Graduate Profiles

Joseph McMahan – Graduate Student, Electrical and Computer Enginering Dept.

About Joseph:

Hometown: Petaluma, CA

Degree: B.A. in Physics from Princeton University

Degree Sought from UCSB: M.S. / Ph.D. 6th year

Graduate Study Area: Computer Architecture

Advisor / Lab: Tim Sherwood / ArchLab

Research Interests: Architecture, Formal Methods, Security, Side Channels

Master's Thesis or Dissertation Title or Topic: The Zarf Architecture

Joseph's Publication List: http://cs.ucsb.edu/~jmcmahan/research.html

Important Conferences Attended: International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA); International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS) – presentation; IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture (MICRO); IEEE International Symposium on Hardware Oriented Security and Trust (HOST) – presentation

What types of Financial Assistance have you receive? Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

Awards & Honors Received: National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) honorable mention; UCSB Computer Science Summit 2017 Distinguished Graduate Student Presentation; IEEE Micro Top Pick 2018

Professional Memberships: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Hobbies: Coffee, music, video games, 3D printing, and poetry

Interesting Aside about You: I recognize every song on modern rock radio stations

Favorite things about

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department: Culture of collaboration! It's so easy to reach out to other labs and get their expertise on your projects.

UCSB: Ocean views – very calming during stressful research

Santa Barbara: Quaint downtown

Joseph and his research

Tell us about your research

My research has been in the intersection of formal methods and hardware design, with occasional security thrown in --- essentially, I want to build hardware systems that we can be sure about. This manifests both in new techniques for analyzing circuits and designs, and well as new architectures supporting software level reasoning.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

I loved computer science as an undergraduate, but in particular I was drawn to systems and architecture. Once I was a grad student, I fell into my main project almost by accident: I attended a meeting with my advisor and a few others about a project they were starting up, and I offered my hand in helping out. Soon enough, I was the main contributor and the topic would become my PhD thesis. I've enjoyed the casual approach to research in my lab; falling into new projects is exciting and fun!

Why did you select UCSB and your department in regards to your research?

It was the right combination of a highly regarded program, quality faculty, and good environment.

What do you find rewarding about your research?

Knowing that we're breaking ground now on things that will have impact much farther down the line. It can be hard to take motivation from short-term results, but good research is often new and strange at first; I find it rewarding to know that what we do now will have increasing influence as concerns of security and correctness become more and more important.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

I'm in touch with my advisor a few times a week. He's not afraid to get down into details and get his own hands dirty with research. This makes for a really productive environment, because we have constant feedback and encouragement. We fail a lot – that's just part of research – but Tim teaches us to fail quickly and move on.

Other faculty have been very receptive to all kinds of collaboration. I've worked most closely with the Programming Languages lab; several students there have been instrumental to the research I've done so far. My PhD wouldn't have progressed like it did without them. The Verification Lab has also had overlapping research interests, and been open to collaboration. We've worked with them on a couple papers now.

Kicking off research with another group is remarkably easy. It's been as simple as an email saying, “Hey I've got this interesting project; can we talk about it?” We've worked with groups in security, cryptography, software systems, and others. It takes a lot of pressure off of the work you do when you have access to so much expertise in other people!

I've also collaborated with students outside of UCSB. It was a great, successful experience; we wrote an ISCA paper together. In addition, our lab has worked with some folks from Cisco Systems on software and circuit analysis.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

I've had a great time in my research group, and I owe a lot to my advisor. Having lab-mates to bounce ideas off of is crucial, I feel, in making progress in what you're doing. I don't think I could have done over half of what I've accomplished if I'd been working alone. Tim has been a great and hands-on advisor, while also avoiding putting too much pressure on his students. It's made for a great and productive research environment. More than a good advisor, he's also a good person, which has been important too.

Where will your research take you next?

My goal is to become a professor at a research university. I love both research and teaching, so it seems like the ideal! The next step is a postdoctoral fellowship for a couple years before I go on to faculty applications.

Joseph's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

In terms of courses, many of them take a research-first approach, reading original publications to learn about the field. It's a crucial experience to go through and discuss research published by others, especially when it's important to the field. You learn what makes good research and bad research, and you build your own confidence as a researcher.

Favorite courses

Graduate Operating Systems with Rich Wolski. Getting to build something large, with many moving parts, from the ground up was an awesome experience, and part of what I love about systems. Close runners-up are Architecture with Tim Sherwood and Modern Programming Languages with Chandra Krintz. Those three courses, together, shaped my skills and knowledge as a graduate student.

