The project track offers a perfect blend of technical skills and work ethics which are equally important when it comes to the industry.

Name: Sruthi Rangarajan

What is your area of interest within ECE?

VLSI and Circuit Design

Why did you choose the Project Track?

I wanted to enter industry after I graduated. Therefore, I was looking for opportunities to widen my horizons, and learn as many concepts as possible within my Master’s degree. This would in turn provide me with a greater variety in jobs that I can apply for. However, the Thesis track requires students to invest a lot of time in exploring concepts with great detail and depth, which I was not interested in.

One option was to take as many courses as possible, and the coursework track would help me achieve that. But I was also wanting to learn social and professional skills which would prepare me to handle challenges upon entering the workforce, especially for the first time. 

The project track offers a perfect blend of technical skills and work ethics which are equally important when it comes to the industry. I believe that learning through experience is one of the best ways to understand work/team dynamics. Participation in a team-based project would aid me to develop my leadership qualities and also equip me to navigate through situations that I might face in the workforce.

What project did you work on?

I worked on the project, “Early warning system for wildfires using wireless sensor networks” that involves designing a Lora WAN wireless sensor network for early detection of forest fires. The system consists of a set of sensor nodes, which would collect environmental data and send them to the central cluster header. The header would then process the information and predict whether there is a potential threat of a fire at a specific sensor node location. A notification system was designed to alert the user.

What do you like about the program? What skills did you gain?

Working with students from different parts of the world was very interesting and fun. Not only did I get to do the project, but we also became very good friends. I really enjoyed sharing ideas with them and some even changed my perspective towards life. I felt like a true international student, and I am glad that I was able to go beyond my comfort zone and make friends from other cultures.

Skills: Become a better team player, understand team dynamics, negotiations, entrepreneurial skills

How will earning the MSECE/participating in the project track help you reach your career goals?

Upon attending several interviews, I came to an understanding that most companies wanted me to not only work on a specific team, but also interact with other teams. For example, if I were to work on an RTL design team, I would also be talking to the verification team, physical design, and product engineering teams, to come up with solutions that cater to all the requirements of the design. Participating in the project track will help me to work in a multi-disciplinary team and also to coordinate with other teams.  

What advice would you give to a prospective student interested in the project track?

Project track is really a fun experience and is very suitable for students planning to enter the industry for the first time. I would encourage you to form teams with students from other countries, and work on projects that are of common interest. While course projects help you to develop technical knowledge, the ideas to innovation project would help you to build professional success skills. 

If you’ve secured a job after graduation, where will you work and what will your title be?

DRAM Design Engineer (Micron Technology, Inc.)