Dollars Versus Diplomas: Find Your Fire

Contents
Zoom in
Zoom out
For navigation instructions please click here
Search Issue
Next Page
Contents
Zoom in
Zoom out
For navigation instructions please click here
Search Issue
Next Page
Previous Page | Contents
| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page
Call For Articles
THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS
Associate Editors to Join the

IEEE Potentials Editorial Board
IEEE Potentials is seeking qualified ,(((Membersto
serve as associate editors on its editorial board. Each
associate editor contributes to the overall quality of the
magazine and serves a three-year term. Please e-mail
potentials@ieee.org if you would like to be considered.
_____________
You will receive further instructions for completing your
nomination form, including the essay questions below.
The application deadline is 1 August 201.
REQUIREMENTS
Q IEEE Member (Graduate Student Member, Member,
Senior, or Fellow grade) during your time of service
as an associate editor (three years).
Q Strong interest in the professional, social, and technical concerns of students.
Q Desire to see those concerns addressed in IEEE
Potentials in an objective and timely fashion.
BENEFITS
Communicate ideas to students.
Q Work with other IEEE Members from academia and
industry.
Write, solicit, and coordinate invited articles.

Read, review, and evaluate articles. Work with authors
to improve quality.
Q Contribute to the Gamesman, RSLQLRQHVVD\V
and other featured columns.
Q Attend one IEEE Potentials editorial board face-toface meeting and two to three teleconferences
each year.
Q
The nomination form includes the essay questions:

1) In 100 words or IHZHU, explain why you would like to
be the next associate editor of IEEE Potentials.
2) Describe your goals and objectives as an associate
editor.
3) List three areas of major concern to student engineers and technology professionals. In approximately
300 words, explore one area in detail.
4) Include three ideas for articles that you would like to
see appear in IEEE Potentials.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide input and feedback on the editorial content of
IEEE Potentials.
If you would like to discuss the roles and responsibilities of an associate editor before applying for a position on the editorial board, please contact IEEE
________
Potentials Editor-in-Chief David Tian, at david.tian@
ieee.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
_____
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2015.2421191

Student Resources
Call For Articles

May/June 2015
Vol. 34 No. 3
THEME: DOLLARS VERSUS DIPLOMAS
6
10
12
14
16
Take an active approach to getting interviews

Robert Hellmann
The importance of communication in the workplace

Alexander Choren
Working abroad: What is your vantage point?

Scott Donaldson
What is your work ethic?

ON THE COVER: Is your fire fueled
Raymond E. Floyd
by a career or continuing education?
Navigating the engineering career

fair with speed dating style!
DRAGONS CAN STOCK PHOTO/DVARG.

DOLLARS IMAGE LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK.
CAP & DIPLOMA IMAGES LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK.
Sachin Seth
19
Five reasons why you should attend

conferences as a student
Eva Cosoroaba
22
25
30
What and what not to expect from your Ph.D. advisor

Sharad Sinha
Finding a research problem: Tips for new Ph.D. students

Kundan Kandhway
DEPARTMENTS
& COLUMNS
3
4
42
48
editorial
the way ahead
my first job
gamesman problems
What every student should know: Seven learning

impediments and their remedies
Junaid Qadir
36
Finding happiness and satisfaction

during your Ph.D. program
Sharad Sinha and Mahdi Nikdast
FEATURE
39
Weighted code approach to generate Gray code
MISSION STATEMENT: IEEE Potentials

is the magazine dedicated to undergraduate
and graduate students and young professionals. IEEE Potentials explores career
strategies, the latest in research, and important technical developments. Through
its articles, it also relates theories to practical applications, highlights technologys
global impact, and generates international
forums that foster the sharing of diverse
ideas about the profession.
Lovesh Grover
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
Student Resources
Call For Articles
IEEE POTENTIALSTHE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief
David Tian,
Carnegie Mellon University
Student Editor
Davis George Moye, Florida State
University
Associate Editors
Vaughan Clarkson, University
of Queensland
Lyle Feisel
Elizabeth T.B. Johnston,
Design Alaska, Inc.
Athanasios Kakarountas, TEI of
Ionian Islands
Sachin Seth, Texas Instruments
Kim W. Tracy, Northeastern Illinois
University
Corresponding Editors
Raymond E. Floyd, IEEE Life
Senior Member
Sharad Sinha, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
IEEE PERIODICALS
MAGAZINES DEPARTMENT
445 Hoes Lane,
Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
Craig Causer, Managing Editor
Geraldine Krolin-Taylor, Senior
Managing Editor
Janet Dudar, Senior Art Director
Gail A. Schnitzer, Assistant Art
Director
Theresa L. Smith, Production
Coordinator
Mindy Belfer, Advertising
Sales Coordinator
+1 732 562 3937
Fax: +1 732 981 1855
Felicia Spagnoli, Advertising
Production Manager
Peter M. Tuohy, Production Director
Dawn M. Melley, Editorial Director
Fran Zappulla, Staff Director,
Publishing Operations
IEEE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Howard E. Michel, President
and CEO
Barry L. Shoop, President-Elect
Parviz Famouri, Secretary
J. Roberto de Marca, Past President
Jerry Hudgins, Treasurer
Vice Presidents
Saurabh Sinha, Educational Activities
Sheila Hemami, Pub. Services & Prod.
James A. Jefferies, President, IEEE-USA
Bruce P. Kraemer, President, Standards
Assoc.
Wai-Choong Wong, Member &

Geographic Activities
Vincenzo Piuri, Technical Activities
Division Directors
Ellen J. Yoffa (I)
Hirofumi Akagi (II)
Harvey A. Freeman (III)
William W. Moses (IV)
Susan K. Land (V)
Rob Reilly (VI)
Wanda K. Reder (VII)
John W. Walz (VIII)
Marina Ruggieru (IX)
Kazuhiro Kosuge (X)
Region Directors
Vincent P. Socci, Region 1
Timothy P. Kurzweg, Region 2
Mary Ellen Randall, Region 3
Robert C. Parro, Region 4
J. Derald Morgan, Region 5
Thomas Coughlin, Region 6
Amir G. Aghdam, Region 7
Costas M. Stasopoulos, Region 8
Norberto M. Lerendegui, Region 9
Ramakrishna Kappagantu, Region 10
Eric Herz, Director Emeritus
Theodore W. Hissey, Director Emeritus
HEADQUARTERS STAFF
E. James Prendergast, Executive Director
Shannon Johnston, Human Resources
Anthony Durniak, Publications
Douglas Gorham, Educational
Activities
Konstantinos Karachalios, Standards
Activities
Cecelia Jankowski, Member &
Donna Hourican, Chief Information
Officer (acting)
Elena Gerstmann, Staff Executive,
Corporate Activities
Patrick Mahoney, Chief Marketing
Officer
Thomas Siegert, Business
Administration & Chief Financial
Officer
Mary Ward-Callan, Technical Activities
Chris Brantley, IEEE-USA
IEEE MEMBER & GEOGRAPHIC

ACTIVITIES BOARD
Ralph Ford, Chair
Howard E. Michel, Past Chair
Don Bramlett, Treasurer
Cecelia Jankowski, Secretary
Babak Beheshti, Membership
Development
T. Scott Atkinson, Geographic Unit
Operations
Kim W. Tracy, Information
Management
Lawrence Wong, Strategic
Management and Analysis
Regional Directors
Peter Eckstein, Region 1
Parviz Famouri, Region 2
David G. Green, Region 3
Karen Pedersen, Region 4
James A. Jeffries, Region 5
Michael Andrews, Region 6
Keith B. Brown, Region 7
Martin Bastiaans, Region 8
Gustavo A. Giannattasio, Region 9
Toshio Fukuda, Region 10
Enrique Tejera and
Sattupathu Sankaran, Members
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
David Tian, Chair
(Potentials EIC)
Ralph Ford (MGA Chair)
John Paserba (SAC Chair)
Cecelia Jankowski (MGA Managing
Director)
MGA STUDENT ACTIVITIES

COMMITTEE
Pablo Herrero, Chair
pablo.herrero@ieee.org
___________
Steven James, Vice Chair
james@ieee.org
_______
John Paserba, Past Chair
j.paserba@ieee.org
_________
Enrique Tejera, Branch Chapter
Representative, e.tejera@ieee.org
________
Ramesh Nair, Branch Chapter Student
Representative, __________
rameshnair@ieee.org
Elie Rosen, Young Professionals Representative, erosen@eden.rutgers.edu
____________
David Tian, Potentials EIC
david.tian@ieee.org
_________
Larry K. Martin, Potentials Student
Editor, larrymar@hawaii.edu
__________
Erin Hogbin, MGA/SAC/SPAA Chair
e.hogbin@ieee.org
_________
Juan Esteban Velez Tamayo, MGA/SAC/
SPAA Co-chair
juanvelez1@ieee.org
_________
Guru Madhavan, IEEE USA SPAC Chair
gmadhavan@ieee.org
__________
Pramod Abichandani, TAB
Representative, ________
pva23@drexel.edu
Sinan Alsheikh, Corresponding
Member/IEEEXtreme Project Lead
alsheikh@ieee.org
________
REGIONAL STUDENT
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Babek Beheshti, Region 1
b.beheshti@ieee.org
_________
John Golzy, Region 2
jgolzy@devry.edu
________
Patrick Donohoe, Region 3
_____________
donohoe@ece.msstate.edu
Steven James, Region 4
james@ieee.org
_______
David Macke, Region 5
david.c.
macke.jr@ieee.org
____________
Mostafa Mortezaie, Region 6

mostafamortezaie@yahoo.com
______________
Maike Luiken, Region 7
maikeluiken@ieee.org
__________
Pablo Herrero, Region 8
pa.herrero@gmail.com
__________
Augusto Herrera, Region 9
augustojh@ieee.org
_________
Om Perkash, Region 10
opbatra2kn@gmail.com
___________
Regional Student
Representatives
Joseph Robinson, Region 1
robinson.jo@husky.neu.edu
_____________
Michael McLaughlin, Region 2
m.mclaughlin@ieee.org
___________
Joshua Shank, Region 3
rgiskard3@gmail.com
__________
Saurabh Mishra, Region 4
mish0099@umn.edu
__________
Phillip Wade, Region 5
phillipwade@hotmail.com
____________
Phoebe Henson, Region 6
pghenson@asu.edu
_________
Ali Jahanbani Ardakani, Region 7
ali.jahanbaniakani@mail.mcgill.com
________________
Christian Schmid, Region 8
chms@gmx.net
_______
Angela Paola Beltran Riveros, Region 9
paola.beltran@ieee.org
__________
Pasan Pethiyagode, Region 10
pasan.uom@gmail.com
___________
MEMBER & GEOGRAPHIC

ACTIVITIES DEPARTMENT
Cecelia Jankowski, Managing Director
James R. Moesch, Director,
Member Strategy
Cheryl Sinauskas, Director,
John Day, Director, Member Products
and Programs
Lisa Delventhal, Manager, Young
Professionals
Parshva Bavishi, Student Product
Specialist
Christine Eldridge, Administrative
Assistant, Student Services
Shareyna(Scott) Paradise, Student
Branch Development Specialist
Vera L. Sharoff, Director, Information
Management
INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES
R. Barnett Adler
b.adler@ieee.org
_______
Peter T. Mauzey
p.mauzey@ieee.org
_________
Prijoe Philips Komattu
prijoe.philips@gmail.com
____________
Gowtham Prasad
Rob Vice
IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

For more information, visit http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/whatis/policies/p9-26.html.
IEEE Potentials (ISSN 0278-6648) (IEPTDF) is published bimonthly by The Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Headquarters address: 3 Park Avenue, 17th
Floor, New York, NY 10016-5997. Phone: +1 212 705 7900. Change of address must be
received by the first of a month to be effective for the following issue. Please send to IEEE
Operations Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Annual Subscription, for IEEE
Student members, first subscription US$5 included in dues for U.S. and Canadian Student
members (optional for other Student members). Prices for members, nonmembers, and
additional member subscriptions are available upon request. Editorial correspondence
should be addressed to IEEE Potentials, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Responsibility for contents of papers published rests upon authors, and not the IEEE or its members. Unless otherwise specified, the IEEE neither endorses or sanctions any positions
or actions espoused in IEEE Potentials. All republication rights including translations are
reserved by the IEEE. Copyright and Reprint Permissions: Abstracting is permitted with
credit to the source. Libraries are permitted to photocopy beyond the limits of U.S. copyright
law, for private use of patrons, articles that carry a code at the bottom of the first page, provided the per-copy fee indicated in the code is paid through the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923. For other copying, reprint, or republication
permission, write to IEEE Potentials at Piscataway, NJ. All rights reserved. Copyright 2015
Q
May/June 2015
by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Subscriptions, orders, address changes: IEEE Operations Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway,
NJ 08854, Phone: +1 732 981 0060. Other publications: IEEE also publishes more than 30
specialized publications. Advertising Representative: IEEE Potentials, 445 Hoes Lane,
Piscataway, NJ 08854, Phone: +1 732 562 3946. IEEE Departments: IEEE Operations
Center (for orders, subscriptions, address changes, and Educational/Technical/ Standards/
Publishing/Regional/Section/Branch Services) 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854,
USA. Operations Center +1 732 981 0060; Washington Office/Professional Services +1 202
785 0017. Headquarters: Telecopier +1 212 752 4929, Telex 236-411.
Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster:
Send address changes to IEEE Potentials, IEEE, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854,
USA. Canadian Publications Agreement Number 40030962. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Fort Erie, ON L2A 6C7 Canada. Canadian GTS #125634188.
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
IEEE POTENTIALS

_____
Student Resources
Call For Articles
EDITORIAL
The burro
and the carrot
by Davis George Moye
IMAGE COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/CLAY JUNELL.
t is Friday at 5:30 p.m., and I am blowing off studying for a licensure exam next week because of distractions from my part-time job that consumes
more time than it merits. My calendar says I am
approaching the deadline for this editorial, which I
have not yet begun. Why am I behind schedule in writing it? Exams and thesis, part-time job, family, my dog
ate my watch, and many other valid excuses about
which you probably do not care.
Then I introspect about why I am doing all of this: I need
to work my part-time job to pay for the opportunity to take
my exams. I need to actually pass the exams to pass my
classes. I need to pass my classes to graduate. I also need
to write my thesis to graduate. I need to graduate to get a
job that is better than the one I have. I need to get a job that
is better than the one I have to pay for my familybut I am
not even married! (No, the dog does not substitute for a real
family.) Perhaps I have become the proverbial burro yoked
to a cart of academic and economic effort with a carrot of
success perpetually dangling in front of his face and eluding
every attempt at a solid bite? My struggle is not unique: At
some point we all feel like a diminutive beast of burden with
a derogative name. Seriously, in all of the cart pulling and
vegetable chasing, how can we plan our careers to ensure
we eventually get that carrot we want?
Let me tell a story: Once upon a time, I worked hard
on my license as a professional scuba divemaster (also
known as a glorified tour guide). After months of training, lots of money, and expensive insurance premiums,
I learned the supply of scuba divemasters exceeds the
demand. The profit margins are slim in that business.
But, there are perks when grateful tourists invite you to
party with them afterward! By contrast, the demand exceeds the supply of commercial diversthose who dive
at industrial sites like oil rigs. The pay is great, but at
the days end, your night life is constrained by the 50 m
# 50 m of the oil rig. Indeed, salary is not everything.
How will you get the carrot you desire?
I enjoyed showing tourists around offshore attractions,

and today I enjoy my graduate studies. However, I would
counsel anyone considering professional scuba training
to evaluate the same career implications of which I was
unaware. Now that I am scheduled to finish graduate
school this year, I am full of similar questions in my engineering career: What sort of positions should I pursue?
Project management? Patent law? Pick a topic and write
a Ph.D. dissertation? What industries are promising? Information technology? Computer hardware? Software?
Materials? Aerospace? The monastery? How will I establish relationships with future colleagues? How do I contact potential bosses? How do I articulate my sentiments
on any combination of these matters?
While everyone at IEEE Potentials wants you to get
your carrot and enjoy success, we also want to help you
answer these questions so that you chase the carrot that
is right for you and your success takes your cart where
you want it to go.
About the author

Date of publication: 6 May 2015
Davis George Moye (davisgeorge.moye.us@ieee.org)

_____________________ is
the student editor of IEEE Potentials.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
Student Resources
Call For Articles
THE WAY AHEAD
Loading up on
career silver bullets
By Pablo Herrero
his edition of IEEE Potentials focuses on careers

and graduate education, and it is my favorite
issue of the magazine. Being that many of you
are students, Im sure that you are looking forward to it as well.
I have always viewed IEEE membership as being one of
the top career assets that a student could have in his/her
portfolio. I call these assets career silver bullets. In my
experience as career development trainer and advisor at
my company, I have helped people from all over the world
to understand and assess their current possibilities and
plan for long-term careers. You might imagine that this
only makes sense when you are about to graduate, but
nothing is further from the truth! Career development is
something that lasts until your retirement (and for some
of our fellow IEEE Members, even after that!).
I was talking about career silver bullets. When I look
at students, I always encourage them to look for a differentiator. Top company recruiters flip over 100 resumes a
day. On an 8-h working day, this is about 10 min spent
per curriculum vitae (CV) (if lucky). These resumes include top-of-the-line students to fast followers and average studentsall in one pack. When you graduate from
your university, students are not very different from each
other. They all have taken (almost) the same courses,
lived in the same student residences, and will have more
or less similar grades (you would be surprised how alike
the averages of the majority of students look). This is why
during our student days we have to focus on our silver
bullets. What else can I do besides attending my lectures?
What will give that wow moment to the recruiter who
reads almost the same CV time and again? What can I
learn that is not taught in class?
Volunteering for the IEEE gives you exactly this edge.
It will provide those skills that you wont learn in class:
leadership, accountability, out-of-the-box thinking, and
networking and communication skills. All of these are

things for which companies desperately look for today.
Anybody can put this on a resume, but can you prove it?
An example of how you organized that robotics competition by securing funds from your university using your
contacts, recruited helpers to prepare the material needed, and convinced your student peers to attend the activity will boost your resume ahead of the pack. Recruiters
are currently looking for people who can put their skills
into practice, and it is becoming a real asset when candidates are able to prove how they learn a particular skill
and can articulate how they are putting it into practice.
As a hiring manager at Intel (a business with over ten
years on the list of top companies for which to work), I
can confess that I feel a little biased toward a CV from
someone who has volunteer experience at the IEEE. I
can teach a recent graduate to use a simulation tool in
three to six months, but it takes more than a year until
I can develop the leadership or the communication skills
a 100,000-employee company needs. If I see examples
of how a particular candidate uses his or her skills, its
easier to find the best fit in a professional environment.
Once you are in that dream job, never stop planning.
I constantly ask my employees (regardless of their age or
experience) what they will be doing in two to five years.
Even if all seems to be working out and you feel that you
are in the right job, most people get bored sooner or later.
Stay active, explore potential development opportunities,
and discuss your skills with your manager. Always try to
learn something new.
I hope that you enjoy our career special issue and that
you take a sneak peak on our job and career tools: the
IEEE Job Site and IEEE Resume Lab. They are powerful
tools that can get you into that dream job or plan for the
next dream job.
About the author

Pablo Herrero (Pablo.herrero@ieee.org)
_______________ is the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities chairStudent Activites.

Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

Student Resources
Call For Articles
GAMESMAN SOLUTIONS
Solution #1: Fire When Ready!

He should shoot at the ground. If Mr. Black shoots the
ground, it is Mr. Grays turn. Mr. Gray would rather shoot
at Mr. White than Mr. Black, because Mr. White is better. If Mr. Gray kills Mr. White, it is just
Mr. Black and Mr. Gray left, giving Mr. Black
a fair chance of winning. If Mr. Gray does
not kill Mr. White, it is Mr. Whites turn.
He would rather shoot at Mr. Gray
and will definitely kill him. Even
though it is now Mr. Black against
Mr. White, Mr. Black has a better
chance of winning than before.
enters the intersection is about 5.5%. At 45 mi/h, the car

is traveling at 66 ft/s and will take just over 3 s (3.03 s)
to travel the 200 ft to the intersection. Any yellow light
that is in the last 3.03 s of the light will cause the
driver to run a red light. The entire cycle of the
light is 55 s: 3.03/55 = 5.5%.
Solution #4: A Palindromic

Possibility
The interval is 2 min, between the
times of 9:59 and 10:01.
Solution #5: No Xs and Os on

This Toe
Solution #2: Cake Boss

At each bridge you are required to
give half of your cakes, and you
receive one back, which leaves you with
two cakes after every bridge.
Solution #3: Red Means Stop
NUMBERS CAN STOCK PHOTO/123DARTIST,

ANDROID CAN STOCK PHOTO/KIRSTYPARGETER
The probability of the driver encountering a yellow light and the light turning red before the car

Become a published author in 4 to 6 weeks.

IEEE Access is a multidisciplinary journal that allows you to:
+%#"$#$ '#
+(!$$$"%#$!""&''$$)!one-third !$"$
+ # %#"#$" %$Xplore$"")'$"##$
+%$%$#!")"$#$$ $*$$)$"$ %"#
+$"$%$$"%#$$ $ "!%#"$
+
$'$""#$" % $
%#'$ %$!$ "only $1,750!""$
IEEE Access... a multidisciplinary open access journal thats worthy of the IEEE.
14-PUB-246 12/14
Learn more at:

www.ieee.org/ieee-access
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Dollars Versus Diplomas

DOLLARSIMAGE LICENSED BY
GRAPHIC STOCK.
Take an
active approach to
getting interviews
Robert Hellmann
n your job search, you dont

want to passively wait around
for the ad to show up or the
headhunter to call. You want to
actively find people in a position
to hire you within your target
organizations and then go for it;
write e-mails and follow up with
phone calls to get meetings with
these people. In other words, dont
just drift around in the ocean hoping the currents will take you to an
Have six-to-ten things

At The Five OClock Club, we use a
numerical benchmark for this kind of
outreach. We tell clients to aim for
having six-to-ten things (i.e., meetings) in the works with people in a
position to hire you or give you a consulting opportunity. You get six-to-ten
things in the works by reaching out to
the right people (i.e., those who
could potentially hire you) via e-mails
and phone-call followups, whether or
not there is an opportunity now.
Dont send these e-mails out only
when you are sure employers are
IMAGE LICENSED BY INGR
AM PUBLISHING

island of your dreams. Find that

island and actively swim to it!
By taking this active approach,
you are way more likely to both get
what you want and get it faster. Let
ads and recruiting firms, the passive search, take up roughly 20% of
your valuable job search time. The
rest of the time, engage in this proactive outreach. You may have heard
of the hidden job market; access to
this market, and a corresponding increase in interviews, is gained by taking the active approach Im describing, as clients have discovered.
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
looking for someone. You want them

to get to know you and what you can
do for an organization, regardless;
assuming you are communicating
the right way, once you meet them,
all kinds of possibilities open up.
Even if theres nothing now, you can
keep in touch for something down
the road, or they might be able to refer you to someone else.
The numerical goal of at least six
things is important because at the
end of the day, its still a numbers
game: five of the six things will fall
away through no fault of your own.
Just get in front of people, with the
goal of getting another meeting
somewhere. Of course, you have to
find the right people first (LinkedIn
is a great place to start, as described
in my book Your Social Media Job
Search), and then communicate well
and say the right things in these
meetings (a topic for another article).
Heres a personal example. At
one point I was looking to meet senior people in higher education to
facilitate my transition from financial services. I wrote e-mails that
followed the rules described below
and sent them to top administrators
at universities in my job search
marketing plan. The result was
that I got all the meetings for which
I asked, more than a dozen at different universities. The outcome was
highly positive, resulting indirectly
in many opportunities for interviews
and offers.
In one instance that was typical, I
obtained a meeting with the numbertwo administrator at an Ivy League
school. At the end of our meeting, he said to me, I wish we had
talked with you a couple of months
ago when we were looking to hire
someone! Hearing him say this was
music to my ears, because his reaction confirmed that I was talking to
the right people and pitching myself
the right way. So I asked, Well, with
whom should I be talking? I ended
up getting a referral to a senior person at another university, which
ultimately led to an interview and
an offer. In other cases, with similar
nothing available now outcomes,
we kept in touch, and weeks down
the road they either contacted me

for an opportunity or referred me to
someone who needed help.
This approach is used successfully by my clients every day. They
build relationships with strangers
and then, crucially, keep in touch to
access the market for hidden job or
consulting opportunities.
Lets expand on both how to
write these e-mails and how to keep
in touch.
Consider the use of subheadings,
as I do with this article.

Minimize repetition. You dont
need to mention your extensive

marketing background three
timesonce is enough.
Rule #2: Default to using e-mail

Start with the presumption that
you are going to write your letter of
introduction or cover letter as an
e-mail. The reasons you want to
You want to actively find people in a position to hire

you within your target organizations, and then go for
it; write e-mails and follow up with phone calls to get
meetings with these people.
How to write your e-mails
Many cold e-mails and cover letters
(i.e., those sent to people you dont
know, asking for a meeting or an
interview) are not even read by the
recipientthe e-mail subject line
doesnt resonate or the content is
too dense, boring, irrelevant, or
seemingly pointless to engage the
reader. Clients who have applied the
following ten rules, however, have
seen big improvements in their
e-mail response rates.
Rule #1: Make your letter

easily scannable
These days, work is too fast-paced to
allow time for reading through a
long, dense letter. DONT take a page
out of your English Literature 101
class. DO make your letter a quick,
easy read, by applying these formatting techniques.
Use short paragraphsno more
than seven lines in any one paragraph (using an 8.5- # 11-in
Word document, Arial 11 font as
a guide). Fewer than seven lines
is better.
Use bullet points (e.g., like this).
Use bold face and/or underlining of key phrases to bring them
out. Make sure you use this
technique sparinglytoo much
bolding or underlining will defeat
the purpose and look terrible.
default to e-mail: first, it works (as I

see every day with clients); second,
sending an e-mail is so much faster
(you can skip buying stamps, getting the envelope to print, and
remembering to mail the letter);
and third, letters can make you
look too old fashioned. Plus its
much easier for the recipient to
respond to an e-mail.
Your job search and business
prospecting time is valuable. Email instead of postal mail saves
you time without sacrificing results. That said, there are a couple
of situations where sending a letter
by mail may get you a better result.
1) If you feel the person to whom
you are reaching out is more old
school (e.g. from an older generation, more conservative, etc.), then
a letter may be more appropriate.
2) A letter might stand out more than
an e-mail since its so unusual to
receive a letter these days. To help
a letter stand out even more, consider sending it by Priority Mail.
If you have the time, you could
send an e-mail and then, if no
response is received, a letter.
Rule #3: Always include your

correspondence in the body
of the e-mail
People dont like to open e-mail attachments, especially from strangers!
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Rule #4: Engage them with

the e-mail subject line
The subject line is key to your e-mail
message being read if you dont know
the recipient. The more specific and
relevant the subject line, the more
likely the e-mail will be read. Hello
is NOT a good subject line. Examples
of good subject lines include:
Your Article About Database
Marketing in AdWeek
Referred by Susan Smith, re:
Latin American Expansion
Open to Discussing Fundraising
at Ivy University?
Our Three Mutual Connections
on LinkedIn.
Rule #5: Make sure your e-mail

address is professional
Doggie23@aol.com
___
____________ wont cut it. Firstwill make
a better impression and improve the
odds of your email getting past the
spam filters.
nameLastname@gmail.com
__________________
Rule #6: Focus on them

I get so many drafts that are all
about me, me, me, when instead
the focus should be on solving the
recipients problems and issues.
tailor the e-mail further, to make it

more personal. Examples include:
I noticed from your profile that you
also made the transition from corporate to nonprofit that I am seeking, or The point you made about x
in last weeks talk reminded me.
What you dont want to do, however, is sound insincere. Your company is great is the kind of generic
phrase that could be applied to any
company and will turn off the reader. So if you dont have something
genuine and sincere to say, dont
force itbetter to say nothing.
On a similar note, if your e-mail is
about asking for help or advice, show
appreciation, as in I would greatly appreciate. A simple thank
you can, of course, go a long way.
It sounds easy and obvious, but too
many clients forget these basic rules
of relationships in their drafts.
Rule #7: Tell them your

purpose early on
You have got to tell them the reason
for your reaching out to them, ideally in paragraph one or paragraph
two at the latest. Otherwise you are
risking impatience; your letter may
You have got to tell them the reason for your

reaching out to them, ideally in paragraph one
or paragraph two at the latest.
Examples of language to use include
Our meeting could be mutually beneficial since, or Your companys
mission toresonates, or My background in could be of help, given
your expansion into health care.
Try to make the meeting you are
seeking mutually beneficial. If you
can find a way to do that (and follow
these other rules as well), youll get
a positive response to your inquiry
the majority of the time. Making the
meeting mutually beneficial could
be as simple as writing, I would be
happy to introduce you to people in
my LinkedIn network.
Sometimes you might see something on their LinkedIn profile or
elsewhere that might inspire you to
Q
May/June 2015
Rule #8: Include your pitch

Summarize your background in one
or two sentences, link it to how you
can help them, and then share some
relevant background highlights by
including a few bulleted accomplishments. Strangers will, naturally, want to know from whom they
are hearing. A powerful pitch in your
Rule #9: End with a clear

call to action
Say, Would you have 1520 minutes available to talk? (Its so easy
for them to hit reply on an e-mail
and say yes, and everyone has that
time somewhere on their calendar.)
And/or say, Ill contact your office
to see if I can get on your calendar in
a few days, assuming I dont hear
from you first.
Rule #10: Avoid spelling and

grammar mistakes!
Once again, it sounds obvious but I
receive so many drafts with long
IEEE POTENTIALS

not be read all the way through. On

a side note: the goal here is to get a
meeting whether or not there is a
current job opening or business
opportunity. Once you meet, youve
established a relationship that can
lead to referrals or opportunities
down the road if theres nothing
available immediately.
e-mail can really help to get the

reader interested in meeting with
you. Heres an example:
I bring nearly 14 years of
database marketing expertise
that is, turning raw data into
actionable knowledge for marketing or sales teams. My background includes database
design, modeling, reporting, and
campaign analytics. I believe
your university would find this
experience valuable in optimizing fundraising contacts, targeting enrollment prospects, and
improving retention. Highlights
from my background include:
t Doubled marketings ROI to
23% through a test-learnenhance approach to campaigns and an innovative segmentation strategy.
t Increased retention by 57% for
high-potential customers.
t Increased account acquisition
revenue by 79% through better
targeting.
t Built three databases, each
containing millions of records,
for a Fortune 100 institution.
Using this example as a model,
your pitch should include:
1) How they should categorize you
(Database Marketing expertise),
2) What differentiates you from the
competition (14 yearsMy
background includes <list of differentiators>), and
3) Concise examples to back it up
(the bulleted accomplishments).
Student Resources
Call For Articles
run-on sentences, simple spelling

mistakes, and more. I see these
problems more often of course with
clients whose first language is something other than English. My advice:
1) Put the e-mail away overnight,
and read it again the next morning before sending it. You will
wake up with a fresh perspective
that enables you to spot problems
you didnt see the night before (I
routinely do this myself).
2) Have someone else look over your
drafts before you send them out,
if writing (or writing in English)
isnt your thing.
Simple issues with your written
communication can sabotage otherwise great content, making you look
unprofessional or careless. Try to get
the basic rules of written communication right.
How to keep in touch

Keeping in touch with your network
is key. If, in your first meeting with
them, you find there are no opportunities available now, keep in touch
for when something opens up either
in their organization or perhaps with
one of their colleagues. Clients routinely land interviews, jobs, and consulting assignments because they
keep top-of-mind with their network.
When a network contact suddenly
has a need to hire someone, or
knows of someone who does, you
want them to think of you.
Dont make the mistake of a client
who came to me after looking fruitlessly for a year. I asked her about
her search. She said About a year
ago, I had a lot of great informational
meetings with people who could hire
me. I asked, what happened? She
said, Well, I lost touch with them after we met. If she had kept in touch
with these contacts she would in all
likelihood have already been offered
the jobs she was seeking and would
never have needed to see me!
Getting and acing networking
meetings is 50% of what you need to
do. Keeping in touch following these
If you are actively looking for an opportunity,

plan on reaching out to your network every three
to six weeks, with the goal of simply reminding
them you exist.
meetings is the other 50%. If you dont
keep in touch, you are not a good networker and will miss opportunities.
If you are actively looking for an
opportunity, plan on reaching out
to your network every three to six
weeks, with the goal of simply reminding them you exist (when you
are happily employed aim for once
every three to six months). The
goal is not to ask them for anything
again, you already did that in your
first meeting. Instead, just remind
them youre around so if something
comes up, they think of you.
So how do you keep in touch?
Three ways:
1) Send them a link to something
interesting. Only do this if the
link is really helpful to them.
Otherwise, you are going to waste
their time, and effectively show
them how you can hurt them,
not help them.
2) Share additional thoughts. For
example, you might send an
email that says something like,
Hi Susan, thanks again for meeting with me last month, once again
it was great talking with you!
Since we last spoke Ive had additional thoughts about x that I
wanted to share with you
3) Just simply update them and
how you are doing. Heres an
example:
Subject: Hello and Update
Hi Ben,
Hope things are well with
you and that you had a nice
vacation. Thanks again for
meeting with me last month!
Thought I would update you
on how things are going with
my search as its been a while.
Ive met with TechCompany1, as well as some other
information technology firms.