Experience with the screening exam, qualifying exam, defense exam, and working on your thesis / dissertation

I found the screening exam to be a relatively painless experience. I enjoy oral examinations (there's always the opportunity to turn it around and ask questions of your interviewer), and having a set of them was a good test of my knowledge. The qualifying exam stands out much more in my mind; it feels like a lot more is on the line, because it's your own original research you're proposing and defending. Despite the anxiety, the faculty on my committee were not only kind, but insightful in their criticisms. Their responses made me feel like I was doing impactful research.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

My first year as a grad student, I didn't do any research. I was a TA and I took graduate courses. I taught ECE 154A for one term and ECE 152A for two. For the first I taught a section; for the second, a lab. Later on, I taught a section of CS 160 when my advisor taught it. I thoroughly enjoy teaching: passing on knowledge and instructing students in how to build and create is very rewarding. Running a lab section is a bit different; you don't have the opportunity to lecture in the same way, but it tends to be much easier to get involvement from students — there's much less pressure to talk to the TA in a lab versus a section. That extra student contact makes teaching a lab worthwhile as well. Since I worked as a TA my first year as a PhD student, I saw my former students go on to take other courses and graduate, and had the pleasure of watching some of them become grad students themselves!

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

Grad school gets a bad reputation for being all-consuming, and I've heard first-hand from people at other schools that it can definitely be that way – but here, I found it acceptable to take time for myself and not work 24 hours a day. It could be unique to UCSB, or the department, or my advisor, or some combination; in any case, it hasn't been too difficult to balance my personal and work lives. I don't want to make it sound like it's easy, because it's always a challenge to find balance, but I was expecting something much worse than what I experienced. I stay focused during the day, and take most nights and weekends for myself.

What is your social life like and where have you lived while at UCSB?

I have a core group of friends, mostly other graduate students, that I see regularly. I live in a cottage downtown on Bath street; before that, I rented a bedroom in a house in Goleta. Though I miss being able to bike to campus from Goleta, living downtown has been a wonderful experience. I live with PhD student in the English department, who constantly has insightful and interesting things to say, and isn't afraid to challenge my notions about the world.

My boyfriend is not a grad student; he's my main social outlet. Having people in your life that are not academics is really important: it helps keep you grounded and reminds you of the world outside your bubble. It also helps remind you that you're here by choice, which is a great motivator as a grad student.

What do you do over the summers?

A couple years ago, I had an internship at AMD Research in Seattle. It was a good time; I liked Seattle, and I might try to head back there for my postdoc! This past summer, I stayed on campus and did research. The summer is a great time to get work done because everything calms down so much. Even when you're not teaching or taking classes, things are more hectic during the academic year. The blend of relaxation and focus of the summertime is a great change of pace.

Advice to prospective graduate students

Don't be afraid of failure. Failing fast is probably the most valuable skill I've learned as a grad studeInt. As a researcher, most of what you do won't work. Learning how to not take those setback personally, how to pick yourself back up and try something new, is crucial. By failing quickly, you can cover more ground and find something that does work sooner --- the great trap is devoting months of research effort to something that turns out to be a dead end.

Aaron Bluestone - Graduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept.

About Aaron
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, CA
Degrees: B.S. EE, UCSB and M.S. ECE, UCSB
Degree Sought from UCSB: Ph.D. (6th year)
Graduate Study Area: Mixed-Signal IC Design
Group / Advisor: Biomimetic Circuits & Nanosystems Group / Prof. Luke Theogarajan

Research Interests: Optoelectronic Feedback Loops, System Architecture Design, Frequency Synthesizers
Dissertation: "Versatile Mixed-Signal Controller for Optoelectronic Frequency Synthesis"
Title of Most Important Publication to Date: A. Bluestone et al., “Heterodyne-based hybrid controller for wide dynamic range optoelectronic frequency synthesis,” Optics Express, vol. 25, no. 23, pp. 29086-29097, Nov. 2017
Important Conferences Attended: IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS)
What types of Financial Assistance have you receive? Grad Student Researcher (GSR) & Teaching Assistant (TA)
Awards & Honors Received: ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant in 2012-13 and 2014-15
UCSB Student Organizations: Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society)
Professional Memberships: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Hobbies: Craft beer, watching and playing sports (especially obscure ones like Spikeball and Rampshot)
Interesting Aside about You: I used to have an unhealthy obsession with Guitar Hero and I can probably still play Sweet Child of Mine without looking at the screen

Favorite things about

ECE department: Overall friendly atmosphere among peers, staff, and the top-notch faculty

UCSB: The views and location. What other campus can you step outside your office and hear the waves crashing?!

Santa Barbara: It's the perfect sized city. Never more than a 10 minute drive from campus, downtown, the beach, and even some hiking trails. And it's got a 'local vibe' where you'll quickly notice that every young professional has some mutual connection to everyone else.

Aaron and his research

Tell us about your research

My research aims to develop a laser output where the wavelength can be tuned over a wide range, and the stability / accuracy are related to a microwave reference oscillator. The goal is to make this Optical Frequency Synthesizer based entirely on integrated circuits (IC) – photonic and electronic – in a small size, weight and power (SWaP) footprint. I am specifically working to define the electronics architecture and design the ICs necessary to achieve a broadband, high-precision tunable laser output.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

I knew I wanted to work on low-power / high performance circuit design under Prof. Theogarajan. Having taken several classes from him during undergrad, I knew his mentorship would push me out of my comfort zone to become a better researcher. As far as the optoelectronic projects… there tends to be a lot of funding / interest in this direction due to the strong photonics community at UCSB. For example, the Bowers’ Optoelectronics Group designs photonic ICs that can greatly benefit from electronic ICs tailored to the application and co-integrated in a tight knit collaboration.

