John

Hi, my name is John (ECE ’11), and I majored in electrical engineering at Boston University. Under the guidance of Professor Min-Chang Lee, I studied micropulsations induced by electromagnetic waves injected into the plasma of the earth’s ionosphere (the level of the atmosphere ionized by solar radiation).  You may ask, “How did you ever become involved in such a field?” If you are looking to expand beyond your coursework by becoming involved in research, the first step is to find something about which you are passionate. I realized that I had great interest in electromagnetics through the course taught by Professor Lee. I contacted him, and he helped me get involved in this cutting-edge research project.

One does not normally encounter plasma physics in the standard engineering curriculum. That’s why I attended tutorials in plasma physics given by Professor Lee. These sessions extended my knowledge of electromagnetics and allowed me to apply it to my research. My research revolved around proving that a correlation exists between two spatial components of local geomagnetic field fluctuations, or “micropulsations,” over time.

As an undergraduate, I was able to travel with my professor to the Arecibo Radar facility in Puerto Rico to gather primary data on the reaction of injected plasma to electromagnetic waves. In preparation for this trip, I learned how to use and calibrate instruments for data collection and experimentation right in our own laboratory. I also spent time in Alaska at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) in Gakona, Alaska, and was able to use information I collected there as background for my senior honors thesis.

If you come to BU to study EE or CE, I would encourage you to explore the many research opportunities available, even as a freshman. In fact, we had several first-year students working in our group. My own first-year project, under the guidance of Professor Michael Ruane, involved building a reflow oven to solder electronic components onto circuit boards. Like my current research, this earlier project was a rewarding, educational, and fruitful introduction to future extracurricular study at BU.

Questions: E-mail me!

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