BS Electrical Engineering

Bradley University, 2002 (BU Homepage | BU EE Homepage)

Bradley University is an accredited and highly esteemed university with rich history beginning in 1897.

Bradley University’s electrical engineering program is characterized by a favorably high faculty to student ratio and an appropriate combination of theory and hands on work. While I have only experienced Bradley’s program, it is my understanding in talking to graduates of other EE schools as well as employers that the rigorous lab work at Bradley distinguishes its graduates from others. It seems true that many graduates from Bradley’s EE program become great professionals and hobbyists who enjoy the challenge of designing and creating and don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Perhaps this is why I excelled in both the office environment and as a field and design engineer in the HVAC industry with Tour Andover Controls.

MS Electrical Engineering

Bradley University, 2007 (BU Homepage | BU EE Homepage)

Since obtaining my bachelors degree in 2002, I had considered getting my masters degree in EE as well. It wasn’t until 2005 that I decided the timing and opportunities were right.

I accepted an assitantship from the EE department to work as the junior lab assistant, helping undergraduates to learn the hardware and software configurations that they designed in lab to supplement their classwork. The variance in circuits and software made troubleshooting their issues a fun challenge, and I took every opportunity to teach the students how to troubleshoot their designs rather than simply diagnosing the issues. I feel that many students learned and refined their problem solving skills partially due to my contributions. While I learned a great deal from the faculty who taught the labs, I feel that I made many valuable contributions to their program and was able to earn the respect of both faculty and students as I utilized my leadership and mentorship skills, troubleshooting skills, and knowledge of hardware and software.

Rather than a masters thesis, I worked on a project: Development Environment Microcontroller Linux-Powered Embedded Systems. The main goal of the project was to pave the way for future work within the department. I am told by Dr. Malinowski, my project advisor and one of the professors whose presence strongly influenced my return to Bradley, that he now has a lab set up with uClinux and ethernet enabled embedded devices. I feel privileged that I played a role in extending the departments curriculum.