Why did you select UCSB and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in regards to your research?

Having done my undergrad here, I knew this department had projects that piqued my interest and faculty I wanted to continue learning from

What do you find rewarding about your research?

Just as radio frequency synthesizers revolutionized technology in the 20th century, we believe the low-loss, high-bandwidth characteristics of an optical platform will usher in a new wave of applications in communications and metrology.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

My project is a multifaceted collaboration with 9 different research teams – industrial and academic – each contributing in different ways. We hold weekly teleconferences to discuss individual aspects and define the interfaces between each team, as well as closer collaboration for testing/measurements between our research group and the Bowers’ Optoelectronics Group.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

Everyone in our research group has a team mentality and a willingness to help each other succeed. One of my grad school highlights has been our weekly Circuits Meeting, when all of the IC designers in our group meet with Prof. Theogarajan to describe our research problems and bounce ideas off of each other.

Where will your research take you next?

My goal is to transition to industry after graduation. In addition to expanding my system architecture / IC design skillset, I hope to enter an engineering management track where I can lead and mentor a team.

Aaron's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

First, we have an incredibly diverse faculty with strengths in a variety of fields. No matter what concentration you come here to study (or especially if you’re undecided), the course offerings will leave you with a strong graduate education. Second, the availability of the professors is astonishing. I’ve gotten a feeling in nearly every graduate course that office hours aren’t just a mandatory part of the job and that professors genuinely care and want to see you succeed.

Favorite courses

I’m going to cheat and name two. Prof. Theogarajan’s High Performance Digital Circuit Design (ECE 223), and Prof. Brewer’s VLSI Project Design (ECE 224A). Both of these instructors have a way of going into any lecture and blowing your mind with topics they didn’t intend to cover. The projects are difficult – and at times feel like overkill for 4 units – but you’ll walk away with far more knowledge than a typical course.

Experience with the screening exam, qualifying exam, defense exam, and working on your thesis / dissertation

The screening exam seems intimidating on paper, but it’s actually a great chance to dive into books and brush up on theory. In fact, I remember every one of these exams looked frightening when I first entered grad school. But if you rely on resources like older grad students and your committee members, they all just become opportunities to help strengthen your research.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

I have TA’d several electronics courses and the experiences were all very similar. Tasks included: leading lab assignments (read: helping students debug), holding office hours, and grading homeworks / exams. The real reward of TA’ing comes when you’re able to help students grasp a concept that they just aren’t getting in the normal coursework.

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

I think every student’s situation is unique depending on their research, advisor’s demands, funding deadlines, etc. My personal experience has been a roller coaster ride that goes through cycles. When deadlines arise, I get in that stereotypical mode of repeated all nighters and I might go weeks without a work/life balance. But then its usually followed by periods of low stress where research is closer to a 9-5, and I can devote time to the activities and people that help keep me sane.

What's your social life like?

The social life is great for young professionals in SB. I’ve joined several co-ed sports leagues as an excuse to get together with old friends and make new ones. Other than that, the Funk Zone in downtown Santa Barbara has become a go-to hangout spot with plenty of microbreweries and winery tasting rooms.

Where have you lived while at UCSB?

I currently live in Family Student Housing at UCSB. In addition to surrounding yourself with like-minded people, its possibly the cheapest deal in town. I highly advise getting on the wait list early if you come to UCSB with a significant other or family.

What do you do over the summers?

Last summer I interned at a local start-up company (Senseeker Engineering). It was a valuable experience to test my skillset in an industry setting, as well as gain exposure to the differences between developing a research prototype vs. a commercial product. Most advisors at UCSB are open to allowing their Ph.D. students this opportunity, and I’d recommend it if you are considering leaving academia after graduate school.

Advice to prospective graduate students

I’ll share the same quote my advisor told me on day one, that his advisor told him on day one. “Graduate school is a marathon.” Don’t sprint too hard at any one step and burn yourself out for the long haul.

Celeste Bean - Graduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept.

