is making dinner and I have to go the bathroom. Till later
That's really just an aside for all you folk out there. But I have looked at my schedule and got my books. Initially I thought I would need to buy only two books for this semester but it turns out that I might need to get another one. My earliest class this semester is at 10:10 and my earliest class on Tuesday's and Thursday's is 3:30. I only have one class on Tuesdays. On Monday's I have 4 classes, on Tuesday's 1, on Wednesday's 3, on Thursday's 2 and on Friday's 2. It looks like it will be a good semester for me. I'm planning right now to work on Tuesday's and Thursdays.
Other than school I hopping that this semester I will be able to get to the gym about once a week, read about 10 pages of a none school book everyday, and play on for about 10 minutes everyday. I'm hopping to have a relaxing and happy semester.
Paul is once again needing to do well this semester to avoid suspension. This is Jen's last semester.
That's kinda it for school.
I set up my surround sound system finally because Paul got an entertainment center type thing for it to go on. Well for now Jen is making dinner and I have to go the bathroom. Till later
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Crazy Project #3 Billion
Of late I rescurected my old Sony Clie PDA, it's a fun toy to play with but I can't help feeling that it could be much more useful. Right now I'm trying to get it to sync up with Microsoft outlook (yes I did install it onto this machine). But I'm finding unsurprisingly that it doesn't work how it's supposed. So I figure if I'm going to have to fight with this to make it work I might as well make it work in the way that I want it to and the way to accomplish that is fight with linux. Step 1 to that processes being finding a flavor of linux that will play nice with the system. After that it's just a matter of cramming said linux onto device. For all of you avid readers you're probably thinking that this is yet another unrelated project to the millions that I've mentioned before, but in truth this is simply another step in my match toward total linux based computing. Unfortunately it appears that at least for a little while longer I'm going to have keep this computer completely and utterly stable. Thus I must put up with the slow boot on this machine for a while longer.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Bored Today
Well today I was mostly bored-didn't really do much, just kinda laid about. But I did find my old Sony Clie, I also figured out how to make it read word documents and such which makes me happy. So I found something to fiddle with for a while that might just turn out to be rather useful.
Oh yeah this is a whole new year as well. I don't really have any big time resolutions for this year, but I would like to finally get in the shape that I want to be in. I suppose there is a bunch of other stuff I would like to do but none of it really fits into resolution typeness.
Anyway, looks like VT is going to be wining the Orange Bowl, so yay for that.
Oh yeah this is a whole new year as well. I don't really have any big time resolutions for this year, but I would like to finally get in the shape that I want to be in. I suppose there is a bunch of other stuff I would like to do but none of it really fits into resolution typeness.
Anyway, looks like VT is going to be wining the Orange Bowl, so yay for that.
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