Clubs, other activities round out computer engineering graduate’s UIC experience
Clubs, other activities round out computer engineering graduate’s UIC experience Heading link
For computer engineering graduate Adrian Velasquez, participation in the various engineering clubs stands out as the highlight of his time as a student at UIC. Velasquez graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree and is actively interviewing with several area employers while still maintaining his ties to the College of Engineering. He hopes to find a role in robotics.
Before coming to UIC, Velasquez completed an associate’s degree in computer engineering from South Suburban College. When he began looking at universities close to home to complete his undergraduate degree, UIC stood out for the many clubs available to students, and the opportunities they provided, and the campus vibe.
“When I came to tour the campus, everyone was so friendly,” Velasquez said. “Looking back, it was the right decision to come here.”
Velasquez was active in the Engineering Design Team (EDT) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He worked on drones, robotics, and an electric racecar with SAE’s Formula E team.
“I’m a hands-on learner, so working on all these different projects with different clubs allowed me to go in, brainstorm multiple ideas, and make it work for a competition,” Velasquez said. “I want to go in and see how something works and then apply the theory behind it.”
Velasquez offered remote support to the EDT’s robotics team in a NASA-sponsored Lunabotics competition last month. The team finished first in the qualifying rounds, but unfortunately some technical issues came up with the software and electrical systems in the robot during the finals. The team took fifth overall. He will assist in an August drone competition with the EDT and has been asked to return to mentor various teams next year.
One of his favorite undertakings was for the UIC Engineering Expo, the capstone event of the Senior Design course that allows students to try to solve real-world problems. Velasquez worked on a team developing a wireless charging system for unmanned aerial vehicles and drones. He also held an internship sponsored by Intel at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he created a low-cost system to identify autonomous vehicles based on their frequencies.
If he could offer advice to incoming students, it’s this: “Plan out everything as best you can, and make sure to avoid tunnel vision; keep your mental health and physical health in mind,” Velasquez said. “And get involved!”