Aditya Balasubramanian – Professional Statement – Purdue University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering – BSEE 2012
Born and raised in Malaysia, being an expatriate has given me the opportunity to interact with different cultures from around the world, both in multi-cultural Malaysia, and at Purdue University – which has one of the highest international student populations in the country. I quickly understood the importance of people’s differing backgrounds, experiences, and skills. This has translated well into working with interdisciplinary teams. An appreciation of differing perspectives proved an invaluable skill over the course of my studies at Purdue University.
As I prepare to graduate from Purdue University this semester, I feel that I have been successfully prepared for a career as entry-level electrical engineer –through the comprehensive electrical engineering courses I have taken, academic research I have participated in and led, and multiple summer internships at a large, multinational sensors company.
Over the course of my academic career, I focused on exploring a wide variety of topics through the classes I signed up for. In addition to completing the core electrical engineering curriculum, I also excelled in a variety of computer engineering classes, including advanced C programming, embedded microprocessor programming, and ASIC design, finally culminating in a digital systems design senior design course. The senior design project my team and I worked on was accepted as a finalist in the Cornell Cup USA, a national-level embedded design competition for colleges. Product development, project management, and design verification and justification are just some of the additional skills I have developed and refined over the course of the competition, in addition to honing my technical skills in digital systems design. To keep in touch with my embedded systems knowledge, I am currently an undergraduate teaching assistant for the embedded microprocessors course. I also served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the first year engineering program for two years.
To further my professional development with hands-on experience, I became involved in research with Professor Talavage and the Purdue Neurotrauma Group (PNG). I was able to apply my skills in embedded systems design to develop a safety-critical system for measuring forces experienced by the head and neck in athletes, and the forces’ potential for causing brain trauma. Working on this project has also given me the opportunity to work towards and follow through on long-term goals over several semesters – something that is rare in the fast-paced, high-student-turnover environment often found in universities. Being involved with the PNG also led me to discover a passion for medical devices – which draws heavily on embedded systems design
Working summer internships at Sensata Technologies, a multinational sensors company located in Massachusetts, rounded out my college experience with the valuable experience of working in a corporate environment. At Sensata, I learned what it was like to work on a large scale project that transcended borders. Participating in a large scale qualification effort for the newest ASIC developed by the company required teamwork and project management on a global scale. I gained valuable experience on how to manage my own team of technicians, efficiently working with senior mechanical and electrical engineers and incorporating the Six Sigma process into my work.
On graduating, I would like to further my skills in developing embedded systems, particularly with a focus on medical devices. I have consistently demonstrated abilities in effective teamwork – both global and face-to-face, learning new skills, project management and leadership – which I think will make me a valuable addition to your engineering team.
