And so it begins. Hope everyone has had a great summer so far and is starting to get back into the swing of things! Just like most seniors, I’ve been viewing the start of my senior year with a healthy portion of both excitement and anxiety. While I’ve never been more excited for a semester of school, at the same time I know that it will race by before I know what has happened. Regardless, some of the reasons that I’m looking forward to the upcoming semester span both academic and non-academic contexts:
Academic
– Class-wise, this semester should be extremely interesting. To highlight a few, I’m really looking forward to senior design, where my team has developed a project where we will attempt to create a “Smart Stretcher,” basically a low-cost, robust integrated healthcare remote monitoring system that lends itself to applications in developing countries or disaster relief settings. Be sure to follow me throughout the semester for further updates! I’m also looking forward to Nanostructured Materials, a materials science class that I am taking as a core elective for my major. The class is taught by one of my favorite professors/advisors here at USC, Prof. Andrea Armani, a MIT 35 under 30 professor, and also my freshman academy professor! Since I plan to pursue doctorate studies concerning a similar field, I cannot wait to learn more about this emerging field from one of the field’s best researchers.
– Outside of classes, I’m also going to have an extremely challenging but exciting semester for my research lab and Engineers Without Borders (EWB). With my research lab, USC Smart Grid Laboratory, in addition to continued monitoring and analysis of the demand response experiments that are taking place on campus, I will also be looking to explore a new baseline model for predicting a building’s baseline energy load in the absence of demand response. On the EWB front, our chapter has reached a new, amazing period, as both project teams are beginning to define the scope of their new projects and develop initial designs for our respective schoolhouses that we plan to implement. I’ll be tweeting our progress throughout the semester so make sure to follow me if you’re interested!
Non-Academic
– First off, got tickets to see Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar on the Yeezus tour. Hollaa
– Football season is already off to an awesome start (who cares about the W-L) column. Had a blast at the first game with friends and looking forward to many more fun times.
– With many other events on the agenda for this semester, there will be a great mix of academics and leisure: an ideal balance for senior year.
Welcome back everybody and until later!