Going Above and Beyond

In May 2021,Yuki Gao (B.S. ’21) received her bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering from New York Tech, graduating summa cum laude. She is now pursuing her master’s in electrical and computer engineering under the B.S. with Accelerated M.S. Options program, which allows undergraduate students with a consistent record of academic excellence the opportunity to earn their bachelor and master’s degrees in just five years.

During her undergraduate years, she was involved in several clubs, including being the president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapter on the New York City campus. Gao attended the IEEE Region 1 Conference in 2019, where she participated in the MicroMouse Competition and won first place with her team.

In addition to club activities, Gao also found time to participate in research projects. In 2018, she was part of a team of students that participated in New York Tech’s Undergraduate Research and Entrepreneurship Program (UREP) under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering N. Sertac Artan, Ph.D. The experience helped her learn how research is about tackling a problem and finding a solution, as well as team collaboration.

It also led her to apply to several Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs, which are funded by the National Science Foundation. In summer 2019, she was accepted into Georgia Institute of Technology’s Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering/Sciences robotics program.

In fall 2019, Gao decided to participate in UREP again, this time working under faculty mentor Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Reza K. Amineh, Ph.D., studying microwave sensing and imaging and nondestructive testing. The two-year project, “Effect of Eccentricity in Microwave Imaging of Multiple Composite Pipes,” was published in the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal (CUSJ). They also presented their work at the CUSJ symposium and New York Tech’s Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) in 2021.

Her hard work has paid off. Recently, she was selected to receive the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society’s Undergraduate/Pre-graduate Scholarship—2022 Cycle 1 Award. Every cycle, up to 10 students worldwide are awarded for their research work in the field of microwave and radio frequency (RF).

Gao is also a teaching assistant and graduate assistant helping College of Engineering and Computing Sciences professors with coursework and their communication with students.

Gao’s future career plan focuses on working in the areas of RF-, microwave-, and millimeter-wave fields. She would also like to pursue a Ph.D. degree in microwave imaging for applications such as nondestructive testing and biomedical diagnosis.