About Celeste

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Degrees Sought: B.S. / M.S. Program - B.S. CE, 2016 and M.S. EE (1st year)
Graduate Study Area: Electrical & Computer Engineering - Control Theory
Advisor: Professor Francesco Bullo, Mechanical Engineering
Research Interests: renewable energy, power grid development
What types of Financial Assistance have you receive? Graduate Student Researcher and Teaching Assistant
Awards & Honors Received: Outstanding Teaching Assistant
UCSB Student Organizations: UCSB Hyperloop
Professional Memberships: International Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Student membership
Hobbies: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, reading (history, philosophy, science fiction), writing, podcasts, politics
Interesting Aside about You: I have been to six continents

Favorite things about

ECE department: the accessibility of the professors, senior project classes
UCSB: The collaborative atmosphere, emphasis on entrepreneurship, friendliness of peers, Campus Point
Santa Barbara: McConnell’s ice cream, hiking, general emphasis on health

Celeste and her UCSB Senior Project experience

Celeste completed her B.S. in Computer Engineering from UCSB in 2016. During her senior year, she took the required two quarter Senior Computer Systems Project (ECE 189A/B) course also known as the Senior "Capstone" Project. As a graduate student she has been the Teaching Assistant for both quarters of the course. We asked Celeste to share her Capstone experience with us:

• Student Experience:My senior design project was easily my most formative experience at UCSB. I worked with twenty senior Engineering students to develop a proof of concept for SpaceX’s Hyperloop competition, which involved building a magnetically levitating pod from scratch for transit in a low-pressure tube. Doing so allowed me to take the training wheels off of everything that I’d learned in my classes and apply my knowledge to a problem that didn’t have a known or even promised solution.
• Teaching Assistant Experience: Transitioning to a role as Teaching Assistant for our Computer Engineering senior project class gave me huge insight into learning, both my own and my students’.  It’s been hugely gratifying to watch their progression as engineers in just one year and I’ll be very proud to share our Alma Mater.

Celeste and her research

During Celeste's senior year she applied and was accepted into the ECE B.S./M.S. Program where she is studying Control Theory.

Tell us about your research

My research involves designing, analyzing, and modeling self-sustaining inverter-based microgrids in the presence of variable renewable generation and battery storage and implementing controller schemes on experimental inverters.  Incorporating renewable energy onto the power grid is critical in ensuring energy security for the world’s population, but it’s not as simple as just plugging in a solar panel.

My experience leading UCSB’s Hyperloop team also gave me an unparalleled experience in collaboration.  I have been able for two years to be a leader on a high-budget, multi-disciplinary (ME, EE, CE, CS, Physics), project with more than ten industry sponsors and more than six advisors.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

I found my fascination with power grid development during my second internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where I worked with Ray Newell and Glen Peterson on their Quantum Cryptography project to advance the security of the national power grid.  After learning about all the inspiring research in field, I knew that I wanted to involve myself in facilitating the advance of renewable energy.  Advancing the infrastructure itself can offer huge opportunities for people, especially as nations rapidly develop and deliver power to new populations.

Why did you select UCSB and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in regards to your research?

I knew I wanted to work on the power grid, and taking undergraduate classes in UCSB’s Center for Control, Dynamical-Systems, and Computation (CCDC) prompted me to choose controls as my specific venue given its elegant and robust solutions to an incredible variety of problems.  There are very few problems to which a controls approach cannot be applied.

What do you find rewarding about your research?

I am very gratified by the fact that my research directly supports the expansion of renewable energy.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

My project involves a collaboration of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), the University of Minnesota, and UCSB, with additional involvement from industry to implement the results.  I will be travelling to Golden, Colorado this summer for a summer internship at NREL to continue my experimental work.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

I couldn’t enjoy my group more.  People are very friendly, helpful, and supportive and enjoy discussion on all topics, from power electronics to materials science to sociology.  I find their general curiosity and diligence in their research makes me a better researcher.  My advisor, Professor Bullo, is also spectacular.  He is exceptionally cheerful, a huge wealth of knowledge, and genuinely wants to see his students succeed.

Where will your research take you next?

I started as a 1-year MS/BS student but enjoyed my research so much that I extended my Master’s to two years and intend to apply for PhD programs in Fall 2017.

Celeste's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

In my experience, UCSB’s professors are both exceptional researchers and excellent teachers.  That combination of skills naturally means that I find classes to be very clear but also speaks to the general ability to communicate even the most advanced ideas.

Favorite course

ECE 594, Special Topics: Mechanism Design in Game Theory with Professor Jason Marden.  As with control theory in general, I am very interested in the wide array of problems to which game theory is applicable.   Special Topics classes are always fun because professors can lecture on topics in which they are personally interested, and that enthusiasm carries over to their teaching.  That’s definitely true for Professor Marden—he’s able to get the whole class excited (even on Monday mornings!).  Another great thing about Special Topics classes is that they can spawn collaboration with the professor.  I know a number of people who have found projects or even their advisor through Special Topics.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

I’ve TA’d both Computer Engineering’s senior project class and a Sensor/Peripheral Interfacing lab class, both of which really deepened my understanding of the topics and ability to synthesize and convey information.    The experience dramatically developed my ability to troubleshoot—it’s amazing how “creative” students’ solutions in code and circuitry can sometimes be!

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

Managing school, friends, and hobbies can be stressful, but I’ve found that keeping a reasonably strict routine keeps me sane.  I keep my Sunday afternoons free to get ready for the week, train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the mornings, and treat school as a job, with the aim of working productively from ~9 am-~7 pm every week day with whatever extra work spilling onto the weekends.  Time blocking rather than to-do lists keep me on track.