The conversations have been
interesting and may result in
something down the road. In
the meantime, I continue to
reach out to companies and
people in my marketing plan.
If there is anything I can do
for you, including introducing
you to people in my LinkedIn
network, please dont hesitate
to ask.
Note, in this message, there was
nothing about whats the status?
or heard anything lately? Your
recipient already knows what you
want, and it sounds insecure and
pushy to bring it up again. Plus, now
you are asking them to do unnecessary work, that is, requiring them
to respond when there may be nothing now. Just use this note to simply
keep yourself on their radar and remind them that you exist.
In addition, notice how in this example the e-mail ends with an offer
to help the recipient. Thats a nice
touch. Give and you shall receive
not only does it work, but its a nice
way to live!
About the author

__________
Robert Hellmann (rob@hellmann
consulting.com)
__________ of Hellmann Career
Consulting (www.hellmannconsulting.
___ is a certified The Five OClock
com)
Club senior career coach, the author
of Your Social Media Job Search, and
an adjunct professor at New York University. He has a substantial nationwide private practice and has helped
thousands of professionals to reach
their career goals.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
The importance
of communication
in the workplace
Alexander Choren
merous ways. This may be in communicating research progress or

objectives, effectively supporting
your companys product or service
to a client, or in client and peer
training. With developed communication skills, engineers will see increased career opportunities and
foster personal growth. A variety of
means to improve your communic at ion sk i l l s c a n b e r e ac he d
through a number of exciting opportunities that will pay dividends
to both you and your employer.
In my first ten years as an engineer, I have noticed how the ability to

communicate effectively is valued in
the workplace. Competent communication skills have made the difference
between my own and others promotions, my company gaining new work,
and my being assigned to new and
exciting opportunities. In some unfortunate cases, too, it has been part
of the reason some employees are no
longer with the company. Its time we
face the fact that most engineers are
not great communicators.
IMAGE LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK
ommunication skills are

consistently one of the
most valued skill sets
sought by employers.
Unfor tunately, due to
the technical nature inherent to the engineering discipline, and often the hobbies that
accompany individuals within the
profession, t he development of
communication skills is often overlooked. The ability of an engineer
to effectively communicate in the
workplace manifests itself in nu-

10
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
This realization shouldnt be news

to us. So much of our job responsibilities and often our personal interests
are technical in nature; so why the
emphasis on being a good communicator? Studies such as ManpowerGroups annual Talent Shortage
Survey report that nearly one in five
employers worldwide cant fill positions because they cant find people
with soft skills and it has a high
impact on their organizations ability to meet client needs. According to
the National Association of Colleges
and Employers, the ability to verbally
communicate inside and outside
the organization is the most-valued
employee skill set for employers.
But why? Because effective communication facilitates personal growth
and professional development. Your
employer doesnt question your technical aptitude. They know engineering
is not an easy curriculum, and theyre
aware youve worked (or are working)
hard to earn your diploma. You can
be the best engineer in the world, but
if you cant clearly explain your work,
share your development process, and
communicate your reasoning, youre
of little value to your employer. In the
real world, this work is your companys service or product, and your
ability to communicate takes place at
a sales meeting, a conference call, or
in training a client or new staff. Do it
well, and youve earned your paycheck
and the attention of your supervisor.
Do it poorly, and your professional
standing as well as your employers
reputation suffer.
Currently, engineering schools
and universities struggle to maintain a balance between guaranteeing gradation within a certain time
frame and offering a sufficiently
broad range of courses to their future
graduates. Curricula that are ABET
accredited are required to ensure
that program graduates acquire the
ability to communicate effectively.
However, courses directly pertaining
to communication, writing, or presentation skill development may only
be available as electives outside of the
core curriculum. This means that the
development of communication skills
is ancillary to core class concerns
and is tested only in the culminating senior-year final project. Though

the opportunities to sharpen your
communication skills while in school
should be seized when presented, you
still have plenty of avenues to further
your personal development once out
in the workplace.
Move outside your

comfort zone
The first step in becoming a better
communicator is realizing that you
can personally benefit greatly by improving your communication skills.
The second step is to do something
to develop those skills. I consider
myself an above-average communicator when compared to many of my
engineering peers. But where I feel
lacking is in communication situations where I get nervous, such as
being put on the spot at meetings. I
dont question the validity of the input Im about to provide, but theres
just something about that moment
that can somehow be nerve-racking.
So I decided to join my local Toastmasters chapter. This group meets
twice monthly and practices speaking skills and speech-giving.
Do I give speeches as a part of my
daily engineering duties? Absolutely
not. But becoming comfortable with
speaking on my feet and handling being put on the spot certainly is. One
thing I was truly nervous about when
first joining was how I was going to
look in front of the other members who
were so much better at giving speeches. This was an inherently ridiculous
mind-setnobody joins a group like
this to show off their communication skills. Sure, there are some who
are quite good at delivering a rousing
speech. But most are just like me who
joined knowing this was one of many
tools that can be used to help develop
their personal skills.
I especially encourage the young
engineers out there to seek additional opportunities outside of your comfort zone that can enhance your communication skills. Join a local hobby
group or theater organization or participate in professional conferences
in your area. Perhaps find a subject
matter of interest that youve always
been curious about but never taken

the time to explore and dig deep into
learning everything you can about
it. Then attempt to educate others
about it or engage and discuss with
those who also share your interests.
The possibilities are endless. The
value gained in your pursuit to better
your communication skills outside of
the engineering workplace will make
you more valuable to your current
employer, lead to rsum-enhancing
opportunities, and serve as a critical
tool for personal growth.
Read more about it

t H. Zeng. Manpower
Group.
(2013). 2013 Talent shortage survey
research results. [Online]. Available:
http://www.manpowergroup.us/
campaigns/talent-shortage-2013/pdf/
_________________________
2013_Talent_Shortage_Survey_Results_
_________________________
US_lo_0510.pdf
__________
t National Association of Colleges
and Employers. (2013, April). Top 10
skills for job candidates. [Online].
Available: __________________
https://www.naceweb.org/
s04032013/top-10-job-skills.aspx
______________________
t ABET. (2012). Criteria for accrediting engineering programs. [Online].
Available: http://www.abet.org/
uploadedFiles/Accreditation/Accredita_________________________
tion_Step_by_Step/Accreditation_
_________________________
Documents/Current/2013_-_2014/
________________________
eac-criteria-2013-2014.pdf
_________________
About the author

Alexander Choren (achoren@gmail.
__________
com)
___ earned his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Wisconsins
Milwaukee School of Engineering, his
Dipl-Ing degree in communications
engineering from the University of
Applied Sciences in Lbeck, Germany, and his M.B.A. degree in operations management and international
business from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul
University in Chicago, Illinois. He
has served as a project engineer and
program management lead on
national and international projects
focusing on critical infrastructure,
private- and government-developed
energy projects, as well as nuclear
and other high-risk mitigation and
safety initiatives.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
11
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
Working abroad:
What is your
vantage point?
Scott Donaldson
y careers in the U.S.

Navy, project management, and engineering management
have taken me all
over the world. I have
had the privilege of traveling to 48 of
the worlds 196 countries, experiencing many different cultures, and
seeing wonders in all of them. My
exposure to these different cultures
has shaped my livelihood. Recently,
I developed information technology

12
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

(IT) infrastructure in Afghanistan,

and now I am an energy consultant
in Kenya. In addition to separate
cultures, all of these countries have
unique policies, regulations, and
laws, which compounded challenges
in finding common ground to work
together successfully. The key I have
found to working with the citizens of
other countries is to view situations
from their viewpoint, changing my
vantage point.
My background is general engineering with a masters degree in
engineering management, but those
are only tools that I pull out of my
tool bag when needed. I attended

the U.S. Naval Academy for my undergraduate degree, where everyone
must study electrical engineering
for one year. I found the electrical
engineering courses most useful
throughout my career and have applied them to construction, troubleshooting the cause of electrical fires,
and calculating power requirements
for forward-operating bases in remote areas. I really have no formal
education in IT, but IT has played
a role in most of my work in having
to set up remote satellite stations so
contractors and governments can
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
communicate. At one point, I wrote

an IT business plan for an Afghan
company to gain the last Internet license in Afghanistan.
Writing the Afghan IT business
plan seemed a bit daunting at first,
but I soon found my concern was for
naught. To my surprise, the Ministry of Communications told the company it was the best business plan
they had ever seen. My true challenge was with the Afghan company.
The company did not understand the
need to invest in training and infrastructure to support its customers.
The company had partnered with an
American IT company for brand recognition and quality, but the Afghan
company was responsible for the
in-country customer service. Their
response time and service was lackluster at best, and customers were
unhappy to say the least.
The Afghan vantage point was
that customer service was good
enough and spending money on
training and infrastructure was
a waste. My vantage point was to
demonstrate to the Afghan company that they were losing customers.
Once this was understood, we were
able to develop a phased financial
approach for hiring, training, and
infrastructure. The problematic
vantage point is to think each other
is wrong. You must invest the time
and effort to understand the others
vantage pointnot agree, but understand. At this point, an acceptable compromise can be struck.
This is not easy, but understanding
each others vantage point is an important first step. It is also the first
step to influencing how both sides
work now and in the future.
Culture clash
What I believe to be most important is understanding who you are
as an individual and how your culture impacts how you think and
how you are perceived. Even when
we work in our countries of origin
culture plays a role, but it is minimized due to common beliefs and
understandings. Culture plays a
more significant role for a foreigner
in another country.
The most common comment I receive as a Westerner living in Africa

is You dont know what it is like to
do business in Africa. The African
in this case already has a perception of me based on my accent,
skin color (this may be shocking to
some, but it is very true), and knowing I am an American. This perception changes with a bit of chagrin
on their part when they find out I
live in Africa. What must be understood is their perception has a lot of
meaning behind it, usually from a
bad past experience.
In much of Africa, there is a perception of foreign businessmen who
want to fly in, present their product/
service, answer questions, sign the
deal, and fly back home. If they can
do that in a day, all the better! It is
what an African calls a briefcase
businessman, which is not meant
as a compliment. In contrast, the average Kenyan (or Afghan) is more interested in getting to know you and
building a relationship over time,
where trust is developed to work
with a friendnot just a colleague.
This takes quite a bit of patience.
The challenge is an educational
process to understand both the African and Western models. When I
am told that I do not know what it
is like to do business in Africa, the
same is true for the African. They
usually do not know what it is like to
do business in the United States. So
how can two different models challenged by different cultures, laws,
languages, and customs find a common ground? It is all about building
the relationship where the African
can grow to trust the Westerner as
a person. At this point, you are able
to more openly discuss challenges to
both the African way and the Western way of working to find compromises that will not violate core values, policies, regulations, or laws.
Recently, I met with a high-level
Kenyan official to present a service
opportunity for his ministry. This
was our first official meeting. As I
concluded my briefing, he and I were
left to talk in private. Our conversation transitioned to more personal
and philosophic topics. I learned he
had lived in the United States and

that his daughter is attending a university in America. I explained that
my wife is third-generation British
but a Kenyan by birth. The personal
conversation connected us. He spoke
of past frustrations in talking with
AmericansThe Americans have
a tendency use their filter. He was
speaking of their vantage point where
Americans could not begin to see the
situation from his perspective.
The reward is the connection,
which often can be more rewarding
than the work project or business
deal. When you truly understand
the other persons vantage point, almost anything is possible. When my
new friend, the Kenya official, and
I agreed that it is our filters that
prevent us from growing a relationship, we found a common grounda
common vantage point. He then told
me, You seem to have become part
Kenyan. We are different, having
our own biases, but for a moment
we saw the situation from the same
vantage point. When vantage points
become the same, work can begin.
Your education is valuable and
will serve you well in your career,
but how you lead people, manage
organizations, and develop relationships will define your success.
By the way, not being able to see
someone elses vantage point is
not a Westerner versus the world
problem. This challenge applies to
everyone when two different cultures meet.
About the author

__________
Scott Donaldson (sdonaldson@
tdbintl.com)
________ is a businessman and
retired U.S. Navy Captain who has
over 28 years of demonstrated leadership at various levels of responsibility in the areas of business development, diplomacy, capacity building, engineering, and security. He led
programs that totaled US$1 billion
over a four -year period, building
infrastructure to strengthen rule of
law and promote overall security for
countries in Central and South Asia
as well as in Africa.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
13
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
What is your
work ethic?
Raymond E. Floyd
ome of you may question

the title of this article as
possibly being an oxymoron, but it isnt if you take
a few minutes to think
about it. In the intended
context of the word ethics, the connection of work and ethics does not
have a strong relationship to the
IEEE Code of Ethics. In the latter
case, the IEEE Code of Ethics deals
with the responsibilities of each IEEE
Member accepting an obligation to
his or her chosen profession, including the commitment of the highest
professional and ethical conduct possible. (For a look at the complete
IEEE Code of Ethics, visit www.ieee.
org/corporate/governance.) In the
particular context of this article,

work ethic is concerned with the
basic approach to the work assignments one is given, the acceptance of
the assignment and responsibility for
it, and the manner in which the end
result is accomplished.
There are times in ones career
that assignments will be given that
just dont seem to be much fun, or at
least not as much fun as others have
been. It is in these situations that
IMAGE LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK.

HARD WORK LOGOIMGE LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK.

one must demonstrate what type of

work ethic one possesses. Did you
work as hard as you normally would,
completing the assignment in your
best professional manner, or did you
put forth a half-hearted work effort
into completing the projectperhaps
even finishing late rather than on
time? In the first instance, you are
demonstrating a strong work ethic,
where success is measured in the
accomplishment of the task in spite
of the nature of the project. In the
process of your accomplishment, you
may wonder whether the results are
worth the effort, but in the long run,
that effort will be recognized and
rewarded with new tasks that will
bring self-satisfaction and career
gains. That should be your goal in
every assignment, to receive recognition of a job well done.
14
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
One may believe that given more

money, the assignments wont matter.
You are being paid enough to make
the work, at a minimum, acceptable
if not enjoyable. Once while teaching a leadership class, I commented
that in a paper written by Abraham
Mazlow, once certain fundamental
things were gained, money no longer
became the motivational factor that
it had been (the lack of it could be a
demotivator however). Factors such as
recognition, job satisfaction, and others became more important to being
successful in a career. A young engineer raised his hand and said, If you
pay me enough money, Ill be happy
in whatever job you give me. Money is
the most important motivation factor
to me. I asked him what he thought
would be enough money to make him
happy regardless of the assignment.
He thought about it for a minute or so
and said, $250,000 a year would be
a reasonable amount for any assignment. I told him I would go to the Salary Administration Department and
get that approved, the caveat being
that I got to decide on the job.
The next day we continued the
class, but I started with the description of the job that I had determined
for the young engineer. His new assignment was to report to the mens
room each morning, dressed as he
normally would (pin-stripe suit,
white shirt, narrow tie). When a person came in and used the facilities,
he would then scrub the used facility
to make sure it was clean and ready
for the next user. The young engineer
thought about this assignment for
about 30 s and said, I dont think I
asked for enough money! Needless
to say, after a burst of laughter, the
class got the point. While it wasnt a
scientific study, it makes the point
that money is probably not the cureall for job dissatisfaction.
Come on, get happy!

In another example, I once had a
young engineer working for me as
a diagnostic programmer, writing
test programs used for debugging
system failures. He had been with
the company for about ten years,
had progressed at a reasonable rate
of advancement, receiving regular

salary increases and everything
looking like a normal progression.
However, he just didnt seem to be a
happy person, frequently complaining about trivial problems, making
deliveries on time or just a day or so
late, and being more of a loner than
a team player. During a counseling
session, I noted to him that he didnt
seem to be very happy in doing his
job. He said that he hated doing the
programming and engineering work!
When I asked him why he continued
to do it, his response was, It pays
well. I suggested to him that he
needed to think about what it was
that would make him happy and enjoy his work and life. The next day
he handed me a letter of resignation,
saying that he had reached a decision he had wanted to pursue years
beforehe was headed to a monastery to become a priest! That had
been his wish for many years, in essence his lifes work desire.
And finally, an example from my
personal experience. From 1966 to
1970, I was involved with the Apollo
lunar program, working at the Kennedy Space Center in support of the
Saturn launch vehicle. The majority of the engineers assigned to that
particular project were all rated as
being professional, meaning, by
government definition, we were exempt from overtime pay. During
some periods, a work week might
consist of only 50 h, but in others,
during tests and launch activities,
100 h-plus in a week could be the
norm. Some may say that we were
being exploited, but if you asked any
of the engineers involved, nothing
could be further from their mind.
The work was thrilling, leadingedge technology, recognized around
the world, and all of the other accolades that one could ask for in ones
careernothing could be more rewarding. Another aspect of the Apollo
program that resulted in much success in ones career was the development of the team concept. If one
company had a problem during a test
or launch activity, no one was interested in pointing fingers at it and sitting around waiting for it to solve the
problem. It was our problem, and

everyone offered whatever assistance
they could to solve the problem and
move forward. It was one of the biggest team efforts in which I ever had
the honor of serving.
It made me feel good to know that
I had demonstrated the strong work
ethic instilled in me over the years
by my father. In his words, If you
are being paid to do a job, do it to
the best of your ability, accepting the
responsibility for the results. If you
are not willing to do that, dont accept the job. He also told me that
if I did a job, I had to be willing to
put my name on it as the responsible
person. That is one good sign of your
satisfaction on any assignment. If
you are willing to put your name on
it as the author, then it has been
done to the best of your ability and
you are satisfied with the outcome.
As said by the famed author Ralph
Waldo Emerson: Big jobs usually go
to the person who proves their ability
to outgrow small ones. Be that person that most frequently is given the
hard tasks, the dirty jobs, the seemingly impossible schedules, because
you have demonstrated a work ethic
that says you will be successful every
time. Enjoy your work and the rewards will come, all because you have
demonstrated that strong work ethic.
About the author

Raymond E. Floyd ear ned a
B.S.E.E. degree from Florida Institute of Technology in 1970, an
M.S.E.E. degree from Florida Atlantic
University in 1977, and a Ph.D.
degree in industrial management
from California Coast University in
2009. He spent six years with Philco
Ford as a senior training instructor
and 26 years with IBM, retiring in
1992 as a senior engineer. He is a
Life Senior Member of the IEEE, a
life senior member of the Society of
Ma nufactur ing Engineers, a nd
holds four patents. He has served as
a program evaluator for the Engineering Technology Accreditation
Commission of ABET (ETAC/ABET)
for 15 years and is a corresponding
editor of IEEE Potentials.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
15
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
Navigating the
engineering career fair
with speed dating style!
Sachin Seth
are signed up for are reminding

you to check out Innovation Days
and Hackathons sponsored by
compa nies v isiting ca mpus for
recruiting. Doing all this in the
middle of an already overscheduled
day when youd rather be going to
cl a s s t o le a r n, f i n i sh i n g l a b
reports, or just being out throwing
a ball around, is a rather unappealing option. Do not despair!
Having toiled on both sidesfrom
selling myself to employers, to selling my employers on prospective
CAREER FAIR IMAGECOURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/BUYERLERDEQALARDIM.

STOP WATCH IMAGEIMAGE LICENSED BY INGRAM PUBLISHING.
o, the fateful day is here.

