Jessica
Smith is a Computer Engineering student at the University of Idaho,
hoping to graduate May 2009 with her Bachelors and May 2010 with her
Masters. She grew up in Yakima, WA, and Boise, ID, graduating
Valedictorian from Meridian Technical Charter High School. After high
school, she married her high school sweetheart, who had joined the
military, and went to South Korea. After four years in the service,
they came home to Idaho to earn their degrees. Jessica is also the sole
proprietor of her own web design business, Bright Idea Technologies.
Her research is currently focusing on the security implications of
multi-core processors.
Interview:
Q: When did you know you wanted to become an Engineer?
I
had always enjoyed computers, fixing friends and families machines, but
I often became frustrated with design flaws and other stupid mistakes.
I decided to become a Computer Engineer because I wanted to create a
computer to fix all those mistakes.
Q: Are you incorporating any work experiences while you are a student?
I
have been able to participate in an internship at NASA Ames Research
Center as well as working as a grader and TA in the ECE department. I
also have my own business, which provides me with extra money.
Q: How did you prepare for your college experience?
Unfortunately,
I did little to prepare for college. I picked one that looked good and
went with it. I was lucky, and I spent my first semester at a small
college in British Columbia. Having done well in high school, I assumed
college would be equally easy. I wish I had learned better study skills
and team skills before I came to college.
Q:
Is there a specialty area you have focused on in engineering? If so,
what is it, and how did you decide on this specialty? Also, at what
point in your college experience did you decide?
I
have chosen to focus in Security, looking more at the hardware than the
software. I chose security because it is such a fast-paced,
always-a-learning-experience field, and I went hardware because I like
looking at the lower levels of a system, instead of the high-level OS
or application security.
Q: Do you find yourself studying more in a team situation or alone? Do you have a preference?
I
generally study by myself (usually riding a stationary bike or
elliptical at the same time), but always need the weekly meetings for
my projects to help generate new ideas. The ability to bounce ideas off
other people and see what they think is invaluable.
Q: What's the most rewarding aspect about working toward a degree in engineering?
I know that I will be paid (and paid well!) for doing something that I love
Q: Do you have any idea what sort of industry or work you'd like to do
when you graduate? If so, how did you find out about this industry or
field?
I
will work for the Federal Government (or a contractor) for at least the
first year of my working life, due to a commitment requirement of a
scholarship. After that, I would like to return to college to get my
PhD. Long term, I have no idea who I will be working for, but my goal
is to work with a company or department that is on the cutting edge.
Q: Did you think that school will prepare you for the way the work gets done in the real world?
The
coursework that I do for school probably would not prepare me for the
real world, but the research teams and internships will.
Q: What should high school students be doing to prepare themselves to take on the work that engineering students do?
GTake lots of math and science classes! Learn to always ask "why" or "what if". Learn how to study, and study well.
Q: Is financial aid available?
For
an engineer, the money is there. You may have to work for it, but a two
page essay that gets you a $1000 scholarship is a pretty good return.
