I am a first year Master's student and aspiring inventor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Currently, I am researching modular electronics and easily configurable hardware for rapid prototyping and user-customization of consumer electronics. Using principles of both analog design and computer architecture, I have been working on using development platforms to incorporate rapid prototyping in STEM education, especially for K-12 students and beyond. 

The goal of this project is to design and create an easily implementable emulation of a hackerspace in the classroom, by taking advantage of existing open-source embedded systems and easily accessible materials. This design will be accompanied by a proposed lesson plan with hands-on projects that progressively and gradually increase in difficulty. I will study the impacts of these projects on the students’ learning outcomes. Based on the results, and my background in printed circuit board (PCB) design, I will develop insights on what functions and aspects of different development systems are best for fostering innovation among students in STEM education. In addition, I will leverage the emerging Internet of Things technology to provide a strong motivation for students’ involvement in computer engineering and embedded systems design.