UPenn Projects

• ECar
• 75 - It seems like this kind of thing has been done before and is a little exhausted, and it didn't even look very polished. But, it does function as intended.
• Dance with your Hands!
• 75 - I like that it's using new technology, and it's a good idea, but the implementation looks a little clunky.
• Pokemon Stadium 350
• 90 - Reusing the old technology is a nice touch. The idea is great and could be made into a more polished toy that I could envision making a lot of money, especially if it carried the Pokemon brand.
• Rhex Box
• 80 - This looks surprisingly well constructed, and it's using new technology, but I don't know what you could really use it for.
• Automatic Chess Player
• 95 - I think this could have been implemented with an Arduino or a RaspberryPi instead which would make it more practical. Other than that, this is really cool!
• Sign Master 9000
• 90 - Seems like it could be useful, although it could get frustrating to use.
• Kinecto-Vision
• 95 - With more development, this could be an essential tool for anyone who is vision impaired. It uses inexpensive technology, and it's simple to use. 
• FPS 360
• 85 - It seems to be implemented fairly well. The only downside is that I'd imagine that it could be hazardous to be moving around without looking where you're going.
• Unviersal Glove Controller
• 80 - There seemed to be too much delay and problems with the sensitivity for it to be usable, but with more polish, it could be great.
• Greenengineering (2010-11 Senior Design)
• 70 - I'm sure there was a lot going on in the back-end, but the GUI was lacking too much polish.
• R.A.V.E.N (2010-11 Senior Design)
• 50 - It's a cool idea, but it was all talk. They never demonstrated it.
• High Speed Water Purification System for Developing Countries
• 95 - Seems like a genius idea and implementation, and it really seems like they know what they're doing, but they didn't demonstrate any before and after water purifications.
• Street Solutions
• 95 - I like that this is a mobile app. The website looks fairly polished. This is a great idea.
• Energy Performance Rating of Penn Buildings
• 95 - Great idea, and the GUI was nicely done. Deals with important issues.
• AccuEnergy
• 80 - Good idea and lots of data, but no demonstration.
• Electronic Pitch Trainer
• 100 - Incredibly well-done. Very nice idea with potential to make money, and I can see many other applications for this.
• Stadium Express
• 90 - Good idea, and it seems to work great. Just needs more polish.
• AutoPlug
• 95 - Great idea that scratches the surface of an even greater, bigger idea.
• Urban Energy Consumers as Solar Energy Producers
• 75 - Lots of good information, but no demonstration.
• Economic Network Model
• 80 - There was good information, but they didn't show the GUI that they mentioned.
• Sustainable Rainforest Solutions
• 90 - Lots of research done. Looks promising. Deals with real issues. Nice GUI.
• Spam Detection on Wikipedia
• 80 - Deals with a real problem. Seems well thought out, but there's no demonstration.
• Winds Up!
• 60 - Lots of research, and the GUI was a nice touch, but the GUI didn't look very polished, and it didn't look like many design aspects were demonstrated.
• Detection of Pneumonia by Computer-Aided Auscultation
• 100 - Very well researched. Tons of good information. Great idea that tried to solve a real problem. Incredibly well-polished.
• Intelligent Information Systems for Technical Trading Analysis
• 80 - Useful applications in the real world. Could use more polish, and could be a little more user-friendly.

Design

What is design? Of course, you could simply define it as the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it: "a particular purpose held in view by an individual or group."
But design is more than that. Design is an idea. It's imagination in the process of becoming reality. It's instructions to create something physical that didn't exist prior to design. It's a determination of a need or a desire and the subsequent challenges overcome to meet those needs and desires. It's the realization of an implementation.

My Major

Computer science has been something dear to my heart since before I even really knew what it was. So, when it came time to choose something to do for the rest of my life, the obvious choice for me was computer science. I started off in middle school programming in some simple scripting languages, and I quickly moved to BASIC and its variants. I continued to hone my skills on my own all the way through high school, but I knew that a college education was going to give me the tools that I couldn't get elsewhere.
After I graduate from UTK, I plan to go to graduate school to get my master's degree; although, I'm not sure where I will go yet.
As far as employment goes, ideally, I'd like to work for Google. But, wherever I work, I'd like to work with some sort of GUI design and implementation. I also have hopes to start my own company some day, but that may be a few more years down the road.
On average, software engineers have many opportunities on the horizon with a bachelor's degree, and potentially even more with a master's. According to research done by the University of Illinois in Chicago, 27% of emerging STEM jobs will be in the field of software engineering, and in 2010, software engineer was ranked the #2 job in America. And the salaries for computing jobs reflect the demand for employees. In 2010, the average salary offered to employees that held a bachelor's degree was $47,673, but computer science majors' offers were $60,426. That's with only a bachelor's degree.
So, as you can see, not only do I enjoying computer science, but I also have a very good chance of building a promising career on it.