Featured Alumni: Xinyi Gu
Xinyi Gu earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Arizona in 2019. As an undergraduate, she worked with Linda Powers and Janet Roveda of ECE and with Phillip Kuo of the College of Medicine – Tucson. Her research focused on using wearable sensors to track heart rate variability and its relation to Alzheimer’s disease.
Why did you choose to study electrical and/or computer engineering? What brought you to the University of Arizona?
Both of my parents are electrical engineers, so I became interested in electrical engineering when I was very little. I visited the UA and attended a class before I applied here. I felt the lectures and homework here were better and more reasonable than the university I was enrolled in at that time, so I decided to transfer to the UA.
What will you be studying at MIT?
I will continue studying electrical engineering and focus on the brain-machine interface.
How did your University of Arizona education prepare you for your studies at MIT?
My UA education was a great help in preparing me for my future study. First, the fundamental classes I took taught me not only specific knowledge or applications, but also some methods to learn. For example, after taking the class about C/C++, I’m not only able to code with C/C++ , but I can learn other programming languages by myself easily.
Second, the research experience helped me to gain insight into the application of electrical engineering in biomedical study. The ECE department has a nice group of faculty with expertise in diverse fields. I was able to find the lab I want to work in and get help from professors. The research I did at the UA is critical to my future research. Also, the senior design program is helpful. The diversity of the projects we can choose from and the help we can get from the faculty help us gain experience and learn how to solve challenges.
What was your favorite part of your time at the University of Arizona Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering?
The faculty are kind and helpful. I liked taking classes at the UA and discussing my questions with professors both in and outside of class.