Casebook
Bradley Hughes
Degree
Bachelor of Science
Major/Department
Electrical Engineering
Experience-based Learning Opportunity
A member of Team Case working on Dexter, Case's robotic car
Actively Involved
On
campus, I'm in a number of student organizations. Last spring I acted
as the light director for the Case Footlighter's musical production of
Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." This coming spring, I will again act as
light designer/director for the Footlighter's production of "Chicago."
Currently, I'm living in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house—a
chapter I've been a brother of since the beginning of my freshmen year.
I am also currently volunteering as a engineering mentor for a local
school that is entering the FIRST robotic competition. Hathaway Brown,
an all girls school in Cleveland, has previously never entered the
competition. We're teaching the high school students the fundamentals
of electrical systems, chassis design and robotic control so that they
can enter the competition this spring. Being in student organizations
has made me extremely busy but makes me a well-rounded person.
An Absolute Blast
For
the past year, I was as a team member for TeamCASE, Case's DARPA
Urban Challenge team. I have maintained full-time student status
while doing more than 20 hours of research per week for the past
three semesters. This past summer I was a SOURCE-funded student to work
full time with Dr. Wyatt Newman (TeamCASE Team Leader) in the area of
autonomous robotics. This fall, all of my hard work had paid off as the
project culminated in a two-week trip to California for the big race.
Even though we didn't qualify for the final race (only 11 of 90 initial
teams did), we were thought to have been in the top 20 of the
field. We had a fantastic real-world engineering experience that was
an absolute blast. Last spring, I was enrolled in EECS 397 for three credit
hours of independent study with my adviser. While I was in California,
I received two impromptu interviews by a couple of very serious
industry employers. The two interviews have turned into possible
internship opportunities.
Dream School
When
I had applied to colleges, Case was my dream school—the one school
that is a reach when you're applying. I knew there were a lot of great
opportunities with undergraduate research at Case with its 9:1 student
to faculty ratio, and that research was something I wanted to do.
In Their Power
Case's
faculty are fantastic people. If you put effort into communication,
they will do everything in their power to help you succeed toward your
goals. I feel that Case offers a much more individualized experience
for undergraduate engineering than a lot of other universities.
Too Many Times
I've
gotten to know my adviser very well over the past year. It has been a
really fantastic experience to work with Dr. Newman and learn
everything he has to offer not only as an expert in robotics but also
as a friend. Along with the rest of the team, we've eaten breakfast,
lunch and dinner together too many times to count. Through various
department and school events, I've been able to meet, network and talk
with Case alumni and school administration members such as President
Barbara Snyder and Dean Norman Tien.
Continue My Quest
After
I graduate from Case with my B.S. in electrical engineering, I plan to
get my master's in either electrical or systems engineering. There's a
great chance that I'll stay at Case to enroll in the one- to two-year
B.S./M.S. program. After that, I'm not entirely sure what I'll do, but I've
often thought about continuing in the academic world to get a Ph.D.
There's also a possibility that I will work for a few years and then
continue my quest for a Ph.D.