Where have you lived while at UCSB?

I live in San Clemente (UCSB Housing) this year and plan to do the same next year.  A lot of my friends from undergrad at UCSB are still in Santa Barbara, and I’ve made some very dear friends with fellow graduate students.  I make time to spend with the people I care about because I know that for myself, pushing past my limits of focus has very diminishing returns, so I make efforts to spend time with people and on things that bring me joy outside of school.

What do you do over the summer?

I will be traveling for three weeks to Africa then continuing work on my research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

Advice to prospective graduate students

I try to find time every day to do something that makes me remember how lucky I am to be here.  I also try to make sure that I have things that I am looking forward to that are separate from school, whether that be a concert, a barbecue, or seeing a friend.  Take advantage of the great events that the Graduate Student Association puts on, such as free pizza, open yoga, or beer socials.

Most importantly, take care of your physical and mental health.  You’re an engineer, and your body is one of the most advanced engines you’ll ever see!

Benji Lampel - Graduate Student, Computer Science Department

About Benji:

Hometown: Granada Hills, CA
Previous Degrees: B.S., Computer Science, UCSB in 2015
Degree Sought from UCSB: Master's degree (2nd year student) – B.S. / M.S. program
Graduate Study Area: Computer Systems
Group / Advisor: UCSB RaceLab – Professors Chandra Krintz and Rich Wolski

Research Interests: Internet of Things (IoT), networking, embedded systems, cloud computing
Master's Topic: SmartFarm Sensor Network
What types of Financial Assistance have you received? Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)
UCSB Student Organizations: SB Hacks, Laughology
Hobbies: Reading, Stand Up Comedy (performance and consumption), Critically Analyzing TV and movies, Board Games, Writing (fiction and nonfiction), getting in arguments in the comments section
Interesting aside about you: I founded the hackathon SB Hacks with two of my friends, Trevor and AJ, two years ago. I am also very political, involving myself in community issues such as student-police interactions and the Isla Vista Community Service District

Favorite things about

UCSB: The sunshine! The beach! Besides the obvious, the social climate at the campus is very unique. The chill vibes of UCSB are a great contrast to the overly competitive atmospheres at other top universities

Computer Science program: Many of the professors are also great teachers. Research opportunities are plentiful. There is tremendous enthusiasm for learning without the nuisance of impeding egos

Santa Barbara: Microbreweries everywhere! Amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurants, a growing tech scene, many of my friends still live here

Benji and his research

Tell us about your research

My research is a part of the SmartFarm project, which combines cloud computing, IoT, AI and more in an effort to bring the 21st century to farmers. My part of the project involves a lot of pieces, and several areas of computer science/engineering: IoT, cloud, full stack web development, soldering circuits and embedded systems. Using all of these areas together, I am engineering a rugged sensor made from off-the-shelf parts for long term deployment in agricultural fields to measure soil moisture and temperature (with more features available). The data is sent through an “intercessor” node that does mild data processing and then forwards data to a private cloud running a LAMP stack. A farmer can access their data directly on the cloud through a simple web interface. You can check out my current data at 169.231.235.13.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

I wanted to do systems research when I started my Master's but I didn't have much of an idea beyond that. I had taken a couple classes with Prof. Wolski and knew he ran a systems lab, so I asked about what research RaceLab was working on. In a meeting with Profs. Wolski and Krintz, I was introduced to the SmartFarm project. Getting to work on Internet of Things and cloud computing really appealed to me – little did I know the project would be much more comprehensive!

Why did you select UCSB and the Computer Science Department in regards to your research?

I did my undergrad at UCSB as well (BS/MS program), so researching at UCSB was a very logical next step. Part of the reason I chose the BS/MS program was the flexibility it would offer me in finishing my undergrad degree, and part of my choice was also because I knew many professors and students doing research here and I wanted to be a part of that community.

What do you find rewarding about your research?

Besides the feeling of accomplishment when I get something to finally work, I think the most rewarding part of my research is knowing that I am building a tool that can realistically help farmers manage their water. In California, saving water is an important goal considering the drought, and as someone who is deeply concerned about the environment and global warming, knowing that my research can contribute to sustainable farming practices makes me feel that I am not standing idly by while our planet heats to dangerous levels.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

As a part of a larger project, there's a team specifically for SmartFarm in RaceLab. During the school year we have weekly meetings where everyone gets updates on all aspects of the project. RaceLab isn't the only group working on the project, though. Through an NSF grant, we are collaborating with teams at Cal Poly SLO and Fresno State to engineer and calibrate different sensors, design more robust and tailored microcontroller boards for our specific application, and develop a wireless protocol to communicate data from the field to the intercessor.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

Group research is fantastic. Science is not an individual endeavor, and being able to work on a team with around a dozen very smart, capable, and fun people has been a reward in itself. My advisors in particular have been very patient with me, as my project entailed a much steeper learning curve on the physical end than I anticipated. They have also taught me methods of inquiry to efficiently identify my actual problems, and move towards the best solutions. Overall my experience having advisors has been very positive.

