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MS Architecture, Large Scale Integration


What I am most excited about are the huge breakthroughs being made in semiconductor technology, especially over the last three decades, the breathtaking pace of integration, with the world becoming smaller and smaller as described by Moore’s Law. Walking into the Intel museum in Santa Clara, California, I never thought it would be the biggest ‘Aha!’ moment in my life. My love for very large scale integration (VLSI) was sparked on that day. Over the years, I tried to absorb whatever I could get my hands on pertaining to the field of electrical engineering, particularly the complex relationships between power and architecture. I hope to make my professional mark in life in the area of reliable, ultra low power digital designs. Earning the Master’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at a prestigious school such as yours, with an emphasis in VLSI, would be an ideal precursor to a career in research, my first love.

For me, failure is not falling down but refusing to get up. I have continued experimenting with microcontrollers and many robots have resulted from it, but my pride and my joy have been the quad rotor helicopter I built, again implemented using PIC microcontrollers. I integrated the gyroscope to provide automatic balancing. My strong interest in the programming and my experience with microcontrollers served as a foundation to learn VHDL in depth.

I learned the basics of electronics engineering as an undergraduate student. A robotics workshop introduced me to the world of microcontrollers and embedded systems. Since then, I have participated in many robotics events. My enthusiasm for C and C++ programming since high school has proved to be invaluable. My fascination with microcontrollers inspired me to build a caller line ID system as one of my most important academic projects along with the quad rotor helicopter that II built. As part of my final year project, I did a traffic light control system based on vehicle density using image processing. This has enabled me to excel at embedded programming and CAD software’s like Orcad and Proteus. I have also very much enjoyed organizing a robotics club which has given me the opportunity to share my knowledge with many other interested students, serving as a platform to fine tune my own understanding of the study of robotics. By combining my passion for programming with my experience with microcontrollers, I have developed a solid foundation for graduate school and keenly look forward to an in-depth analysis of VHDL in particular.

 I have received special training in PIC, ATMEL, and ARM microcontrollers and I am planning to do a course in VLSI engineering through the UC Santa Cruz extension program. NCSU is my first choice for graduate study and I have my heart set on enrolling in your computer architecture and systems program because I am especially attracted to your course structure. I hope to distinguish myself in your program as a result of my programming background and by drawing on my familiarity with embedded systems, particularly through VLSI and computer aided design. I want to focus on low power VLSI design techniques. A career as a VLSI design engineer in the research and development section of a leading company is the long term goal to which I aspire.

As part of my final year project I did a traffic light control system based on vehicle density using image processing techniques. Vehicle at each junction was calculated using MATLAB simulink blocks, which I used to filter the image and count the vehicles at each junction; the duration of the traffic light signal was selected depending on the traffic density at all junctions, and its duration was increased or decreased based on the continuously calculated vehicle density at each junction. The duration of the signals was managed by a fuzzy logic algorithm. Controlling the duration of signals in real time helped to attain a smoother traffic flow at junctions with high rates of traffic congestion.

One of the very special highlights in my career so far has been servant as event coordinator for circuit debugging and robotics events during our department’s technical festival. These events have put my leadership qualities to test. Staying calm in all situations helps me to effectively carry out my duties. Our robotics club provides me with the invaluable experience of sharing my experiences with my juniors and helping them to discover their own passion in robotics. It has helped me to fine tune my knowledge and creative capacity. My parents were not with me for most of my life; I was mostly raised by my grandparents. They instilled in me the virtues of compassion and charity. I am also actively involved with a local organization that helps to care for many homeless people. It allows me to give something back to the community.

I am certain that XXXX University will enable me to be someone who leaves a mark in this world and I thank you for considering my application to your program.

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