Your inbox is crammed
with e-mails reminding
you that you must absolutely not miss the engineering career fair in the
student center. Mailing lists you

16
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
candidatesI proffer a few suggestions that will make this seasons

career fair, as well as any on-thespot or next-day interviews, much
less stressful and allow you to get
the most out of them!
Pre-gaming
Im not the first person to say this,
but it bears repeatingthe parallels
between career fairs and speed dating events are uncanny. You have a
very small window of time to make
an impression while gathering
enough information yourself to
decide whether you want to see
that company again or reject it.
Sure, its an informal chat, but at
its core it is a delicate dance in
which both the students and company representatives engage, without the students even realizing it.
Keeping that in mind, and discarding the slipshod image of a t-shirt
and jeans engineer as presented
by HBOs Silicon Valley for just one
day, pick an outfit that lets you
present your best self to potential
employers. Dressing smart involves
just a little effort, with a tremendous payoff!
Pro tip: Since youll be on your
feet the entire day, wear comfortable shoes!
Get ready to stand out

Work on your trailera 3040-s
oration covering your name, major,
class level, GPA, key work experiences thus far, and broad future
work interests, in that order. Very
rarely will a crisp trailer run over
45 s. Unbeknown to you, many
employers have minimum GPA
requirements or only hire specific
majors, so it is good to know if that
could pose a problem right away.
While you wait in line to meet company representatives (up to 30 mins
for coveted companies), read the latest news articles and product
releases from those companies. Letting potential employers know that
youre up to speed with their product portfolio and latest goings-on
helps you to stand out amidst the
6070 students theyve spoken with
during the fair.
Pro tip: Rehearse your trailer

with a few employers that are
idling or ones in which you arent
(or only tangentially) interested.
Iron out your kinks, tweak your
language to perfection, and head
to your target companies to slay
its representatives with your
charm and dazzle.
Manage your expectations

Know what will happen today. Company representatives will assess you
for not only your current capabilities
(easy to determine from projects,
past internships, GPA) but also to
predict your future growth and
development within their organizations (much harder to infer using
behavioral questions). It is rare to
have multiple technical rounds at
they want to see you putting up

a brave fight and not giving up
immediately.
Be a STAR
Once the representative deep dives
into your resume and behavioral
questions such as, Tell me about a
challenging design project you did?
start flying, remember to structure
your answers by describing the situation/task, action, and result
(STAR). Go ahead, commit that to
memory until it is indelibly etched!
Start answering such questions by
concisely describing the situation/
task at hand (e.g., a class project
about designing a voltage-controlled
oscillator or writing a critical software patch for the next product
release). Avoid being long-winded
You have a very small window of time to make an

impression while gathering enough information
yourself to decide whether you want to see that
company again or reject it.
career fairs, so youve got the former
covered. For the latter, you should
be firmly in the drivers seatknow
that they are probing you for behaviors and mind-sets that would make
you successful in the future, and
play to that crowd. To put it bluntly:
on the day of the career fair, representatives are there to determine if it
is worth spending their money and
time to bring you onsite for further
rounds of interviews. Brutal? Yes.
Honest? Very!
Pro tip: When answering technical questions, the real fun
starts when youre asked a question to which you dont know the
answer. This is where you kick
into high gear. Without backing down or giving up, you attempt to find an answer. You
ask probing questions, you seek
clarifications, you challenge the
assumptions made in getting
to your answer. Representatives dont want you to furnish
the right answer (although that
would be the best outcome),
here. Follow this up with the actions

you took (e.g., putting together a
st ud y g r oup, le ad i n g cer t a i n
aspects, delegating responsibilities,
chosing certain design topologies to
evaluate). Never fall into the trap of
using language such as We wrote a
script that automated data collection or Our team hosted the event
with panache. Focus on the I, the
ME, my specific actions for which I
was solely responsible. And most
importantly, you must tie it all up
with the ribbon of results, declaring
the successful outcome of your
efforts (e.g., our project was the
highest ranked, I received the best
intern award). If executed correctly,
you can stand back and watch the
representatives eyes gleam. You
have them hook, line, and sinker.
Banal but blunt buzzwords

Youre aware that you are being constantly judged while doing that delicate dance with company representatives, but judged for which traits,
exactly? Im glad you asked,
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
17
Student Resources
Call For Articles
To Be Curious. You want to
establish that you learn from

every situation with which you
are presented. You keep an open
mind. If you dont know something, you ask the right questions. You investigate and utilize
all resources (textbooks, YouTube, Reddit) until you are on
familiar ground.
To Align. You are expected to
find your way through ambiguity
and adapt to constant change.
You are not set in your ways.
Demonstrate that you put your
energies into the highest-priority
tasks, that you understand managements expectations, and that
you fervently seek and embrace
feedback.
To Execute. You will be expected
to persevere and overcome barriers faced in your tasks. Do you
ing your time repeating the same

things every other student would
have parroted, highlight the differences in your experiences and
skills that lend you an extra edge
over others. It adds immense value
if you can demonstrate a project
right on the spot (assuming the
r epr esentative has time). For
instance, bring along a small hardware prototype you developed or
make a personal Web site and host
project videos or concise reports
that you could pull up on your
smartphone and show representatives. These extras go a long way
in getting you noticed.
Pro tip: If you have veteran
status, or prestigious scholarships and fellowships, let it be
known upfront. These attributes
are highly coveted in prospective
candidates.
Bring along a small hardware prototype you

developed or make a personal Web site and host
project videos or concise reports that you could
pull up on your smartphone and show
representatives.
just sit around waiting to be told
to do your work, or are you a
self-starter? Do you make driving
your projects your own responsibility rather than your managers
or teammates, eventually seeing
them to completion?
Flaunt it, stand out, profit

Keep in mind that representatives
are shaking hands and accepting
resumes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A lot
of students would have taken the
exact same classes as you, completed the same projects, and even
have similar GPAs. Instead of wast-
18
Q
May/June 2015
Conclusion
Finally, to mention the glaringly
obvious, there are freebies to sweeten the entire career fair ordeal. After
being exhausted from repeated
forced social interactions, who
wouldnt want to stock up on a gym
t-shirt (or five) with company logos?
At the end of the day, students
desire a great place to work to put
their education to good use. Companies are hungry for good talent.
While pairing great talent with good
employers using a process that mimics speed dating hardly seems the
most efficient way, knowing what
transpires behind the scenes in that
delicate dance will help you find solid footing and emerge ahead of your
competitors. Use the tested hacks in
this article and this will hopefully be
the last time you visit the blighted
semi-annual event that is the engineering career fair.
Relationships
About the author
If you are able to connect with a

representative whose job profile
closely matches what you are targeting, you absolutely must initiate
and maintain a relationship with
them. Ask for their business cards
and connect with them on LinkedIn. Later in the semester, drop
them a line to apprise them about a
recent technical project you executed successfully. When the time
comes to fill a position in their
group, you will not have been forgotten and viewed as just another
career fair candidate.
Sachin Seth (sachin@gatech.edu)

_____________
earned his masters and Ph.D.
degrees in electrical and computer
engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012. He is
currently working in industry on silicon technology development. He is
an associate editor of IEEE Potentials. His interests include the
organic life, the inorganic transistor,
and everything in between.
IEEE POTENTIALS

Pro tip: Get to know the human

resources manager from your
target companies. This person
visits your campus often even
after the career fair to set up invited lectures, demos, and engineering competitions. Stop by to
say hello if you can.
Student Resources
Call For Articles

CAP AND DIPLOMA IMAGE LICENSED BY
GRAPHIC STOCK.
Five reasons
why you should attend
conferences as a student
Eva Cosoroaba
f you are an undergraduate

student and reading this, your
first thought is likely to be: I
know a couple of reasons why I
shouldnt attend a conference.
Concerns such as travel and

0278-6648/152015IEEE

participation costs, not being ready

to publish your research, and the
good old talking with people is not
really my thing. I understa nd
where you are coming from because Ive been there. Well, theres
good news! The financial and research issues are easy to overcome:
volunteer. Conferences need volunteers, and organizers usually reward you for your services with a
free conference registration and
MEETING ROOM IMAGE LICENSED BY GRAPHIC STOCK.

CONFERENCE IMAGE COURTESY OF THE IEEE STUDENT BRANCH AT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY.
IEEE POTENTIALS
May/June 2015
19
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Use your skills to their full extent: meet

researchers that work on similar topics as you and
exchange ideas, reach out to professors for a
possible future research position at the university
of which you always dreamed, and approach
industry representatives for potential
job opportunities.
sometimes even a t-shirt. This is

exactly what I did in my junior
year, and it was an eye-opener.
Here are my five reasons why you
should try it too.
Find and define your area

of interest
Are you majoring in electrical engineering (EE), materials, computer science, or anything related to engineering? By going to a conference, you will
experience the vast diversity of your
field. I was overwhelmed by the scope
and detail of areas and subareas of
electrical machine research at the
International Conference on Electrical
Machines (ICEM) in Berlin, Germany,
in 2014. If you are an EE major, you
surely had or will have one or two
courses on electrical machines and
learn a bit about general aspects concerning machines. A conference, on
the other hand, takes it to a whole
new level.
Also, the point of a conference is
to let you know what is out there and
what other engineers are working
on and researching right now. If you
find their presentations and posters exciting and want to learn more
about itcongratulations, you just
found an area in which you are interested! If you dont enjoy listening
to why neodymium magnets are not
a good idea for machines working in
hot environments, no problem. Realizing what you are not interested in
is also a step in finding your way toward a field that you will love.
Get feedback on your research

You can get feedback on your
research. If you are one of those
undergrads who actually have some
research to show, do it. Submit your
20
Q
May/June 2015
Compare yourself with peers

There will be the opportunity to
compare yourself with peers. You
might think: How on earth can I
compare myself to the great professor A? I am just an undergrad. I
know the feeling and believe this
feeling will persist for a very long
time, if not a lifetime. There will
always be someone better than you.
Get over it and think like this
instead: Professor A was an undergrad as well and will surely enjoy a
conversation with a young, aspiring
and polite engineer and may even
be in the mood to share some words
of wisdom.
What I actually mean regarding
peers and comparing yourself to
them, is analyzing the level of the
conference. Listen to the presenta-
Time to network
This is a tricky one. Engineers are
not very famous for their communication skills. Oh, you are an exception? Wonderful. Use your skills to
their full extent: meet researchers
that work on similar topics as you
and exchange ideas, reach out to
professors for a possible future
research position at the university of
which you always dreamed, and
approach industry representatives
for potential job opportunities.
If you dont have those skills
pretend that you do. I learned it the
hard way; I was sent off to a conference alone. It took me a while to
adjust, but I am satisfied with my
progress. At the first breakfast during the conference, I was thinking,
What am I supposed to do? What
am I supposed to do? over and over
and was close to not eating at all
that day. By my last breakfast, I was
sitting and having conversations
about the weather with a stranger
like a pro. From my experience, everyone I talked to was very amiable
and happy to be in the conversation. Most of the participants travel
alone and have poor social skills, so
do everyone a favor and initiate conversation. You never know what kind
of interesting characters you will
stumble upon until you are forced
to share a table at lunch (due to the
small tables-to-participant ratio).
IEEE POTENTIALS

paper and go through the review

process. This is the first time you are
getting feedback from someone other
than your adviser and/or your colleagues. You know that kind of typo
that you just cant spot because you
read a text you wrote over and over
again? This can happen in research
as well. Even if the feedback you are
getting is negative, take the review
process as a tool to improve. I wont
lie, getting accepted feels much better. Knowing that I must be doing
something right and people actually
wanting to know about my research
is a great confidence booster and
motivation to continue. So, try to
publish work at a conferenceit is
all about feedback. The oral presentations with dedicated Q&A time and
the poster session where you are in
a constant dialog with knowledgeable conference attendees are
designed for this exact purpose.
tions and ask yourself, To what

degree do I understand all this?
Honestly, at my first conference (the
International Conference on Optimization of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Brasov), I had a
lot of trouble following the presentations. My technical vocabulary was
barely existent, so the detail of the
research and fast pace of the slide
shows madeit difficult for me to understand the main ideas. Now that
Ive had more exposure to English
technical literature, its become easier, and ICEM was actually enjoyable.
The point is: do not get frustrated or
discouraged when you have a hard
time. Take it as an opportunity to
grow and track your personal progress at the next conference.
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Someone from Venezuela pursuing

his or her Ph.D. degree in Sweden?
Yep. Representatives from Renault
with thick French accents? Check. A
couple of German researchers telling
the funniest stories about what is
happening in their lab? You can find
it there. Conferences are like a giant
group meeting to which you never
knew you belonged. Once you realize
that you actually do fit in, you never
want to miss another one.
Its inspiring
I admit that this sounds clich, but
the conference back in my junior
year was truly a formative experience for me. It pushed me to the
decision to pursue a Ph.D. degree,
and it got me to where I am now.
Another great role was played my
adviser, who asked me to volunteer,
and I am deeply grateful for the
opportunity he gave me. So now I
Conferences are unique knowledge- and

experience-sharing social events that inspire and
provide motivation and energy to work harder
on your studies.
am sitting here, writing and trying to

encourage you to go and see for
yourself. You might perceive it differently, but conferences are unique
knowledge- and experience-sharing
social events that inspire and provide motivation and energy to work
harder on your studies. Maybe they
will even make you curious to peek
into different research areas and to
think outside the box.
There are more reasons as to why
you should attend a conference, but
I consider these to be the main five.
Traveling, good food, and free coffee
are just incentives that add a cherry
on top. So, to all you undergraduate

and graduate students: try it.
About the author

Eva Cosoroaba (eva@cosoroaba.ro)
____________
is a research assistant in the Renewable Energy and Vehicular Technology (REVT) Laboratory. She is in the
second year of pursuing her Ph.D.
degree in electrical engineering at
the University of Texas at Dallas.
She earned her bachelors degree in
the same field at the Politehnica
University in Timisoara, Romania.
IMAGE COURTESY OF STOCK.XCHNG/SALLY BRADSHAW.
Because its always been

about the thumb
Visit us on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/IEEE.Potentials
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
21
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
What and what not

to expect from
your Ph.D. advisor
Sharad Sinha
The nature of bachelors,

masters, and Ph.D. degrees
A Ph.D. program is very different from
a bachelors or masters degree program. A
bachelors degree program prepares a student for
an engineering career by helping him/her develop general
skills in many subfields within a core field. For instance, a

22
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

bachelors program in computer engineering typically

involves studying algorithms, software engineering, digital
logic design, a few programming languages, operating systems, and engineering mathematics, among others. The
goal of these programs is to have a broad curriculum so
that students develop basic foundational and some
advanced skills in these subfields. This not only
prepares students to be strong in their fundamental understanding of an engineering discipline but also helps when
they start looking for jobs. A broad
curriculum prepares students to
perform tasks in any specific
sub-field. When they join a
company, they can be
assigned any task at the
beginning. They can further develop their skills
with on-the-job training.
A bachelors degree
program is always course
based, and students receive a lot of instruction
from professors and other
academic staff. Students are
required to attend courses,
write exams, and complete teambased projects, and after that is
completed, they get their degree. In
the past few years, many universities
have included a few months of research orientation for those who are interested in pursuing
a higher degree such as a Ph.D. However, the structure of
bachelors degree programs is still very focused on learning
from the existing body of knowledge rather than contributing some novel ideas.
A masters degree program allows specialization in a
certain subfield. Like bachelors degree programs, most
IMAGE LICENSED BY INGRAM PUBLISHING
ursuing a research degree like a Ph.D. is a tough

task. Apart from the breadth and the depth of
the scholastic skills needed to finish a Ph.D. program, what makes it also tough is the human
aspect. I am referring to the relationship that a
graduate student has with his or her Ph.D. advisor. A graduate student typically spends between
four and five years working toward a Ph.D.
degree. By and large, both graduate
students and their supervisors
begin to understand each others
personality and style of work a
few years into the program.
This article is geared toward those who face difficulties in adjusting to the
research group, especially with their advisors,
in the first one to two
years. Those who are
able to adjust quickly are
better off in their research productivity earlier; those who take a longer
time eventually arrive there
through a painful process.
0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
masters programs are course based

and are taught. Students attend
courses, write exams, complete advanced projects, and receive their
degrees. The academic rigor of the
project work and the courses are
much higher than in a bachelors
program. However, here also, most
of the programs are focused on the
advanced training of students. Students are not expected to expand
the frontiers of knowledge. Masters
degree programs by research are
exceptions, where students are expected to contribute new ideas to the
field of specialization. However, there
are not many such programs compared to taught-masters programs.
A Ph.D. degree program is a different ball game. Students are not
only expected to fulfill some course
requirements but also to expand the
frontiers of knowledge by contributing novel ideas. They are no longer
expected to be just passive learners;
they are required to advance their
chosen fields through unique contributions. It is expected that they will
develop their ability to hypothesize,
experiment, reason and argue about
their results, and defend their work
with minimal supervision by an advisor. They write scholarly papers
to be presented at conferences and
published in journals. These papers
discuss their ideas, experiments, and
results and at the same time critique
related prior work to emphasize novelty and superiority of proposed work.
Clearly, a Ph.D. program emphasizes not only knowledge assimilation but also knowledge creation and
dissemination. Since there are such
high expectations from students admitted to Ph.D. programs, it is hoped
that they will not need hand-holding
by their advisors. It is expected that
they already have an inclination toward creating something new and
are driven by this desire. Beyond
the first few months of regular and
intense interaction with advisors, it
is hoped that students will be able
to formulate problems, propose and
critique solution approaches, and
finally introduce sound solutions to
these problems without much effort
on the part of their advisors.
If you understand the differences between these three degree programs, you will be better prepared to
face the ups and downs of a Ph.D.
program. Getting admitted to a Ph.D.
program without understanding its
nature may lead to adjustment issues and mismatched expectations.
You may soon find that it is not what
you expected.
Understand your advisor

and yourself
There are as many methods of academic supervision of a Ph.D. student as there are advisors. Typically,
junior faculty members, who have
not yet attained tenure (also referred
to as substantiation or permanent
position), tend to be more involved
with the work of their students.
They may discuss in detail every
aspect of workfrom problem formulation to the solution proposed.
In effect, the advisor and the student move forward together on the
research work. Some Ph.D. students
produce results. Most Ph.D. advisors would be happy to allow more

