Name: Jose Gonzalez
Pronouns: he/him
Institution: Texas A&M International University
Department: Engineering
Biography:
I am an undergraduate student at Texas A&M International University. I am studying systems engineering as well as computer engineering. I am interested in continuing higher education. To continue my education, I must increase my skills in the field of research. I have been part of a research group focused on tool development at my university for a year. This past summer, I took part in a research experience for undergraduates focusing on the general area of computer and data science at Texas A&M University. Both have helped me understand the effort I need to present to perform well to reach higher education. I applied and was accepted to the SRP internship this past summer of 2023; however, due to personal reasons, I could not participate. I am applying again to have the opportunity to participate in producing excellent research results. Now that I am in my final year, I am working on multiple projects, allowing me to perform well in the internship. I am an eager student excited to work with high technologies to help solve real-world problems through research.
Academic Status: Undergraduate Student
Year in program: 5th
Research Area/Department: Computer Science; Engineering; Machine Learning/AI
Other, specify:
Major/Specialty: I am completing a double major in Computer Engineering and Systems of Engineering. I chose to pursue both majors since both interest me and allow me to advance my knowledge and understanding of engineering. Becoming proficient in both engineering allows me to use my research skills and come up with projects to develop innovative solutions. My specialty includes analyzing and interpreting information through machine learning and working on developing software tools. The opportunity to study both engineering fields is a great pleasure.
Degrees Earned or in Progress: 1. Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering/2024 2. Bachelor’s in Systems of Engineering/2024 3. Associates of Art/2019 4. High School Diploma/2019
What courses or academic preparation have you completed to prepare for a summer internship experience?
For my Computer Engineering degree, I have completed the Fundamentals of Programming, Object Oriented Programming, Object Oriented Programming Lab, Operating Systems, Software Development, Software Design, Computer Architecture, and Software Engineering. These courses have allowed me to understand the idea of optimization. For these courses, a shared concept was to complete a project that required designing and implementing a specific goal. I have also taken the Algorithms and Data Structures course, one of my most important courses. The reason for this is that it allowed me to understand that the idea of design for an algorithm should be well thought out so that a project is efficient. From this, I understood that for research, it was the same. Planning out the project helps make goals and expectations clearer and more possible to complete. Without a proper proposal for the project, there is a greater chance that the project will not perform as well as it could. I understood this further in the Software Engineering course, which discussed how software projects should be made to be successful. The idea is the same for research since it requires setting a scope and tasks to ensure the project’s progress. The Computer Architecture and Embedded Systems course has enhanced my understanding of design since creating the most efficient hardware and software setup is imperative. The Computer Architecture course also had a project that helped me understand branch prediction, prefetching, and replacement policies. I have taken a course called Systems Simulations and it has helped me understand how to set boundaries and analyze and get results from the information. This was by using the Arena Software. I am taking the Computer Engineering Senior Design Project course, which focuses on developing a project. In this course, I am further enhancing my skills in research since for this course, I am working on a project to use microcontrollers to communicate and analyze data wirelessly. This helps increase my research skills because I continue to learn how to come up with ideas as well as organize the overall project so that it may be successful. The software design course allowed me to learn further about machine learning and developing models to analyze data best. The courses Engineering Statistics, Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Calculus 3, Ordinary Differential Equations, and Discrete Math have given me experience in advanced mathematical procedures to break down and solve problems. I previously worked as a Supplemental Instructor, working closely with faculty to explain concepts they went through in class. This work position allowed me to increase my communication skills with students and faculty to meet the expectations of being a supplemental instructor. I took part in an internship this past summer of 2023, which allowed me to increase my understanding of machine learning and its uses in the current world. I understand the importance of the models since they can be made more valuable and learning how to design projects better. I am proficient in C++, Python, Java, Assembly, and UML.
Have you published any research or worked on research/technical projects? No
Where has your research been published or where have you conducted research/technical projects?
Please describe your research/academic interests:
My research interest is to work on my skills by being part of research-based opportunities. I am motivated to develop research skills because I aim to work on research that will help solve problems and become a distinguished researcher. I want to challenge myself because this leads to future growth in research from exposure to the field. I understand that to solve the problem, it must first be understood, and I would like to learn how to break down these problems to solve them best. I am a lifelong learner and seek opportunities that lead to continuous education. The opportunity to work as part of a national lab is critical to learning and applying this knowledge in solving problems. Taking part in research for the national lab will increase my enthusiasm for research by allowing me to get an early understanding of the type of field I am pursuing. I have already been part of undergraduate research, which has been a great experience by allowing me to participate in the entire research process. The resources and exposure to the national lab would be invaluable to help me develop myself into a proficient researcher. The process of learning and applying is a great chance to make use of the knowledge acquired. My academic goal is to achieve a doctoral degree. At that stage, I would contribute to different research topics and apply my knowledge to produce great results. I am excited to be chosen for opportunities that help me achieve this goal. I am prepared to work hard to learn and finish with excellent results.
Computational and Data Science Areas:
Computational Science Applications, i.e., Bioscience, Cosmology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Nanotechnology, Climate, etc.; Computer Science; Data Analytics and Visualization; High-Performance Computing; Machine Learning and AI
Research Synergy:
I am interested in working with machine learning and data science research because there is significant potential in using and working with the models. The models can analyze data that can be used in different ways. One of these that I have learned about is how self-driving cars work. By taking in data, they can be trained to understand the environment around them and move around the area. These concepts have interested me because this is how to innovate and create the future. I would like to be part of this advancement and make progress towards helping more people with this technology. The undergraduate research I have been working on is software development. We aim to make a user-friendly tool that considers users’ utility. Machine learning and data sciences research relate to this work for the DOE labs because the national labs have research that focuses on past data. This allows for analyzing the data and interpreting the information. This can be done for various topics and applies to different works. My undergraduate research relates to the DOE work because software development leads to how the project’s design can be most helpful to those who will use it and those introduced to it. These research fields are helpful because they are an alternative to performing research in real scenarios. Some examples could be simulating computer performance to seek new ways to perform specific actions. I am sure this research would be applied to the labs to seek results that could help understand different systems and make changes accordingly. Data will always have to be analyzed, and if the data is used correctly through modeling, it could help projects find optimizations or changes they would like to make.
Motivation:
I am motivated to work in this program because it will be one of my most significant opportunities to experience the research field. As a national lab, it will provide the most insight into research. This exposure would allow me to understand research and how best to conduct it. I am a first-generation student, and I want to show that I can pursue high achievements in research, such as becoming a Ph.D. graduate. This opportunity would set me on the path of achieving academic excellence and working towards helping the world. I see there are multiple problems, and while they are complex, I am prepared to work to break them down and find solutions. I aim to prove that I can work on this research and will work towards the project’s success. I want to gain valuable research skills to help me in my long-term goal of becoming a research scientist. This is a rare opportunity, and I am eager to be given the chance to work for a national lab.
Lightning Talk Title: Developing Software Tools based on Machine Learning and Software Development