Dr. Eric Durant earned a PHD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering– MSOE and is currently a professor at MSOE
Dr. Durant has done research in Genetic Algorithms which is a form of Artificial Intelligence and adaptive signal processing focusing on applying mathematics in engineering. He is now digging into Deep Learning for Audio Processing.
Going into college he did not plan to get his PHD or become a professor, he got involved in digital signal processing in undergrad via elective courses and learned that it was an area he could learn more about during graduate school and went on to pursue his PHD. The standard advice is to get your PHD from a different university than your undergrad, but not a requirement by any means.
Many times as a professor, your summers are open for you to work in industry, do research, your summers can be very flexible. MSOE is very focused on teaching and is not an R1 Research University – something to ask when you are taking your college tours to make sure the school is a good fit for you.
He is really fired up about deep learning as an engineering tool and especially how it applies to signal processing – this is a whole new realm.
Ah-ha moment – as a sophomore in college struggling with an assembly language problem in lab, he learned how to debug problems as he struggled to figure out why it was not working. He just stuck with it and finally figured out the small problem he had and that was a very powerful moment. But some advice is when you are not making progress take a break and give your mind a rest and then come back an hour or so later and if still stuck ask a friend or a professor.
He tries to think outside the box, but be you need to be very laser focused on a task but then be able to break away. He likes Feedly to get access to RSS feeds and a book recommendation is Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.
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96: PHD Nanomedicine – Embedding messages into Nano Particles – Joy Wolfram
95: PHD In Quantum Chemistry and Quantum Mechanics-From Professor to Sales-Eva Vankova
94: PHD Biomolecular Structure and Design – Wants to make the world a better place – David Beck
93: PHD Biomedical – Nano Technology For Medicine and Drug Delivery – Alessandro Grattoni
92: PHD Chemical Engineering – Stretchable Electronics – Michael Dickey
91: Aerospace Engineer – You will fail a test or class along the way – Erin Young
90: Mechanical/Robotics/Computer Science – Nothing Cooler than Being a Woman in STEM – Alexis Block
89: Mechanical Engineer – From Sales to STEM Ambassador – Jay Flores
88: Chemical Engineering in Additive Manufacturing 3D Printing – Stacey Delvecchio
87: Bio engineering, Biomedical, Mechanical – Try as many new things – Juhanna Robberts
86: Digital Design Architect – Electrical Engineering – Do what you commit to – Nathanael Huffman
85: Epidemiology and Biostatistics – Stop Starting and Start Finishing! – Rebecca Carter
84: Physics and PHD in Solar Physics studying the Sun – Stephanie Yardley
83: Computer Science and Entrepreneur: You need to architect your career – Chris Smith
82: Civil Engineer – Was not aware of STEM until after her first degree – Mel Butcher
81: Mechanical Engineer focused on Sports Biomechanics – Alison Sheets
80: Science Geek to Management – Biology and MBA – John Heltemes
79: Data Scientist at Facebook – Don’t be afraid to try something new – Brandon Rohrer
78: Computer Science – You need to focus on the human side to solve complex problems – Zoey Gagnon
77: Chemical and Electrical Engineer with some great insights – Stephanie Chin
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