freedom once he or she has demonstrated a willingness, combined with
the ability, to produce results. If this
does not happen, the student can
still work his or her way out of this
conundrum with perseverance. In a
worst-case scenario, the student can
switch to another more compatible
advisor. All good schools allow such a
change in the interest of both the student and the advisor. However, such
changes are not treated as routine affairs in academic administration and
are usually decided on a case-by-case
basis after consulting both the student and the advisor.
Generally, senior faculty members
(those with tenure) tend to be less involved with the work of their students.
They prefer to get a high-level understanding of the work that a student
is trying to do without being involved
with each and every detail. With their
experience, they are quite well positioned to see if the proposed work
There are as many methods of academic supervision

of a Ph.D. student as there are advisors.
view this micromanaging approach
of their advisors stifling, while others find it very helpful. The personality of a Ph.D. student often influences how he or she feels about
such a style of supervision. If the
student likes to develop his/her own
ideas and allow them take wings, he
or she likely will have problems in
adjusting with a micromanaged
approach. If the student is more
interested in being assigned a job by
the advisor, where he/she has to
think less and do more, he or she
may find this approach suitable.
Ph.D. students should carefully
weigh their own character against the
style of supervision of their advisors.
If a student is more interested in supervision without micromanagement,
he or she can always politely discuss
ideas with his/her advisor and present him- or herself as an individual
who likes to take on challenges and
or the methods adopted have much

merit. They typically criticize student
ideas at the conceptualization stage
and do not oversee the experimental
method and its details beyond helping the student establish that the
approach is correct. Obviously, their
students have more freedom in conducting their research. However, students put in a lot of effort in getting
their ideas accepted by their advisors
in the first place. Only thereafter do
they begin to work on their ideas.
Students must be very thorough
and careful with their methods and
experimental results when presenting them to their advisors since their
advisors are unaware of every detail.
They also need to be ready to redo
and re-examine a lot of what they
have already done if the advisor does
not find their work to be of acceptable
quality. Clearly, the onus on taking
the research work further is more
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
23
Student Resources
Call For Articles
A students lack of progress may force an advisor

to suggest ideas to work upon; an absolute lack of
progress may spur a concerned advisor to thrust his
ideas upon the student.
on the student in this case. Working with such a supervisor tends to
make a student a better researcher.
However, there are students who do
not like this style of supervision, although they may be happy with the
freedom given to them. Needless to
say, there are exceptions here as well,
where senior professors also tend to
micromanage their students. Again,
students can switch advisors in a
worst-case scenario.
A student can benefit from either style of supervision; which
one he or she is more comfortable
with is a question that should be
carefully thought about. One can
also find a number of supervision
styles that are a mix of the two in
varying proportions.
All advisors, irrespective of their
style of supervision, share a few
common but important expectations of their students. They expect
them to discuss ideas, perform experiments, collect and analyze data,
present their results, defend them,
and then write a scholarly paper to
present their work. Students sometimes forget that it is their duty to
perform these tasks. It is not the
responsibility of the advisor to perform them, though some may do
so. Sometimes students complain
of advisors forcing their ideas on
them, but this is not always done
willingly by the advisor. A students
lack of progress may force an advisor to suggest ideas to work upon;
an absolute lack of progress may
spur a concerned advisor to thrust
his ideas upon the student.
Advisors are more aware of the
quality of research that is acceptable
in their fields, and they also tend to
be clearer about the timeline of expected progress in a period spanning
four to five years. Students tend to
forget these things. Therefore, advisors have to remind students, and
not all such reminders come with
24
Q
May/June 2015
Conclusion
The nature and philosophy of scientific research is a discipline in itself.
The four to five years of Ph.D.
research is just a glimpse into the
world of scientific research that is
available for students to explore.
Therefore, it is essential to spend
this time with relative ease and calm
in learning as much as possible not
only about research but also about
people who conduct research. Most
of this learning happens in the first
few years into the program. Thereafter, students begin to develop skills
to navigate this fascinating world.
Clearly, with a good understanding
of the requirements of a Ph.D. program, an advisors style of supervision, and ones own character, students will be in a better position to
manage their expectations.
About the author

Sharad Sinha (sharad_sinha@ieee.
_____________
org)
__ earned his bachelors degree in
electronics and communication
engineering in 2007 from Cochin
University of Science and Technology, India, and his Ph.D. degree in
2014 from the School of Computer
Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a
corresponding editor of IEEE Potentials and a visiting scholar at The
Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology.
IEEE POTENTIALS

a soft touch. This is when advisors

may begin to push their students to
safeguard the latters interests. Good
advisors make it a point to ensure
that their students graduate within
a set time frame and with good research results. A student should be
worried if his/her supervisor does
not show any interest in his/her research progress for months at a time.
Advisors understand very well
the nuances of the different degree
programs. Most of their actions are
in line with the expectations of Ph.D.
students. Since many Ph.D. students do not understand the differences between these programs, they
find it difficult to adjust to the new
requirements. This is especially the
case with many students who join
a Ph.D. program immediately after
their bachelors degrees. To them,
the very idea of doing many things
by themselves comes as a surprise.
Students who have completed a
masters degree program (whether
taught or research based) or worked
in the industry for a few years tend
to adjust to the new environment
with relative ease. Students with
high performances in their previous academic programs tend to
become displeased (though seldom
visible) when their work is criticized
and questioned by their advisors.
This should not be the case, as it is
the duty of the advisor to question
and seek clarification to ensure the
quality and accuracy of what the
student has done. In fact, it is in
the nature of scientific research for
ideas and results to be questioned
and examined by third persons.
Few advisors go to the extent of
making personal attacks. Most are
just happy to see the student defend
his or her work and refine it based
on the feedback received.
Students may also feel displeased
when advisors point out areas of improvement in their research paper.
This should be taken as a learning

exercise. Writing a research paper
is different from writing an essay.
There is a certain order to it. Assumptions and claims need to be
presented in a proper context. Prior
research work is critiqued without
being unfair. The research problem
and its proposed solution are conveyed in a clear well-defined manner.
A research paper is written not only
to convey novel ideas but also to help
a reader to clearly understand the
contributions made by the authors.
Similarly, there are other aspects of
research like literature survey and
design of experiments, where an advisors comments may not be taken
appropriately by a student.
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
Finding a research
problem: Tips for new
Ph.D. students
Kundan Kandhway
y the time Ph.D. students

complete their degree,
they are expected to
have three to four
major cont r ibutions in their dissertation. However, the
foundation stone of their
thesis is laid at the very
beginning of their degree.
The area in which the
student is supposed to
work is usually known
beforehand, and it is the
same as the research area
of his/her advisor. But more
often than not, students are
faced with the challenge of finding a suitable problem on which to
start their research work. Skills to
achieve this in an organized manner, keeping future implications in
mind, are seldom taught to students. This article is to help new
Ph.D. students find an interesting
and suitable research problem at
the start of their degree.
Inception to conclusion
From the beginning to the end of the
program, a Ph.D. student goes
through the following steps:
1) Decide on the broad area on
which to work (e.g., complex net-

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE

works, wireless communications,

or speech processing). Usually
you will join a research group
based on your area of interest.
2) Choose a subfield within that
broad area (e.g., cooperative communications or cognitive radio
within wireless communications;
epidemiology or error/attack tolerance of networks within complex networks).
3) Find a specific unsolved problem
in the subfield.
4) Propose solutions to solve the
problem. You may be required to
learn new mathematical and programming tools. The solution

may involve designing, implementing, and experimenting
with (sub)systems.
5) Write up the research
for publication in conferences and journals.
6) Present the findings
at conferences (and
also during comprehensive exams and
thesis defense).
Steps 36 are repeated until there is enough
substantial new material
in the dissertation. All research students are expected
to do the major work in steps 4
and 5, although help is available
from their advisor and other collaborators at important junctures.
This article focuses on steps 2
and 3, which may be a challenge for
some new students (partly due to a
lack of resources catering to this
specific to electrical and computer
engineering) and because, if not
done properly, all subsequent efforts
in solving the problem and writing
the results are wasted.
Various scenarios
Depending upon the university and
research culture of the group you
join, you may face the following scenarios with respect to the expectation
of finding your research problem.
IEEE POTENTIALS
May/June 2015
25
Student Resources
Call For Articles
The hunt for a problem should begin early, and you

should start familiarizing yourself with the area of
your interest as soon as possible.
Sometimes you will join a specific
project, and the problem is predefined. It is in your interest to

do enough digging before accepting the offer. An example is an
industry-sponsored project that
has deliverables and deadlines. If
you have an option of being a
part of a big project, you can
choose the part which interests
you the most (e.g., mathematical
modeling and analysis, simulation/programming, hardware
implementation).
The advisor gives you the first
problem but expects you to find
future problems based on your
interests and comfort.
The advisor asks you to find a
problem on which to work. This
gives you a very good opportunity
to find something that interests
you and is aligned to your career
goals. Since the problem is your
brainchild, you will be more
motivated to solve it and excited
to see the results. Also, you lead
from the outset and can use the
necessary literature review that
is completed at future stages
(possibly even beyond your days
as a student).
Features of good problems

Understanding the features of a good
problem is necessary to identify good
ones. Some of them are listed below.
1) Personal interest: Does the problem interest the student who will
work on it? It is of paramount
importance because a disinterested student will lose the motivation to keep going for months
when the problem is being solved.
2) Impact on society: Dies the area
to which the problem belongs
have an impact on society (e.g.,
integrating renewables into the
smart grid to reduce carbon
emission, automatic route guidance to avoid road congestion).
26
Q
May/June 2015
Strategies for finding

good problems
Some of the strategies for finding
research problems and areas/subfields of current interest includes
The hunt for a problem should
begin early, and you should start
familiarizing yourself with your
area of interest as soon as possible. If your advisor works in multiple areas, talk about your interest and his/her expectations. If
you are funded by a project that
was approved based on a proposal, the project proposal might be
available from your advisor. It
will provide useful hints for finalizing the problem. Recent papers
authored by your advisor may
also prove useful.
Talk to senior Ph.D. students,
post doctoral candidates, and
faculty members to learn their
opinion about which areas are
currently of more interest to the
research community and what
they think about the future of
those areas. Invited talks and
Ph.D. defense organized in the
department provide good learning opportunities.
Attending a conference or a
workshop early in the Ph.D. process, perhaps as a student volunteer, will help significantly.
Such an opportunity is generally
not advertised, but can be
IEEE POTENTIALS

3) Interesting to industry: Does

industry find the problem complelling? For example, cognitive
radio that promises to mitigate
the issues caused by limited
bandwidth or a design that cuts
down costs (an efficient circuit
design with fewer components).
4) Impact on the research community: What type of impact will
the resolution of the problem
bring? Welcome problems include those that are recognized
as difficult by the community,
one that is solved with fewer
modeling assumptions, or a
system design that performs
significantly better than its predecessors (e.g., a prototype of a
full duplex communication system that can transmit and receive signals simultaneously
with a high data rate).
5) Timely: Is the problem currently
of interest to the research community or will it be of interest in
the near future? If an increasing
number of papers are being
published in a specific field
within the last few months
(which can be determined from,
for example, Google Scholar or
the monthly Publications Contents Digest by the IEEE Communications Society), a problem
in such a field is timely.
6) Aligned to your career goals: Is
the problem relevant to your
interests? If you have a career
goal in mind (e.g., joining industry after graduation), the chosen
problem should be one that the
industry cares about.
7) Enlarges the skill set: Does your
problem require you to learn new
mathematical or software tools
that will be useful in the future?
If you used optimization techniques during your masters
research (or an internship), then
you may want to select a problem
that will let you learn, for example, queuing theory.

8) The bigger picture: Does the
problem lead to one or two further problems that will allow you
to use some of the expertise
gained from solving the initial
problem and analyzing the subsequent ones? This also leads to
the development of a coherent
and organized dissertation and
keeps you focused.
A good research problem should
interest you. Its importance can be
easily justified, and it should be worthy of the time and effort spent on its
analysis and solution. In addition,
the solution to the problem should
add enough value to the existing
body of literature.
Student Resources
Call For Articles
learned through your advisor.

Talking to others face to face
about what interests them in the
area and their problem is inspiring and educational in making
informed decisions.
The problems that crop up every
now and then in the news that
have societal impact are worth
solving. An example includes
communication network design
that is either robust to natural
disasters, like hurricanes and
cyclones, or can be resurrected
with less effort. If it is known that
the government is making significant investments in a sector,
such as renewable energy, over
the next few years, it may be
worth investigating problems in
those areas. A field trip may
reveal the problems that some of
the systems (like renewables) face
after deployment without spending time on experimentation.
Recent white papers from industry, areas in which investments
are made (often made public in
tech news), and ongoing work in
research labs (that can be
learned from company Web sites
or recent publications from
researchers) reveal the kind of
problems in which industry is
interested.
Some of the fields in electrical
and computer engineering progress very fast so having the latest
information is important prior to
the selection of the problem. It
takes a month or two for conference proceedings to show up in
the databases like IEEE Xplore
but the information can be borrowed from someone who has
attended the conference. Journal
Web sites often provide early
access to articles that are
accepted but not yet assigned to
an issue. Many research communities are increasingly using preprint archives (like arXiv.org) for
manuscripts submitted for publication. These archives can be
searched for the latest information. Advanced search options on
Web sites that index scholarly
work (e.g., Google Scholar) are
also very useful in searching

recent literature.
Calls for papers published in
reputed journals and magazines
in the field (e.g., Journal in
Selected Areas in Communications and Communications Magazine) also give useful hints for
narrowing down the search for a
latest problem. The community
brainstorms before finalizing
these calls, which make them
quite useful.
Satellite workshops in reputable
conferences sometimes represent
upcoming areas of interest. The
previous and current years Web
pages can be compared to determine the newly added workshops
in the conference. One can also
look for the newly added fields in
the scope of the conference.
Calls for papers and the scopes
(however, minor details may be

skipped for now), the mathematical and software tools used, and
the results and conclusions. Also
note your likes and dislikes about
the presentation and organization
of the paper; it may help improve
your manuscript in the future.
After gaining some experience
in the subject, you may try and
guess what the paper is about
(the problem and solution approach) after reading the abstract
(and perhaps the introduction
and conclusion). It may lead to
new directions worth exploring,
without biasing your mind with
the contents of the paper. For example, the paper might have used
heuristics to tackle a problem, but
you thought of something better.
The future work/conclusion sections of the papers (especially in
Once an interesting problem has been identified, it

should be discussed with your advisor to make sure
it is significant and publishable.
listed in them may also provide
useful information.
The main method, however, is to
do a thorough literature survey of
the area. It should begin with
review articles (not always available for newer fields) and magazine articles because they are less
technical and written for nonexperts. They are useful in getting a
birds eye view of the area and relevant research issues. Conference
and journal articles reveal the
state of the art, which helps in
indentifying open problems.
Before your exact problem has
been finalized, it is often not necessary to concern yourself with every
tiny detail of the paper. The aim
should be to identify the following:
the problem(s) that the paper is addressing, its novelty with respect
to the literature before it (answering the question about how novel a
problem should be before it is considered significant), the authors
approach to solving the problem
review articles) provide invaluable

hints about open problems (however, if the paper is new, the authors
may be pursuing some of them).
Make sure that the survey you
are conducting is not shallow, but
a perfect literature survey is also
not possible.
Once an interesting problem
has been identified, it should be
discussed with your advisor to
make sure it is significant and
publishable. If not, later efforts
in solving the problem and writing the results will be wasted. The
problem should also be solvable in
the given timeframe. This is especially important for new students.
Gradually students are expected
to improve in assessing the quality and feasibility of problems.
Some papers from the literature survey may require a closer
look at this stage to fine tune the
problem statement.
The main tools to carry out the
literature survey are search
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
27
Student Resources
Call For Articles
engines such as Google Scholar

and scientific databases like
IEEE Xplore. Search engines
can query many scientific databases simultaneously and often
rank articles in order of relevance. The advanced search
options allows you to query specific journal/conference database, find articles between specified dates, and search by
author names. Links to articles
that are freely available on the
Web can also be found using
search engines. If you are using
your universitys network, then
you will have access to the
scholarly databases to which
your university has subscribed.
The search tool in those databases can be directly used to
find relevant articles. You may
be able to refine search results
recursively based on various criteria to narrow them down to
the most relevant articles.
Once an article is read, there is
often a need to go through one or
more articles in its reference list
to better understand the material. This may potentially lead to a
been identified and is being

solved, Ph.D. students are often
required to present their preliminary findings in a comprehensive
exam. The examination committee consists of faculty members
who are close to the research
area of the student. This is a
good opportunity to get some
feedback on the chosen problem
from experts other than the thesis advisor. The discussion and
the faculty members perceptions
about the future of the area may
be used to decide the future
course of the thesis. The purpose
of such an exam is to make sure
that the student is on the right
track in research. So if you feel
(or are told) that something is
wrong, then seek the help of the
committee members and your
research advisor.
In many universities, Ph.D. students are required to complete a
few courses as a part of their
degree requirement. Make use of
this opportunity to achieve a good
background in your planned
research area. In the first semester (when you are busy deciding
Doing some work in a different academic setting

