The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019 - 9

Special Section: Graduate Education

HEAR IT FROM PROFESSIONALS:

Lessons Learned and Advice for Graduate School
We asked our colleagues why they went to graduate school, when they began,
any advice they have for students considering an advanced degree, and what
they would do differently.

Emmanuel
Oyekanlu

IEEE-HKN Senior Design (Capstone)

POSTER COMPETITION
Are you working on a Senior Design (Capstone) Project?
Enter a poster describing your project in the IEEE-HKN Senior Design Poster
Competition. Abridged versions of selected posters will appear in an upcoming
issue of The Bridge, with authors being recognized.
ELIGIBILITY

REQUIREMENTS

* The project should have been completed
as part of your undergraduate coursework in
a topical area of IEEE interest, and supervised
by a faculty member.

* Submissions should be in .PDF format.

* The work must have been conducted
since 2018.
* Copyright must be available for all images
and figures.
* Previously published work is eligible if
reprint permission has been granted.

* Your poster must include the
following information:
* Project Title
* Names and affiliations of project
team members (students)
* Name and affiliation of faculty supervisor
* An abstract that briefly describes the project
* Motivation
* Approach
* Conclusions
* Acknowledgments (optional)

To enter, complete the submission form on the HKN website.
Entries must be received by 20 March 2020

THE BRIDGE

Beta Alpha
Data Science Engineer, Comcast
Editorial Board Member of The Bridge
Education
* Drexel University, USA (PhD, Electrical Engineering)
* Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden
(MSc., Signal Processing, Electrical Engineering,
and Telecommunications)
* Ladoke Akintola Univ. of Technology, Nigeria (B.Tech,
Computer Engineering)

Why did you go to graduate school?
I always wanted to help solve my country's challenges
in the area of telecommunication and power system
infrastructure. I deduced that studying all I could in
those areas would enable me to impart my knowledge
to other people. And collectively, we can solve those
problems together.
Did you begin your graduate studies immediately
after graduating with a bachelor's degree?
No. I had to work for some years before my
MSc studies, then I worked for a few months
before my PhD studies.
How did you fund your graduate study?
I got aSwedish government tuition-only scholarship
for my MSc studies. I had to work during the night
to augment my income and be able to pay for
accommodation, etc. I used a combination of teaching
assistantships and fellowships for my PhD studies.

What advice do you have for students considering
or beginning graduate study?
* Try and find an advisor that has the same vision and
general interest as you do. You can always identify
such people by reading their published works.
* Be prepared to work hard and undertake challenges-
more than is required of you.
* Find problems and studies in areas that you enjoy.
* When undertaking research challenges, know that it is
all part of what will make your sojourn a success.
* I am a Christian, as such I found out that prayers
supported with hard work help me a lot. It may do
the same for you if you are religious.
* Try to find a balance between your studies and other
areas of your life.
* Enjoy yourself, no matter what!
In hindsight, what do you wish you had done
differently during graduate school?
I would have endeavored to publish more research
works than I did. All that I published proved very
valuable for my professional success later in life.

HKN.ORG

9
https://hkn.ieee.org/senior-design-poster-competition/ https://hkn.ieee.org/ https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019
