about
I've now graduated but here's what I wrote last summer...
I WAS senior studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. My electrical engineering interests are antennas, communications systems, RF design, and digital signal processing. My real interests are foreign policy, oil independence, and books about terrorism. Over the summer of 2006, I am working in Indianapolis for Raytheon doing very cool engineery things with antennas and radar systems.
For my senior year at UIUC, I will be doing a thesis in Professor Jennifer Bernhard's antennas and EM lab. It will be on RF MEMS reconfigurable antennas for digital communications. A proposal of my research, sponsored generously by Vodafone, can be viewed here.
I was an exchange student at the National University of Singapore for Spring of 2006. I got my fill of Asia. I suggest going sometime. It's a big place.
In my freshman year (Fall 2003-Spring 2004), I did research for Professor Mark Kushner in the Computational Optical and Discharge Physics Group, now moved to Iowa State University. I programmed in models of an H2I2 laser for the Airborne Laser Project for plasma simulations, as well created other models. In the summer of 2004, I worked at Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago. I worked on the design of a liquid lithium thin-film electron stripper for the Rare Isotope Accelerator.In the winter of 2004 and into the Spring of 2005, I began working in the Optical Physics and Engineering Laboratory for Professor J. Gary Eden. I created simulations of the electric fields in microdischarge devices. In the summer of 2005, I worked for GE Healthcare outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was part of the CT Image Quality group. I worked on methods to increase image quality while lowering radiation dosage. I also designed an automatic organ detection algorithm for patients using CT. In the Fall of 2005, my work at the Optical Physics and Engineering lab consisted of fabrication of microdischarge devices for various experiments.
Outside of classes and work, I am an active member of Eta Kappa Nu, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Society at the University of Illinois (we're the Alpha Chapter). I have been a member for three semesters, and have held the offices of Academic Resources Chair and Treasurer. As for hobbies, I enjoy ultimate frisbee, playing poker, world news and politics, and someday will get back to saxophone and piano.
I have an amazingly smart and attractive girlfriend, Erica Lynn, who has also made the poor decision of suffering through a B.S. in electrical engineering at the U of I. Feel free to tour her website also, which she claims is better than mine.
I graduated from Lyons Township High School in June of 2003. I'm from La Grange, Illinois.