provides an opportunity to learn from a different
research philosophy, methodology, and culture.
never-ending loop. Keep in mind
that the literature survey need
not be perfect. The primary goal
is to find a gap in the literature,
and, once found, you should
move on to the next step. If the
article is too cryptic, try to find a
similar article by the same or different research group, maybe
one that discusses preliminary
results (a conference version of a
journal article).
The critique and feedback provided by the audience during
conference presentations and
other opportunities such as
comprehensive exams may be
helpful in deciding future directions. After the problem has
28
Q
May/June 2015
Logistics issues
Identify the resources that will be
needed and that are at your disposal
for solving the problem as soon as
possible. Examples include computational servers, software licenses,
components and instruments
required for experimentation (e.g.,
solar panels, certain integrated circuits, human volunteers for behavioral experiments, and the funds
available for this purpose and the
time required to procure the equipment. Specialty items may take longer to procure in certain regions of
the world. Being proactive and planning ahead may save some time.
Risk assessment
Working in a new area (in which
your advisor and other group members are also new) may seem a bit
risky, but it is also rewarding. If the
area is immature, there may be an
opportunity to pluck some low-lying
fruits. It is better to try and perhaps
fail, than to not try at all. First,
attempt to solve the simplest version
of the problem, and gradually work
your way toward the final goal. That
being said, problems that are too
risky should be avoided. It is important to make steady progress, and if
that is not happening, you should
seek help.
Some tips for other stages

ofresearch
1) You have to make a decision on
when to stop working on a problem. Conferences and journals
limit the number of pages of submissions. Once enough material is
obtained for a reasonably convincing paper, it is a fair time to move
on to the next problem. The papers
read during the literature survey
and the instructions to authors/
reviewers on the conference/journal Web site will help in deciding
how much material is enough.
2) There is always room for improving your writing and presentation
skills, especially for nonnative
English speakers. Spend some
IEEE POTENTIALS

your research area), take courses

that teach mathematical tools
that are useful in many areas
(such as optimization and random processes, among others). In
the subsequent semesters (when
you know which area in which
you will work, and perhaps have
an idea of a specific problem),
you can take courses that will
help you in tackling your problem. This is an additional reason
why you should try to narrow
down to a problem as soon as
possible. Get the approval of your
dissertation advisor before crediting a course. Universities also
allow graduate students to audit
courses. It can be done in cases
where only a small part of the

course is useful to you.
Student Resources
Call For Articles
time on organizing the graphs

and tables. Show it to someone
less familiar with your work to
test the clarity of expression.
3) If you are working in an area that
requires numerical computation or
simulation that is resource intensive, try to optimize your code for
efficient memory use and execution
speed (whichever is the bottleneck).
Doing so will allow it to handle
larger systems. There are many
optimized libraries available for
modern programming languages
that may be helpful. Freezing the
code the first time it ran correctly is
often not the best strategy.
4) Interaction with your advisor is
important for a successful dissertation. Depending on the time
your advisor allocates to meet
students, the frequency of meetings, and his/her interaction
style (domineering/participative/
micromanager, etc.), you may
have to devise a plan to best use
your advisors time. In the event
that you disagree on a point with
your advisor (which is not uncommon), identify the reasons that
convinced you and present it to
discuss his/her point of view. If
both of you grew up in different
cultures (pertinent to international students), make sure you
understand each other correctly.
Prepare for the meeting with your
advisor to best utilize the time.
Inform him/her of the important
developments. If you are deviating from the prior plan (e.g.,
adding additional assumption to
a mathematical model for a physical phenomenon) bring it to his/
her notice. It may keep you from
wasting your effort on something
that is obviously incorrect.
5) Conferences and journals accept
significantly fewer manuscripts
than those submitted. The acceptance rate is unlikely to be
more than 50% (sometimes it is
Internships provide an opportunity for personal

networking that are different from those gained
during conferences and workshops.
as low as 10%). So it wont hurt to

be prepared for a rejection. Make
sure to heed the comments made
by the reviewers and the editor
before resubmitting the article to
the next venue.
6) It is useful to experience an internship in an industrial research
lab or a foreign academic lab. The
former may help secure an interview at a later time and exposes
you to the research in an industrial setting. A research methodology driven by product development
leads to unique challenges, requirements, and expectations.
Doing some work in a different
academic setting provides an opportunity to learn from a different
research philosophy, methodology, and culture. Internships provide an opportunity for personal
networking that are different from
those gained during conferences
and workshops.
Conclusion
It is worth spending some time in
finalizing your initial problem
because it lays down the foundation
of the entire dissertation. Time spent
on it may depend on the maturity of
the area, effort spent, prior experience in research (on the same or
other areas), and a bit of luck. Starting early is always useful. Current
work should always be finished to
the best of ones ability before moving on to the next problem.
Acknowledgment
I would like to thank my Ph.D. advisor Prof. Joy Kuri and the anonymous reviewers for their comments
on this article.
Read more about it

t J. Eisner. (2014, Mar. 19). How to
find research problems. [Online]. Available: http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~jason/
advice/how-to-find-research-problems.
_________________________
html
___
t D. J. Boudah. (2011). Identifying
a research problem and question, and
searching relevant literature. Conducting Educational Research: Guide to
Completing a Major Project. Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. [Online].
Available: http://www.sagepub.in/
upm-data/36330_Chapter2.pdf
____________________
t N. Walliman. (2001). Research
and research problem. Your Research
Project: A Step-by-Step Guide for the
First-Time Researcher. Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE Publications. [Online]. Available: _____________________
http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/40600_9781849204620.pdf
_____________________
t S. Roger and M. Cobos, Developing your electrical engineering degree
thesis, IEEE Potentials, vol. 28, no. 4,
pp. 1216, JulyAug. 2009.
t S. Keshav. (2007, July). How to
read a paper. ACM Comput. Commun.
Rev. [Online]. Available: http://bliz_______
zard.cs.uwaterloo.ca/keshav/home/
_________________________
Papers/data/07/paper-reading.pdf
______________________
t V. Grover and M. K. Malhotra.
(2003, Dec.Jan.). Interaction between
a doctoral student and advisor: Making
it work. Decision Line. [Online]. Available: http://www.decisionsciences.org/
DecisionLine/Vol34/34_1/34_1phd.pdf
_________________________
About the author

__________
Kundan Kandhway (kundan@dese.
iisc.ernet.in)
________ is a Ph.D. candidate at
the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science. He earned an
M.A.Sc. degree from the University
of British Columbia and a B.Tech.
degree from the Indian Institute of
Technology Guwahati. He is currently working on social networks.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
29
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
What every student

should know: Seven
learning impediments
and their remedies
Junaid Qadir
any well-intentioned
students fa i l to
t hr ive in a
u n i ver sit y
environment,
not due to lack of
effort, but because
of a deficient mindset and/or methodology. While a wide
variety of problems
can result in subopt i ma l lea r n i ng
performance, there
are seven main categories of learning impediments that hinder student
learning with alarming regularity. You may be facing one, or
more, of these impediments. Not to
fret though; each of these debilitating impediments can be surmounted with self-awareness and some
effort, paving the way for enjoyable,
and productive, learning experiences. In this article, I will identify the
offending learning impediments and
propose plausible remedial policies
to counter each.
Is there anyone so wise as
to learn by the experience of
others?
Voltaire

30
Q
May/June 2015
First impediment:
Having a fixed mind-set
Psychologists have highlighted the
self-enforcing propensity of the
human mind-set in that human optimism and pessimism are both selffulfilling. As Henry Ford said, Whether you think you can or think you
cantyou are right. A fixed mindset, a mind-set model proposed by
researcher Carol Dweck, takes the
pessimistic approach to the concept
of intelligence and skill development.
It characterizes a belief that intelligence or talent are fixed human traits
IEEE POTENTIALS

that cannot be significantly developed

beyond a certain degree. Students
with fixed mind-sets obsess
over documenting their
intelligence instead of
focusing on developing their intelligence. Many fixed
mind-set students are gifted
students who
have not learned
how to struggle or
the value of hard
work. While they
aced school subjects
with little effort, when
confronted with more significant intellectual challenges in a university setting that
require more effort, these students
capitulate easily while resorting to the
excuse of a lack of aptitude. Why else
would theybeing such intelligent
studentsbe confused?
What can be done: The antidote to
this problem is to: 1) have a growth
mind-set, 2) aim for mastery, and 3)
use intrinsic motivation.
Catch phrase for the solutions:
The sky is not the limityour mind
is. Conquer your mind to realize
your potential.
Remedy 1: Have a
growth mind-set
A growth mind-set student believes that hard work, grit, and
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
conscientiousness are the necessary factors that lead to success

brains and talent are just the
starting point. A student with a
growth mind-set sees himself/herself as being in the driving seat
and when confronted with a challenge, is not averse to grappling
with it for extended times. They
can tolerate temporary failures
without losing enthusiasmthey
treat mistakes as learning opportunities. Such a mind-set also enables students to adopt the
various solutions outlined in this
article more easily. For example,
students with growth mind-sets
accept feedback from teachers
more readily and do not consider
critical feedback as an attack on
their person. Dwecks research has
shown that growth mind-set characterizes successful people in a
wide variety of fields, and is a reliable predictor of student success.
Remedy 2: Aim for mastery

Educational psychologists have
noted that students can have different attitudes toward studiesin
particular, students can have a performance orientation or a mastery
orientation, which critically impacts
students learning habits. Students with mastery orientation are
motivated by the desire to master a
concept rather than by external
rewards such as grades, degrees,
fame, or a teachers approval. Performance-oriented tactics include
rote-memorization, glancing at a
problems solution before attempting the question, and learning
problem solving by observing solved
questions (without attempting to
solve the problems independently).
A student with a mastery orientation focuses on the process and
not solely on results; such a student is more likely to persist when
faced with a challenging problem since the student recognizes
that learning requires hard work.
Paradoxically, while the explicit
goal of a mastery oriented student
is not extrinsic rewards, mastery
of a subject often leads itself to
theserewards.
Remedy 3: Using
intrinsic motivation
Students motivation determines,
directs, and sustains what they do
to learn. Student motivation is
boosted when they have self-efficacyi.e., a belief that they can attain
success. Student motivation is also
based on the perception of the value
of a particular goal (in terms of its
relevance, utility, and importance). It
is not only important for a student
to be motivated but also to have the
right kind of motivation.
Extrinsic motivation refers to
the motivation for external rewards
such as grades, grade-point average,
and the approval of others (mostly,
parents and teachers). Intrinsic
and training. This unique scholarly

DNA of every student means that
different students bring intellectual
baggage to the class and will learn
differently from the same lecture or
knowledge source.
this problem is to 1) ask questions,
2) study more actively, and 3) make
efforts to enjoy the subject.
Knowledge will not give a part of itself until you give to it all of yourself.
Remedy 1: Ask questions

Questioning is the ability to organize our thinking around what we
dont know. While were all hungry
for more answers, asking questions
Each of these debilitating impediments can be

surmounted with self-awareness and some effort,
paving the way for enjoyable and productive
learning experiences.
motivationthe more desirable
kind of motivation that is known to
foster deeper engagement, conceptual understanding, and creativityrelies on the value of the learning activity itself for motivation.
Previous research has noted that
students with intrinsic motivation
are more likely to engage in deeper
learning and use the various strategies highlighted in this article.
Second impediment: The failure

to engage yourself in learning
Many intelligent students cruise
through high school materials but
struggle at the university level. It goes
without saying, and sadly without
introspection on the part of students,
that one has to pay attention before
any learning can take place. Students sometimes fail to recognize that
learning is not a passive activity. It is
important to actively engage your
person in this activity by reflecting
on the things learned in the light of
your prior knowledge. Each student
is a distinct individual with a unique
set of prior knowledge, background,
remains the quintessential human

skill that computers have found
elusive, even with the advances in
information technology and artificial intelligence. Thinkers such as
Socrates and innovators such as
Steve Jobs were remarkable not
because of their ability to answer
but due to their capacity for asking
the right questions. If we imagine
that the purpose of education is
to bring forth the latent abilities of
the students and to inspire them
toward a passion of lifelong learning, then it is at least as importantif not morefor students to
learn how to ask the right question
as it is to know the right answer.
Asking the right question can invigorate thinking, catalyze learning,
and produce action and results.
The path to discovery, research,
and scholarship, often starts with
a question!
Remedy 2: Study
more actively
According to our current under standing of learning, learning is at
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
31
Student Resources
Call For Articles
A growth mind-set student believes that hard work,

grit, and conscientiousness are the necessary
factors that lead to successbrains and talent are
just the starting point.
least a three-step process: first,

information is encoded initially
in short-term memory; second,
information encoded in short-term
memory is consolidated in long-term
memory as a cohesive knowledge
representationthereby, facilitating
connections to past experiences,
and reorganization with previous
knowledge, to provide meaning;
third, retrieval allows updates to
learning and enables of knowledgestored in long-term memory as
it is needed.
A student should study actively
the more active, the better. There
are various steps a student can take
for active learning including taking notes, practicing retrieval, and
teaching. Note-taking is an art that
many students fail to master. Rather
than trying to copy every statement
the teacher says into a notebook, a
student should focus on highlighting the important points and prioritize the significant over the trivial.
It has been shown in literature that
practice retrieval from learning is an
especially effective active learning
technique.
Remedy 3: Make an effort

to enjoy the subject
Plato is reported to have said that all
learning has an emotional base. A
student who makes an effort to
enjoy his or her academic pursuits
will connect at an emotional level
with studies that can sustain and
catalyze the students learning. The
learning of an emotionally engaged
student is also more richly encoded
in the brain and can be recalled
more easily. An effective way for a
student to be engaged in a subject is
to have the student realize the
importance of the learning objectives
and of the studied subject. Stephen
Covey listed the principle start with
the end in mind as one of the habits
32
Q
May/June 2015
Third impediment: The failure

to manage time
With various technologiessuch as
mobile phones, TV, and online social
networking servicescompeting for
scarce attention resources, maintaining a focus on studies can be a
real challenge. The (hyper)linked
nature of the modern Internet
makes it easy to find endless amusements online. Few students have the
discipline to manage their day
according to a schedule and resist
the lure of purposeless browsing.
The typical student strategy for
inventing new timewhich is to
reduce sleeping hours and forgo
physical exerciseis also problematic since it reduces cognitive performance and is unhealthy.
this problem is to 1) form good habits, 2) learn mindfulness and the art
of focusing, and 3) practice prioritization and discipline.
Until we can manage time, we can
manage nothing else.
Peter F. Drucker
Remedy 1: Form good habits

Human beings are on autocontrol
for a major chunk of their daily routines. It stands to reason then that a
student must strive to establish
conducive habits, which can involve
dedicating a certain time of the day
for some study related task. One
should try to determine the time of
the day where he or she feels most
energetic and dedicate those value
periods to creative work, thinking,
and learning. It is important to get
ample sleep since rest has been
shown to remove toxins from the
brain and is a key to improved cog-
Remedy 2: Learn mindfulness

and the art of focusing
Students increasingly suffer from
chronic partial attention due to a
depleting sense of focus and mindfulness. With multitasking being
the norm, we are constantly juggling tasks and battling distractions. Cognitive research results
show that human beings are not
primed for performing more than
one cognitive task at the same time.
The cognitive penalty that arises
from the overhead of shifting contexts between different tasks is
greater than the benefit of multitasking. A student, therefore,
should do well to avoid habitual
multitasking.
Remedy 3: Practice prioritization

and discipline
Since all of us only have 168 h per
week with multifarious demands
on our time, it becomes important
that we learn how to budget our
time while prioritizing the more
important tasks. Prioritization
invariably involves saying no to
p e o p l e a n d t h i n g s ; h o w e v e r,
through this process of prioritization, the student can find the freedom to spend more time on what is
important. It is also important for
a student to practice discipline
and conquer procrastination. With
a little conscious effort at prioritizing the various demands, students
can avoid time-sinks and lead a
balanced and productive life.
IEEE POTENTIALS

of highly effective people in his bestselling book, Seven Habits of Highly

Effective People.
nitive performance. Establishing

good time-management habits can
also benefit from measuring how
time is actually being spent. Many
students do not realize that they are
wasting major chunks of their time
unproductively. It is also the case
that the environment plays a big
role in strengthening, or weakening,
of human willpower. Much research
has shown that willpower does not
remain the same and is easily
depleted. A student can exploit this
knowledge by establishing environmental cues that limit distractions
and encourage, rather than detract
from, learning.
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Fourth impediment: Failing to

realize that failing is key
Learning is a messy process reached
through seeking and blundering.
The philosophy of avoiding failure by
not tryingborne out of a defeatist
attitude and a fixed mind-setis a
sure recipe for developing mediocre,
passive, and ignorant students.
this problem is to 1) embrace failure
and mistakes, 2) value effort over intelligence, and 3) value the process
and not external rewards.
Err unabashedly and learnlike a
child does.
productive and must be avoided at

all costs. However, recent research
has supplanted this effortless learning model with another model that
emphasizes desirable difficulties. Difficulties are desirable only when
they are suitably challengingi.e.,
challenging enough to engage the
students capabilities and background knowledge; such difficulties
can trigger cognitive processes that
support learning, remembering, and
comprehension. Somewhat counterintuitively, the effort that is required
to learn, relearn, and retrieve something is correlated with the strength
of learningi.e., the more effort that
is required to retrieve, the more
Fifth impediment: Failing to

realize that learning is social
A mistake often made by students is
going on a solo learning mission and
avoiding social learning interactions
with professors and other students,
missing out on the essenceand the
main value propositionof a university education. This indicates a failure to understand that learning is a
social enterprise.
this problem is to 1) dream big and
have ideals, 2) have a mentor and
seek feedback, and 3) teach.
Catch phrase for the solutions: No
one can do it for you, but you cant
do it alone.
Remedy 1: Embrace failure

and impediments
One of the most important lessons
for students is that learning involves
reaching, failing, reflecting, and
making new connections in the
brain. There is no royal road to
learning, mastery, and success that
bypasses hard work and mistakes.
While we have a tendency to glorify
scientific inventions as flashes of
brilliance, the road to innovation is
replete with theories and experiments that failed. It is also true that
failures act as the portals of discovery, providing feedback on how and
where to improve and eventually
succeed. In this light, we see that
failing is not only acceptable, but it
is critical to success. Not all mistakes are desirable though. The mistakes that result from carelessness,
not learning from mistakes, or the
timidity of not trying out new ideas
are harmful and do not lead to
improvement.
Remedy 2: Make peace

with confusion
Confusion often stems from challenges that make us reach out of our
comfort zone. While admittedly
uncomfortable, such reaching out is
essential to learning. Coming to
terms with confusion should be an
essential part of the training of a
serious student interested in learning. Most students aim at the ideal
of errorless learning under the mistaken belief that errors are counter-
The philosophy of avoiding failure by not trying

borne out of a defeatist attitude and a fixed
mind-setis a sure recipe for developing
mediocre, passive, and ignorant students.
effective the relearning will be in
affecting a students permanent
knowledge. Thus a student should
not be deterred by confusion and
errors while learning but should
exploit them to improve learning.
Remedy 3: Value effort over

intelligence and the process
over extrinsic reward
It is easy to get overawed while
observing masters at work and to
think they were always this good.
What we cannot observe is the hours
of hard work and the great obstacles
that were overcome on the road to
that mastery. While it is true that
intelligence has a certain role in the
success of students, we typically
exaggerate the genius genes while
downplaying the effort that is needed to develop genius. Research has
shown that students who subscribe
to a mind-set that values effort over
intelligence, and emphasize the process rather than external rewards
both features of a growth mind-set
are more likely to sustain motivation
and put in the hard work necessary
to succeed in their tasks of interest.
Remedy 1: Have a mentor

