Hey guys! I’m back in Los Angeles for my last semester as a Junior at USC! I had a wonderful winter break, and it was great to be back home in Seattle! It even snowed one of the first few days I was back. My grandparents were in town this winter, and so I got to spend a lot of time with them. My grandma cooked such good food! I couldn’t stop eating all break! I also, of course, spent a lot of time with my parents and my siblings, and my friends from back home. My boyfriend, Emerick, also came up from Los Angeles for one week to visit me. We went to Vancouver for New Year’s, and went skiing in Whistler for a day. It was beautiful and so much fun!
Emerick came to visit me in Seattle!
Now that I’m back in LA, I’m getting back in school mode. I’m really excited for my semester. I’ve got some really cool classes, and I’m starting to take graduate classes as part of the Progressive Degree Program (PDP). Last semester I was accepted into PDP, so I can start working towards earning a Master’s degree while still completing my Bachelor of Science. This semester, I’m taking two grad courses, and three undergrad courses, plus a fun class that has nothing to do with Electrical Engineering.
The class I’m most excited about is one of my undergraduate courses, called MOS VLSI Circuit Design. In a nutshell, the class teaches you how to implement functions into silicone. So if you want a chip to do a specific job, the class teaches you how to design the circuitry and create a layout that could be “printed” onto silicone.
This is an example of a circuit layout. I’ll learn how to design things like this, though maybe for circuits that are a little less complicated!
One of the coolest classes I’m taking this semester is an entrepreneurship class called The Entrepreneurial Mindset – Taking the Leap. The class has an interesting format. Each week Professor Belasco interviews successful, inspiring entrepreneurs, as we students listen and absorb the lessons each person shares with us. There’s also time for students to ask their own questions. It makes for a very interesting, absorbing class.
This past week, Jessica Jackley, the one of the founders of Kiva, came to talk to our class. What an incredible woman!
Outside of class, I’m going to be doing research with one of my favorite professors, Professor Choma. My research is about mixed signal circuits and using microcontrollers to optimize analog circuits. Over the past month, I’ve been doing some programming for the project, and this semester I will continue programming and will also do some circuit design.
That’s what my spring semester is going to look like! I’m also continuing to go on trips and exploring in and around Southern California. This past weekend I went camping at Yosemite with my roommate and some friends, and I’m planning another trip for next weekend! I’ll tell you all about my trips in another post!
-Morelle
