Impressions of my research fellowship

My first impressions of working for APRIL are a bit surprising to myself. I expected a very difficult time both fitting in and being able to do the work provided by my professor. However, thankfully I have found my niche in the research group and have been successful in developing and contributing to the group. My project involves working with embedded devices, so a strong background in embedded electronics is needed. My previous experience with electronics, especially digital electronics, enables me to successfully complete many of the tasks assigned to me. For example, when interfacing with the wii nunchuck, I needed experience with both communication protocols and creating a more user friendly interface around that communication protocol. My experience with protocols like UART for the 8bit devices I previously worked with allowed me an easier time working with I2C. Furthermore, knowledge of electronics hardware is important, as you need to modify boards, build boards, and repair them. My previous summer job last year was essential to helping me with these issues. My previous job involved building circuit boards, which is perfect for what I'm doing now. I feel that I contribute a unique skill set to my group and believe that my previous experiences are the only reason I can contribute successfully to my group. I am very excited at how much I have learned, especially since it is something I likely will be working on throughout my life in my career as a Computer Engineer.