While it is true that the success of a
student ultimately rests on the student himself/herself, a lot of research has shown that having a
mentor can accelerate a students
development. A student can learn
about the discipline, as well as patterns of thinking about the discipline, by interacting with professors.
The students pattern of thinking,
judgment, and learning can benefit
by working alongside an accomplished mentor. The traditional
mode of apprenticeship has thrived
over the history of mankind due to
rapid gains that a learner can reap
under such an association. Having a
demanding mentor can help a student aim highwhich can offset a
students typical tendency to aim
too low, not realizing his or her own
potential. The importance of expert
mentorship is highlighted by Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi in his book Creativity, which contains interviews of
over 91 of the worlds most creative
people (including 14 Nobel Laureates) and noted that almost all of
them had mentors when they were
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
33
Student Resources
Call For Articles
of university age, with many of them

working under competent mentors
from very early in life.
Remedy 2: Seek feedback

At the heart of a mentormentee relationship is the process of feedback. A
feedback loop allows you to spot
errors as they occur. Feedbackeven
harsh critical feedbackcan provide
hints on how to improve. By recognizing a failure, we can recast it into
something more likely to succeed.
One of the most common mistakes is
that students do not actively seek
feedback. It has been shown in various studies that people who specifically seek out negative feedback do
better on performance reviews at
work and studies. While the first step
is to seek feedback, it is more important to dispassionately learn from the
feedback. Students with a fixed
mind-set are particularly prone to
construe criticism of ideas as a personal criticism. It is important to
Sixth impediment: Being a

learning monogamist
Remedy 2: Seek diverse

knowledge sources
Most of what we study in universities can accommodate diverse interpretations, and no single model or
narrative can completely capture
the real phenomenon. The problem of learning monogamy stems
from being marriedi.e., singlemindedly devotedto any one method, technique, or knowledge source.
This can lead to an incomplete, inflexibly dogmatic, and unsound understanding.
What can be done: The antidote
to this problem is to 1) avoid the illusions of learning, 2) seek diverse
knowledge sources, and 3) adopt diversity in study techniques.
Catch phrase for the solutions: Encourage learning polygamy.
Students can supplement traditional

sources of information such as textbooks and lecture slides, among others, by the wealth of scholarly information available online. In particular, with the rising trend of offering
open courseware (pioneered by MIT
and followed widely by different universities on various online platforms
such as iTunesU) and free online
courses (including the massive open
online courses, or MOOCs, offered
by organizations such EdX, Coursera, Udacity), there is no shortage of
access to quality resources.
Apart from accessing textbooks,
students should also learn from
original sources wherever appropriate. However, this advicewhile
powerful and liberatingshould be
used sparingly, especially by undergraduate students for whom too
much diversity can be damaging.
For such students, a textbook can
establish a scaffolding framework
that provides a point of references
within which the student can assimilate the variety of diverse opinions that can exist on a topic.
Remedy 1: Avoid the

illusions of learning
Learning involves rewiring the connections in the network. To sustain
The problem of learning monogamy stems

from being marriedi.e., single-mindedly
devotedto any one method, technique, or
knowledge source.
outgrow this natural tendency and to
approach critical feedback as a learning opportunity.
Remedy 3:To learn and teach

It is said that much of the actual
learning in elite universities, such
as the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and Stanford,
goes on in residential halls in
which the students learn through
interacting with each other. Realizing the potential and utility of this
practice, many instructors are
incorporating the strategy of peer
teaching and other methods of
active learning into the classroom
experience. Peer discussion is highly effective since it allows students
to actively exchange their perspectives, receive feedback, and calibrate their learning.
34
Q
May/June 2015
Students typically rely on a limited

number of intuitive study techniques. Studies have shown that, by
far, repeated reading is the most
popular technique among students
although, it is also one of the least
effective. A student should also learn
about other study techniques including chunking, spaced repetition,
elaboration, and retrieval practice.
Chunking works by blending
the new ideas with the previous
ideas such that the information
can be recalled in a smooth chunk
and pulled out whenever wanted.
Spaced repetition is another technique that can facilitate long-term
retention. Studies have shown that
rereading can be helpful if done
after some time. Elaboration is
another study technique that involves reflecting on the relationship
of what is learned through a processes of comparing, summarizing,
IEEE POTENTIALS

long-term learning, it is important

to avoid the illusory or superficial
kind of learning. It is also possible
to be mistaken in the belief that
one has learned something cor rectly while possessing an incomplete, and wrong, model. Rote
memorization, particularly when
carried out in bulk in a single setting, leads to superficial knowledge
that will be soon forgottenunless
reinforced. Repeatedly solving
problems of the same type that you
already know how to solve gives
the false confidence of competencethis illusion of learning can
be understood by the metaphor of
a merry ice skater joyfully moving
from skating on a lakes frozen
surface to the lakes unfrozen part,
extrapolating the universality of
the lakes frozen surface.
Remedy 3: Adopt diversity

in study techniques
Student Resources
Call For Articles
and questioning. Finally, retrieval

practice is a technique that emphasizes attempts to retrieve information from long-term memory
after studying. Recent research has
shown retrieval activity to be a very
effective learning technique.
Ironically, the more effective
learning techniques, such as elaboration and retrieval practice, are used
less often by students since they are
counterintuitive, require much time
and effort, and their efficacy is not
well understood by students. Students can benefit significantly from
learning about, and using, the various study techniques that have been
shown to be effective.
Seventh impediment:
Not learning how to learn
It is said that the art of teaching
involves the teacher making himself
or herself gradually redundant by
imparting the skills of how to
learn to the students. While students do spend a lot of effort in
learning various subjects, they
unfortunately fail to focus on, and
learn, the art of learning. A student
who learns how to learn, knows
enoughfor he or she is empowered
to be a lifelong learner.
this problem is to 1) develop metacognitive skills, 2) learn critical thinking, and 3) become a lifelong learner.
Dont be an A-grade sheep.
Remedy 1: Develop
metacognitive skills
Metacognition refers to students
understanding and monitoring of
their own thinking process.
Improved metacognition has been
shown to be corr elated with
improved student learning. Better
metacognition is helpful in myriad
ways: it provides better self-awareness, it allows better decisions, and
it allows us to get better by reflecting
on how we might improve. With better metacognition, students can
monitor and control their learning,
thus making metacognition an
essential skill for lifelong learning.
Sadly, many students are unskilled
Better metacognition is helpful in myriad ways: it

provides better self-awareness, it allows better
decisions, and it allows us to get better by
reflecting on how we might improve.
and unaware of it due to poor

metacognition, thus making
improvement more difficult. One
aim of this article is to help develop
students metacognition by allowing
greater insights into how students
think. While I have proposed various
antidotes to common student mistakes, metacognition is the first step
to recovery, for it leads to the realization that there are deficiencies
that need improvement.
Remedy 2: Learn critical thinking

Critical thinking is necessary for
systematic thinkingespecially on
open-ended problem solving. Critical
thinking facilitates us in analyzing
the logical connection between
ideas; to identify, analyze, and
deconstruct arguments; to reason
well; and to detect inconsistencies
in reasoning. In the modern knowledge economy, change and development happens fast. To thrive in this
era, it has become important to
acquire critical thinking skills with
which students can reconcile divergent opinions and analyze, integrate, and evaluate diverse knowledge sources for problem solving.
Critical thinking is a necessary tool
for recognizing authentic scholarship and for developing the collective capacity of society to strive for
democratic ideals.
Remedy 3: Become a
lifelong learner
With the focus on learning various
subjects, the more important skill of
learning how to learn is sometimes
undermined. Learning in life does
not stop when we get our university
degrees and diplomas. It becomes
essential, therefore, to develop a toolbox of techniques, and an inclined
mind, for lifelong learning so that
you are able to acquire whatever
skills as and when they are needed.
Conclusion
To make no mistakes is not
in the power of man; but from
their errors and mistakes; the
wise and good learn wisdom
for the future.
Plutarch
Youve always been in the driving
seat and the director of your learning. And with a better awareness
of common learning impediments,
along with a knowledge of their remedies, it is hoped that you will get
higher returns on your efforts.
Read more about it

t S. A. Ambrose, M. W. Bridges, M.
DiPietro, M. CLovett, and M. K. Norman, How Learning Works: Seven
Research-Based Principles for Smart
Teaching. New York: Wiley, 2010.
t P. C. Brown, H. L. Roediger III,
and M. A. McDaniel, Make It Stick: The
Science of Successful Learning. Cambridge, MA, Harvard Univ. Press, 2014.
t C. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, Random
House LLC, 2006.
t J. D. Karpicke and J. R. Blunt,
Retrieval practice produces more
learning than elaborative studying with
concept mapping, Science, vol. 331,
no. 6018, pp. 772775, 2011.
t J. Qadir. (2014). What every student should know? 7 cardinal mistakes
and their solutions. Social Science
Research Network. [Online]. Available:
http:// ssrn.com/abstract=2496204
About the author

Junaid Qadir (junaid.qadir@seecs.
______________
edu.pk)
_____ is an assistant professor at
the School of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science, National
University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan. He was awarded the
Higher Education Commissions
(Pakistan) Best University Teacher
Award for the year 20122013.
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
35
Student Resources
Call For Articles

GRAPHIC STOCK.
Finding happiness and

satisfaction during your
Ph.D. program
Sharad Sinha and Mahdi Nikdast
any of you who have

been t h roug h a
Ph.D. program have
observed your peers
and colleagues feeli ng un happy a nd
unsatisfied with their work. This is
especially the case during the first
few years of a Ph.D., when one is
trying to make sense of what he or
she is doing. Some of you have
experienced it yourself. Working on

a research problem to find a good
solution is a challenging task. The
solution is elusive at times, and
there is little knowledge available to
proceed further, thus requiring one
to think deep and hard.
It is at times like these that students begin to compare their Ph.D.
life with that of their friends who
are comfortably settled in their jobs,
earning money, and having a pleasant life. They begin to question their
decision to enroll in a Ph.D. program,
the worthiness of the problem that
they are trying to solve, and whether it would have any impact on the
world. To many outside its domain,
research is expected to produce visible results and tangible outcomes.
Speaking to such people further
complicates the lives of students.

36
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

0278-6648/15/2015IEEE
0278-6648/152015IEEE
Student Resources
Call For Articles
They have a desire to make an impact, but their current research is

unlikely to have any measurable
impact in the next few years. When
they see that certain research areas
get more publicity, they may feel that
they chose the wrong area. All of
these questions and confusion create a vortex of emotions that leaves
many students dissatisfied. Needless to say, any questioning by their
advisors on research progress leaves
them pricked. Both happiness and
satisfaction seem elusive.
The role of motivation

When students feel this churn within themselves, they should ponder
their decision to enroll in a Ph.D.
program. Perhaps they chose it
because they wanted to expand the
frontiers of knowledge by contributing new insights. Maybe they chose
it because they loved solving challenging problems, examining current
knowledge, or performing experiments. On the other hand, some
may love the idea of letting their
imagination and creativity take flight
while others were motivated by people who earned much more money
after a Ph.D. The fact that people
with Ph.D. degrees were highly valued in their society or professional
field could have been another source
of motivation. Just as Gregory Mallory is often quoted as having replied
to the question, Why do you want to
climb Mount Everest? with the
retort, Because its there, a few
students might have chosen it simply because they loved the idea of
getting a Ph.D. Constantly reminding oneself of the things that motivated the pursuit of a Ph.D. program
is good way to keep composed in trying times.
Understand the nature and

philosophy of research
T he nature a nd philosophy of
research is in itself a subject of study.
However, a basic understanding can
be helpful. Research can be classified
broadly into short term and long
term. Short-term research is typically focused on outcomes accomplished
in around five years, which could
then be put to reasonable practice.

As an example, consider designing
an integrated sensor that could
sense multiple poisonous gases in
different environmental conditions
with a high degree of accuracy and
repeatability. Long-term research
focuses on outcomes in a minimum
of approximately ten years. For
instance, consider the use of photonic interconnects for on-chip communication. Various aspects of it have
already been under investigation for
nearly a decade, and yet there is no
chip today that relies solely on photonic interconnects.
There is also the distinction between applied and basic (or theoretical) research, although many research projects are a blend of these
two in varying proportions. Applied
research is more problem oriented,
for instance, the gas sensor project
mentioned previously. Basic or theoretical research is more involved
with understanding the nature of
materials, their fabrication, how to
use them, and their interaction with
other components. Take, for example, photonic interconnect research.
There are also distinctly theoretical
areas of work (e.g., designing a new
cryptographic algorithm or improving the complexity of algorithms involves working with abstract mathematical principles).
As a Ph.D. researcher, ones primary goal should be to conduct research. Whether anybody uses that
research or not is a different question. Some may use it, and many
may not. There are a number of reasons why most research remains on
paper and does not get translated
into a product. However, whenever
some research does get translated
into a product, it has built upon the
work of otherswork that remained
on paper. Therefore, in general, no
research work is waste.
The utility of research that actually advances the frontiers of knowledge may become visible long after
the research was actually conducted. There are numerous such examples in scientific history. Consider
Fourier transforms as an example.
When Joseph Fourier developed the
transforma mathematical contributionhe would not have known

that one day it would be used in
various types of image processing
applications. To those who want to
see immediate utility, his research
would have been nothing more than
a figment of imagination.
Scientific research is also an
economic exercise as it cannot be
conducted without money. Clearly,
economic policies play a role in determining areas of research that
appear to be hot. For instance,
big data processing is the in thing
these days. Money and resources
are being poured into it. There are
even universities offering degrees
in data science. You may read a lot
about research in this field in the
popular press. Dont be disheartened if the press does not cover your
area of research. Its aim is to attract
readers by choosing research projects that have potential. Readers are
more interested in something out of
the ordinary. In a way, the popular
press serves to let the imagination
of a layman take wings. But dont
forget that not everybody buys into
research projects covered by the
popular press. There is no harm in
seeking fame and popularity for your
research project, but that should not
be the goal.
Fixing a goal
Speaking of goals, an important factor that may cause dissatisfaction is
the very absence of a goal. Defining
a clear objective before starting a
task should be a high priority, and,
when it comes to your Ph.D., it is
the highest one. This is particularly
true as you need to spend a considerable amount of time on your studies, and, without a convincing objective, you may just give up. Moreover,
it is your motivation that keeps you
going through all the challenges
that you face during your Ph.D.
When it comes to defining your
objective, you need to think about
what you would like to do after
graduation. You may think that this
might not be practical, especially in
the early stages of your program, but
it is necessary to have a picture in
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
37
Student Resources
Call For Articles
your mind. Usually there are two options for Ph.D. graduates: industry
and academia. You should ask yourself: Which sector would I like to enter? Start by listing your capabilities, and carefully focus on how you
can improve them during your Ph.D.
For example, if you picture yourself
as a faculty member in a university,
you may decide to work more on your
publications, teaching experience,
and supervision experience. However, many companies require their
applicants to have acquired mostly
practical skills, such as being able
to work and design with computeraided design (CAD) tools or possess
device fabrication experience, rather
than having a satisfactory number
of qualified publications.
Thinking about your abilities and
what you can acquire through your
Ph.D. program is a good way of fixing
a goal. Sometimes Ph.D. research is
so theoretical or blue sky that it may
not add much value to your resume
when applying for industry positions; so it is better to figure that out
as soon as possible and look for ways
to make your resume look more interesting. Another good way is to go
back and re-examine what motivated you to get your Ph.D. in the first
place. Be guided by such motivations
when fixing goals for yourself. Finally, if you havent focused on a goal
yet, late is always better than never.
Look at your peers and learn where
they ended up after their graduation,
and decide for yourself.
Getting inspired
In addition to a well-defined objective, inspiration can further help you
get through your program. Ph.D.
research is a challenge for which
you are responsible. You need to go
through all the possible solutions
that exist and propose one that outperforms the others. Sometimes,
there is no known solution, and you
need to create one. During this process, however, you need to bear in
mind that you are not the only one
who has been tackling such difficulties. There are many others facing
38
Q
May/June 2015
Seeking support
In the end, you need to make an
effort to have a happy Ph.D. experience. Ph.D. work requires a lot of
focus, often requiring long hours of
work inside the lab. Besides, failure
is what students usually face until
they step into something useful. As
a result, they usually feel disappointed, lost, and stressed. Dont let
that happen to you. While Ph.D.
work has a high priority, dont
entirely devote to it unless you are
the type who likes regularly spending long hours investigating a
research problem.
Always make some time to spend
with loved ones and friends. Discuss the situation you are facing
with senior colleagues and friends,
and ask them if they have any suggestions. Try not to spend too much
time inside the office or the lab. Get

involved in some social activities
that your school organizes for students. Participate in sports. Talk
often to your family; you will find
that they are very helpful. Find a
hobby perhaps; this helps you focus on something other than your
research for a while. Such activities help refresh your mindvery
often the solution is right there and
you just dont see it. We both love
to cook. At times, we have prepared
dishes from various cuisines to release our mental pressure.
Conclusion
It is human nature to seek happiness and satisfaction, and how one
achieves these goals depends a lot
on oneself. The time you spend pursuing a Ph.D. program can help you
learn many things besides scientific
research. Academic life provides the
freedom to pursue different ideas.
You can use it not only to do good
research but also to build your
character. With a steady mind and
awareness of many aspects of life,
including research, happiness and
satisfaction will come to you.
About the authors