Where will your research take you next?

My next step right now is to move into industry by starting a company around my research. Before I even got on the SmartFarm team, the direction of the project was already aimed toward eventually becoming a product. Now I want to start realizing this idea and get useful technology to the farmers who can benefit from it.

Benji's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

The program offers three tracks: Applications, Systems and Foundations, so there's something for everyone. The department is really diverse in the areas of research, and that diversity is only growing as the department expands. In terms of classes, one of the biggest strengths of the department is offering the 290 series, which are research-focused classes whose syllabi change quarterly. These classes are run differently than most of the grad level courses because they focus on the instructor's research area, so you are not learning the established, text-book knowledge, but the new and cutting edge.

Favorite courses

This is a really, really hard one for me, as I've taken a few classes that have stood out. But if I had to choose one, I'd say CS160 Translation of Programming Languages (aka compilers) with Prof. Tim Sherwood. It was a hard class with a lot of material and a big project, but understanding how a machine takes apart a program and actually runs it changed the way I thought about computers and how I code.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA)

As a TA for CS 64, I ran a lab with Michael, another TA, graded homeworks and exams, held office hours, and even gave a lecture! The instructor was 5th year(?) PhD student Kyle Dewey, who worked closely with Michael and me in revamping the course materials to include more digital design elements. Running the labs was not too much work, mostly consisting of 10 minute mini lectures and answering questions about the lab assignment. Office hours were sometimes more work, and when they were it proved more rewarding work. Having one on one time with students catalyzed the “ah ha!” moments of learning. I really appreciate my time as a TA; I view teaching as a responsibility that comes with getting an education, as well as a way to hone your own skills and prove you really know what you're talking about.

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

For the past several years, balancing school and a social life posed quite the challenge. Aside from averaging 16-18 units a quarter, I was an integral member of SB Hacks, UCSB's annual 36 hour hackathon, an active member of the stand up comedy group Laughology, and a very social person trying to keep up with multiple friend groups. My days were largely spent working for classes, my nights a mix of open mics, comedy shows, parties, and relaxing with house mates – and planning for SB Hacks constituted a 24/7 job on top of it all. Working hard and smart helped me stay on top of classes and on the right side of the Law of Diminishing Returns. Slack helped me communicate with the SB Hacks team remotely, while I did anything and everything else. I ran on two schedules: one was the strict schedule of my class times and open mic times, which happened regardless of my presence. Socializing and SB Hacks ran on looser schedules, where socializing occurred whenever my other responsibilities waned, and SB Hacks work took priority on an as-needed basis.

What's your social life and housing like?

I have a social life! Which is amazing, considering the tropes about the grad students whose lives are work. I've lived in Isla Vista for 3 years, going on 4 now. For two years I lived with College of Creative Studies friends in the unofficial CCS house “Pendolaplex” - the frat house of nerds. This last year I lived on Sabado Tarde right by the beach. The downsize of housing from a 4 house complex of 30+ people to a 3 person house came with a drastic change in how I socialized. I definitely had to make much more of an effort to see friends, but this effort also helped me develop friendships with all the people I didn't live with. This year I'm living in a studio apartment, so my socializing will change again, but now I finally have a large coffee table, so I look forward to hosting board game nights. In general, living in Santa Barbara has been great. Living on campus without a car, you don't really get a feel for the area. Since I've moved into IV and had a car, exploring Goleta and Downtown has made me really feel like a local. There's so much Goleta and Downtown have to offer that you miss by restricting your world to campus and IV.

What did you do over the summers?

This past summer I spent my time researching. I started my lab work in January of 2016, and I haven't stopped. Last summer I traveled Europe for just over two months with a friend from UCSB, exploring over 20 cities! Summers don't have to be for work and internships. Life has so much to offer outside of academia, sometimes it's nice to take a short break.

Advice to prospective graduate students

Find your balance. Everyone has such a different schedule, it doesn't make sense to prescribe a single way to prioritize everything you have to do. Spend a few weeks with too much to do, find what you really like, and stick with that. Get involved with something other than research. If nothing else, activities beyond research provide a context switch that will help keep you sane, and keep you from hating your work. Lastly, have a healthy way to relieve stress. If you're particularly bad at stress management, UCSB CAPS (Counseling & Psychological Services) is an incredible resource.

Ping Chi - Graduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering Department

About Ping:

Hometown: Jilin, China
Degrees: B.E. (2008) and M.S.E. (2011) in Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Degree Sought from UCSB: Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (final year)
Graduate Study Area: Computer Architecture, Electronic Design Automation
Group / Advisor: Professor Yuan Xie / SEAL Lab
Research Interests: Memory Systems, High-Performance Computing, and Energy-Efficient System Architecture
Important Conferences Attended: International Symposium on High Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA'13, 14, 15), Design Automation Conference (DAC'14, 15), International Conference on Computer Aided Design (ICCAD'14)
Financial Assistance Received: Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)
Hobbies: pingpong, bowling, badminton, hiking, reading
Interesting Aside about You: Jane Austen is my favorite novelist

Favorite things about

• ECE department: Brilliant faculty and students, super helpful staff, positive atmosphere
• UCSB: Beautiful campus with its own beach, cultural diversity
• Santa Barbara: Fantastic weather (most days are sunny and warm), beautiful beaches, Spanish architecture

Ping and her research

Tell us about your research

My research interests include Computer Architecture and Electronic Design Automation, with a particular emphasis on memory systems, high-performance computing, and energy-efficient system architecture. Specifically, I have been working on cache and memory system design with emerging non-volatile memories (NVMs), including spin-transfer torque magnetic RAM (STT-RAM), phase change memory (PCM), and metal-oxide resistive RAM (ReRAM). As technology scales, conventional memory technologies, such as SRAM and DRAM, face several challenges like increasing leakage power and degrading reliability. Emerging NVMs have been widely studied to overcome those challenges and considered as promising alternatives to build next-generation memory systems.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

My previous research topic was signal processing when I was a master student. I would like to go from software to hardware and understand the whole stack of computer system during my Ph.D. study. Being a computer architect is cool. Also, my advisor is well-known in the computer architecture community. I applied for the graduate school, and fortunately became a Ph.D. student in his group.

Why did you select UCSB and ECE?

I transferred to the UCSB ECE Department with my advisor when I finished my first three years at Penn State. There must be good reasons for my advisor to move our group here.

What do you find rewarding about your research?

My research provides the industry with novel ideas that apply the emerging nonvolatile memories to next-generation memory system design.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

UCSB has a great collaborative atmosphere. Inside our group, I work closely with my advisor and my colleagues. My advisor is always helpful, guiding my research work and giving me expert feedback on my idea, writing, presentation, and so on. I collaborate research projects with my colleagues who have different expertise from mine. For example, in a recent project of a system design, my teammate works on the circuit-level design while I focus on the architecture-level design. Also, as a senior student in our group, I serve as a "mentor" of junior students. Outside our group, I collaborate with other universities and industry partners, e.g., Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and Qualcomm. We have weekly meetings, discussing ideas and updating progress.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

Working in a group brings great benefits for our research progress. With different expertise, we can learn from each other and collaborate with each other. New research ideas usually come out of casual conversations. Also, senior students can help junior students a lot. My advisor works very closely with us. He is always ready to provide useful advice and even hands-on help.

Where will your research take you next?

With my intensive research interest and experience, I plan to pursue a faculty position and continue my research work in future.

Ping's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

I think that the major strengths of our department's graduate program include our brilliant faculty, supportive staff, and positive research atmosphere. Our faculty are outstanding researchers in their respective fields. They conduct cutting edge research and publish at the top venues of their research areas. Our staff are super helpful and friendly. They are always ready to answer your questions and help you solve your problems efficiently. The research atmosphere is pleasing and encouraging. People like to provide help and talk and collaborate with each other.

Favorite courses

I have taken only a few courses here, and my favorite course was Advanced Computer Architecture: Processor Design (ECE 254A). During the lectures, the instructor discusses various topics of processor design, which lets us know the details about how a multi-core processor with multi-level caches works. The course projects are Verilog implementations of processor design, which greatly improves our programming skills with Verilog. Thanks to the programming training of this course, many graduate students find their job and intern opportunities as hardware engineers.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

I have been a GSR every quarter since I transferred to UCSB. I do not have TA experience here because I am spending only two years here before graduation and have been focused on my research projects. As a GSR, I spend a lot of time at the lab, doing research projects, writing papers, and discussing research problems with my advisor and labmates.

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

The balance between work and life is very important. I work very hard, and also live a healthy life. Usually, my working hours are from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays. I go to the recreation center twice a week, and sometimes play tennis with my friends on weekends.

Where have you lived while at UCSB?

I live in Goleta, sharing a two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartment with my roommate. It is very close to the beach. I usually take a walk to the beach after work and before the sunset. I believe Santa Barbara will be the most beautiful place with the best weather I will ever live in during my life. I play tennis, go to cinema, and have dinner together with my friends on weekends. We also get together to celebrate festivals and birthdays.

What do you do over the summers?

I had an internship at HP Labs in Palo Alto last summer. I will graduate this summer.

Advice to prospective graduate students

Explore various research topics before find your favorite one. Talk with the faculty and the peer students often for advice and information. Study at the newly renovated UCSB library. Enjoy the beautiful beach and the pleasant weather here. Try surfing. Explore those hiking trails nearby.

Carrie Segal – Graduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering

About Carrie:

Hometown: Fishkill, NY
Degrees: B.S. Physics, Stonybrook University; B.S. Economics & Management, Empire State University; A.A.S. Jewelry Design, Fashion Institute of Technology
Degree Sought from UCSB: Computer Engineering – 3rd Year M.S./Ph.D.
Graduate Study Area: High level system design
Group / Advisor: Professor Forrest Brewer

Research Interests: Hardware/Software interfaces, VLSI, Community Definitions, Systems Design, Natural Language Specifications
Important Conferences Attended: Womens Entrepreneurship Festival
Financial Assistance Received: Teaching Assistant (TA) & Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)
Hobbies: Entrepreneurship
Interesting Aside about You: Inspired by Issac Asimov – I tried to read all of the books in my local library

Favorite things about

• ECE department: The ECE department is active within the local start-up community. Graduate students are encouraged to start companies. Professors are leading research teams and working with industry to bring their inventions to the public. In general the ECE department works to actually implement their research out in the world.
• UCSB: The beautiful location and the diverse student body. There are also fun facts, like UCSB was one of the first four nodes in the early web, and six faculty members are Nobel Laureates.
• Santa Barbara: The sunlight, eucalyptus trees, butterflies, hummingbirds and beaches

Why UCSB and CE?

UCSB has a strong reputation at my undergraduate university, and the physics professors would talk about it around me. I chose to apply for CE because, from what I could tell, the only major that actually gets to build computers are computer engineers.

Carrie and her research

Tell us about your research

The lab I am part of designs and tests VLSI chips. Sometimes I write C programs to study how a particular algorithm would operate as a ASIC. Other days are for probing our fabricated chips to characterize their performance limits under different scenarios.

How and why did you get into your area of research?

As an undergraduate I was interested in building quantum computers.

Why did you select UCSB and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in regards to your research?

Computer Engineering is directly related to physically building computers, and that appealed to me.

What do you find rewarding about your research?

Rewarding about my research... It is really interesting to think of how to use our current technology in new ways. My personal career goals are to eventually found a company which builds integrated circuits for new types of applications.

UCSB prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate

My lab builds things which rely on the prior work of our graduate students. While I am part of Professor Brewers lab, I regularly attend meetings with the Four Eyes lab in computer science. Attending Four Eyes lab meetings provides interesting perspective into challenges not directly related to my main research and gives me new ideas. Professor Brewer is working on a project for CERN and because of this we work with the UCSB physics department and a collaboration of scientists across the world.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment and your experience working with an advisor

Labmates who work nearby are very helpful for solving problems. An advisor is helpful, but I like the advice one of the retiring ECE professors gave me. Which was to talk with my advisor about whatever I want too not just their interests.

Where will your research take you next?

It is my goal to start a company which implements the things I am learning about the future of the semiconductor industry. 

Carrie's thoughts on the academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program

The Computer engineering graduate program has three distinct areas which means a student is able to really explore different aspects of computer engineering. The fact that it is possible to register for classes which explore the clean room, to design a VLSI chip or study robotics controls provide plenty of opportunities.

Favorite courses

CS 240A (Applied Parallel Programming) and CS 254 (Advanced Computer Architecture) are two courses I remember particularly enjoying. CS 254 answered several of my burning questions about why computers today are constructed the way they are. CS 240A was very helpful for my own programming skills and in general the things I learned in the course are helpful to the progress I make in my own research.

Experience with the screening exam

The screening exam is concerned with topics an undergraduate in computer engineering needs to know, and since I was not a CE undergraduate it took extra work to prepare. I studied by reading the undergrad text books at UCSB and it was actually much less intimidating than I thought it would be. By the time I took screening exam I had already TAed for 3 quarters, and the professors who are interviewing are really no worse than answering student questions. Being a TA made it easier to complete the screening exam.

Describe your experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

I have worked as a teaching assistant every quarter. For the past two years I have taught lab for Hardware/Software Interfaces/Embedded Systems (ECE153A/253) and another related course, Sensor and Peripheral Interface Design (ECE153B). Both courses are about using electronics to interact with the real world and since many students take both classes I see the same students twice in a row which is fun. Since these two classes are about building things it is rewarding to see the student projects blinking lights, running LCD screens and controlling motors the last week of the quarter. Another class I like to TA for is ECE 152A (Digital Logic Design) because once again it has fun lab projects. Over the summers I work as a GSR, which is much different than my usual routine (teaching assistant who also has a research project to work on). As a GSR it is much easier to become lost in thought and I can easily spend hours writing notes or reading.

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life

I always choose family over school. Early in my TA career, I formed a close group of graduate student friends and we still socialize on weekends.

Where have you lived while at UCSB?

When I moved to Santa Barbara my husband and I bought a spot in a trailer park near the butterfly grove in Goleta. We live there with our dog and 2 cats. Living in Santa Barbara is hard to figure out, but once you find a place the city is lovely to be a citizen of.

What do you do over the summers?

The summers are for focusing on my research. Last year I worked at UCSB in the lab building the test bench for our most recent chip, and next summer I will do the same for the next generation chip design.

Advice to prospective graduate students

Advice for prospective graduate students would be to make sure you know what you what to accomplish in graduate school, but be open to redefining the meaning of success at accomplishing your original goal.