Sharad Sinha (sharad_sinha@ieee.
_____________
org)
__ earned his bachelors degree in
electronics and communication engineering in 2007 from Cochin University of Science and Technology,
India, and his Ph.D. degree in 2014
from the School of Computer Engineering at Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore. He is a corresponding editor of IEEE Potentials
and a visiting scholar at The Hong
Kong University of Science and
Technology.
Mahdi Nikdast (mahdi.nikdast@
___________
polymtl.ca)
_______ is a postdoctoral fellow
at the Department of Computer and
Software Engineering in Polytechnique Montral, Canada. He earned
his Ph.D. degree in electronic and
computer engineering from The
Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology, Hong Kong, in 2013.
IEEE POTENTIALS

the same challenges, and many

more have successfully passed
through them. Get inspired by others who succeeded. A very good
example is to read the biography of
someone you admire or who serves
as your mentor. A mentor could be
your supervisor, a colleague, or a
famous scientist. Try to learn from
them to understand how they
perservered. Your Ph.D. can be
inspired by the life of many great
scientists and inventors. While looking into the challenges they faced,
try to put yourself into their shoes,
and see how you can apply the
approaches they considered to solve
the problems you are facing.
While Ph.D. research is unlikely to
turn you into the next superstar scientist or the next Newton, studying
the history of science and technology
will help you in seeing research from
multiple perspectives. History contains rich stories of the persecution
of scientists and the scientific trials
and tribulations and of strong-willed
men and women. Although you may
have disliked history as a subject in
high school, now is the time to flip
through it. History teaches many
thingsthe most important being
that it can provide hope.
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Weighted code approach

to generate Gray code
Lovesh Grover
ray code is si mply

reflected binary code in
which two successive
values differ in only one
bit. The general method
of converting a decimal
number to Gray code is performed
by converting decimal to binar y
and then binary to Gray code. In
this article, a new method for generating a weighted code for Gray
code is proposed. With this, we can
directly convert decimal to Gray

0278-6648/152015IEEE

code and vice versa. This procedure

is simple and easy to use.
the Gray code for 36 is 110110.

These two codes differ by only one bit
position, the third from the right.
Introduction
Gray code was developed by Frank
Gray. It was originally designed to prevent bogus output from electromechanical switches. Today, Gray codes
are widely used for error correction in
digital communications such as digital
terrestrial television and some cable
TV systems. In this code a decimal
number is represented in reflected
binary code. Here the preceding and
succeeding number differ by a single
bit. For example, the Gray code for
decimal number 35 is 110010, and
Applications
A major application of Gray code is
in angle measurement and absolute
position sensing. Other applications
of Gray code include:
1) It is widely used for error correction in digital communication such as digital-terrestrial
television.
2) Binary-reflected Gray code is
used as a solution for the towers
of Hanoi problem and the classical Chinese rings puzzle.
IEEE POTENTIALS
May/June 2015
Q
39
Student Resources
Call For Articles
3) It is used in genetic algorithms

because of its humming distance
properties.
TABLE 1. Four-bit Gray code.

DECIMAL
BINARY
GRAY CODE
Ordinary method
0000
0000
The conversion of binary code to

Gray code follows two simple rules:
1) Keep the most significant bit
(MSB) in the Gray code the same
as the corresponding MSB in the
binary number. The MSB is the
left-most bit in the Gray, as well
as the binary, code.
2) Start from left to right and perform X-OR between each adjacent pair of binary code bits to
get the Gray code bit.
To convert a decimal number to
Gray code, first one must convert the
decimal number to binary code and
then binary to Gray code by using
above two rules. For example, if we
want to convert the decimal number 36 in Gray code, then we have
to convert it in the binary code (i.e.,
100100) and then convert this in
the Gray code as shown.
0001
0001
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0010
0011
0100
0101
0110
0111
1000
1001
0011
0010
0110
0111
0101
0100
1100
1101
Binary code- 1 0 0 1 0 0
.
b5 b4 b3 b2 b1 b0
Here, the MSB of binary code is 1, so
the Gray code MSB will also be 1, i.e.,
G5 = b5 .
31 15 7 3 1.
2) Look for the appropriate combination in the weighted code.
3) Alternatively perform subtraction
and addition in the weighted code
to get a decimal number for which
Gray code is to be generated. We
always initiate the process by
subtraction.
Finally, we get Gray code 110110.

Table 1 shows the 4-b Gray code
for decimal numbers 015.
1) To generate Gray code for decimal

number 4, the following step is
performed:
31 15 7 3 1.
7 - 3 = 4.
So 1 is placed on the respective
weighted code position and the rest
of the positions will become 0. The
generated Gray code will be 00110.
2) To generate Gray code for the
decimal number 5,
31 15 7 3 1.
Hence,
Proposed method
A weighted code was created to
directly convert decimal to Gray code
or vice versa. The method for conversion follows.
1) Write weighted code in a 2 n - 1
manner. Here, n is the number of
bits.
Suppose n = 5, then the weighted code is
2 -1 2 -1 2 -1 2 -1 2 -1
5
7 - 3 + 1 = 5.
So, 1 is placed in positions 7, 3, 1,
and the rest of the positions will
be filled with 0. The generated
Gray code will become 00111.
3) To generate Gray code for decimal
number 10,
31 15 7 3 1.
Hence,
15 - 7 + 3 - 1 = 10 .
i.e.,
40
Q
May/June 2015
Hence,
31 - 7 + 1 = 25 .
So, 1 is placed in positions 31, 7,
3, 1, and the rest position will be
filled with 0. The generated Gray
code will be 10101.
Conclusion
In the traditional method, we used to
convert the decimal number to binary and then to Gray code. In this proposed method, the decimal number
can be converted directly into Gray
code without the two-step process
contained in the traditional method.
It is more effective and less time-consuming for conversion, as we can
directly use the weighted code.
Acknowledgments
This article would not have been possible without the cooperation of Dr.
R. Gowri, director, Graphic Era Hill
University. A special thanks to Radhika Prabhakar Panwar, whose rich
experience, encouragement, and
guidance helped me in this work.
The constant support of Sidhanshu
Raghuvanshi, Bhaskar Sharma,
and Ankit Rai is also appreciated.
Read more about it

t R. P. Jain, Modern
Digital Electronics, 4th ed. New York: Tata

McGraw Hill Publications, 2003.
t TechnionIsrael Institute of Technology (2011) [Online]. Available: webcourse.cs.technion.ac.il/236514/Winter2011.../Gray_Codes_L.pdf
t Wikipedia. Gray code. [Online].
Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Gray_code
__________
t T. L. Floyd, Digital Fundamentals,
10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2003.
About the author

Lovesh Grover (lavishgrover@gmail.
_____________
com)
___ is pursuing a B.tech. degree in
computer science from Graphic Era
Hill University, Dehradun.
IEEE POTENTIALS

31 15 7 3 1.
Example
Hence,
Now start from left to right and perform X-OR between each adjacent
pair of bits in the following way:
5 5 5 5 5 5
1"0"0"0"1"0"0
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1 1 0 0 1 1 0.
So, 1 is placed in positions 15, 7,

3, 1, and the rest position will be
filled with 0. The generated Gray
code will be 01111.
4) To generate Gray code for the
decimal number 25,
Student Resources
Call For Articles
IEEE Membership Can Help

You Reach Your Personal
and Professional Goals
Gain access to the latest IEEE news,
locally and globally with IEEE members.
Participating in IEEE
has developed me as
a well-rounded
engineer and helped
me shine during
networking events.
And thats only the beginning. Discover
-Likhitha Patha
publications and digital library. Give and

receive personal mentoring. Network
how IEEE can help jumpstart your career.
Electrical Engineering Student,

IEEE Brand President,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University
Visit www.ieee.org/join today.

Student Resources
Call For Articles
MY FIRST JOB
Hard work, teamwork,

and network
by Rodney Roberts
s a young Ph.D. student studying robotics, I was

pealing to me. Later at the conference, he told me more
excited, and admittedly nervous, about giving my
about his background, and it turned out that we had a
first conference presentation. The conference was
lot in common. Although we were roughly 20 years apart,
the 1991 IEEE International Conference on SysI was following a very similar path. I was a graduate stutems Engineering in Dayton, Ohio. It was held at a hotel
dent at Purdue University at the time, and he had gradulocated near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB),
ated from Purdue in the 1970s. My research area was
and many of the attendees were from the base. I had
robotics, and his former Ph.D. advisor had taught my
been told that conferences are extremely important, not
first robotics course. After he graduated from Purdue, Dr.
only as a forum to exchange ideas but as an opportunity
Repperger became a National Research Council (NRC)
to meet people and make connections. This was
Fellow at WPAFB. He described the NRC Research
particularly true in this case, for it was at
Associateship Program and its positive imthis conference that I made my connecpact on his career, and it was something
tion for my first job.
that I kept in the back of my mind.
During one of the session breaks,
A few months later, I saw Dr.
my Ph.D. advisor, Prof. Tony MaRepperger at the 1991 IEEE Conciejewski, introduced me to Dr.
ference on Decision and Control,
Daniel W. Repperger from the
in Brighton, England. We talked
Armstrong Laboratory at WPAFB.
more about the NRC program,
Dr. Repperger was working on
and he told me that he would
applying robotics techniques to
be willing to serve as my NRC
a man-rated centrifuge called the
mentor. I applied to the NRC
Dynamic Environment Simulator
program, and after I received
(DES), and it turned out that my
my Ph.D., I became an NRC Felresearch topic was related to his inlow working with Dr. Repperger as
terests in controlling the centrifuge. He
my mentor. As proposed to the NRC,
explained his approach to me, and I found
my project involved using robotics-based
it fascinating that the robotics techniques
techniques to control the DES.
CAN STOCK PHOTO/IQONCEPT
that I had been working on could be used to
The dynamic environment simulator
control the centrifuge. We discussed some of the issues inThe DES was developed to simulate a high-altitude flight
volved with controlling a centrifuge, and I pointed out some
vehicle environment and was the only three-axis, manrelevant articles that I had read in my studies. We talked
rated centrifuge in North America at the time. It was
for quite a while and exchanged contact information.
installed in the mid-1960s and man-rated in 1969. The
I was very comfortable with Dr. Reppergers easygoDES consisted of a 19-ft main arm weighing 180 tons, a
ing personality. In addition to working as a researcher
fork, and a cab. The fork and cab had a combined weight
at WPAFB, he taught courses at Wright State University
of 10 tons. The cab contained an adjustable seat for test
and at the University of Dayton. This mixture of teaching
subjects and a screen to display visual cues. It was
courses and working at a research laboratory was apdesigned to operate at a maximum of 20 Gs (20 times the
force of gravity), with controlled three-axis motion
capability. The DES was regularly used for manned
42
Q
May/June 2015
IEEE POTENTIALS

Student Resources
Call For Articles
Are you keeping up

with technology
Or falling behind?
You know how important it is to stay up-to-date with cuttingedge technology breakthroughs. With Proceedings of the IEEE,
its easy to get comprehensive coverage on key ideas and
discoveries. From outlining new uses for existing technology
to detailing innovations in a variety of disciplines, youll nd
the breadth of content and depth of knowledge that only IEEE
can provide.
Stay connected to technologysubscribe today.
www.ieee.org/proceedings

Student Resources
Call For Articles
The DES located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton,

Ohio. The DES is a three-axis, man-rated centrifuge designed to
train fighter pilots and test flight hardware.
research in the areas of pilot performance, spatial

disorientation, and specialized training techniques.
In addition to studying the effects of elevated G exposure on humans, the DES was used by researchers to
test, design, and improve protective equipment such as
anti-G suits to help pilots deal with high G effects. The
capability of the DES to operate for extended periods of
time at elevated G levels and the ability to control the
magnitude and direction of the resultant G vector allowed test engineers to expose hardware to sustained or
complex dynamic G environments in a ground-based facility. Consequently, the DES could complement or even
replace flight testing, with significant reductions in risk
and program cost.
The 1990s were an exciting time to be working with
the centrifuge group. With the recent advances in the
control of high-performance aircraft, the study of the
physiological aspects of flight was becoming increasingly more important. The physiological stresses encountered by a pilot during a high-acceleration maneuver can be an important factor in determining whether
the flight maneuver can be performed safely. A trained
From left: Matthew Wilson (M.S. student) and Rodney Roberts.
44
Q
May/June 2015
From left: Collins Adetu (Ph.D. student), Rodney Roberts, Matthew

Wilson (M.S. student), and Dr. Carl A. Moore, Jr.
IEEE POTENTIALS

pilot properly equipped with a G protection suit can

withstand turns of up to 9 Gs; however, high thrust-toweight fighters are capable of sustained high-load factor
maneuvers that exceed pilot G tolerance, resulting in
gravity-induced loss of consciousness (GLOC). Spatial
disorientation during flight is also a hazardous problem
that can have fatal consequences. Due to these physiological limitations on the pilot, advanced fighters cannot always realize their performance capabilities.
The main motivation for applying motion control
methods from robotics was the U.S. Air Forces interest in developing supermaneuverable flight capabilities.
Supermaneuverability refers to the unusual flight trajectories that were being investigated with high-performance fighter aircraft. Fighter aircraft can be made to
fly these unusual flight maneuvers by several known
methods: using a high angle of attack ( a > 50), thrust
vectoring, vortex manipulation for control, or possibly
using differential deflection of stabilizers or canards.
At the time, most supermaneuverable flight trajectories
had not actually been flown in aircraft. However, studies with 1/7th size prototypes were conducted to investigate structural problems and to measure the linear and
rotational accelerations and forces that would act on a
pilot during a specified maneuver. Of particular interest
was a well-known supermaneuver called the cobra maneuver, which had been recently flown by both Soviet
and U.S. high-performance aircraft. The U.S. Air Force
was interested in studying the physiological effects this
dangerous maneuver would have on pilots and developing methods to prevent spatial disorientation and GLOC
in pilots performing such maneuvers.
Prior to the Air Forces interest in studying the physiological effects of supermaneuverability, the DES was
primarily used to simulate fixed G fields. The main arm
was rotated at a fixed velocity to achieve the desired
centrifugal force, and the cab was oriented so that the
seat properly aligned with the resulting G vector. Simulating supermaneuverable flight required more sophisticated motion control of the centrifuge. Since the kinematic structure of the DES is similar to a robotic wrist,
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Expand Your Network, Get Rewarded

Your personal and professional experiences with IEEE make you uniquely
qualied to help bring in new members. With the Member Get-A-Member
(MGM) Program you can get rewarded for word-of-mouth referrals.
Earn incentives and awards while helping to grow IEEE Membership.
Visit www.ieee.org/mgm
to learn more about the MGM
program and get started today.

Student Resources
Call For Articles
robotic motion control techniques could

be applied to the DES.
technology is only useful if it is valued by

the pilots. A new, useful, and superior
technology that is not embraced by the
end user is not going to win you a lot of
points with the administration.
Adjusting to the job

I was naturally very excited about working
on the kinematics, dynamics, and control
of the centrifuge and helping to develop
methods to mitigate GLOC and spatial
disorientation. I moved to Dayton, Ohio,
not quite knowing what to expect. Soon
after settling in and acclimating to my
new surroundings, I was struck by the
realization of how nice my situation had
been when I was a graduate student. I Rodney Roberts.
didnt realize that when I was at Purdue. I
had my Ph.D. advisor and my fellow officemates who
were all working in the same general area as I. I missed
the regular research conversations we had. Not only did I
learn from these conversations, but perhaps more
importantly, I gained a certain energy
and excitement that is hard to find
by yourself. I also missed the computing services at Purdue and found
that getting computer support was
much harder at the base. The library
was not quite as large either (remember that this was at a time before
information was so readily available
on the Internet). Soon, I learned the
importance of being proactive and
adapting to new environments. Identifying research topics and acquiring
the necessary skills to solve problems became my goal. This was
intimidating at first, but it was in
many ways the most rewarding stage
of my career up to that point.
My current job
After completing my NRC Fellowship, I
accepted a position in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at
Florida State University (FSU). My experiences at WPAFB have served me well at
FSU. Working at WPAFB gave me an
opportunity to develop more breadth in
my research before moving into an academic position. I also found that going into a tenure
track position with a better understanding of how government agencies such as the U.S. Air Force operate
was certainly beneficial, particularly when it came to
writing research proposals. Working
at WPAFB also helped my teaching
as I was able to relate my experiences from my first job to the classroom.
I also found that going

into a tenure track
position with a better
understanding of how
government agencies
such as the U.S. Air
Force operate was
certainly beneficial,
particularly when it
came to writing
research proposals.
Working at WPAFB
Dr. Repperger and I developed control algorithms for
the DES to simulate supermaneuver flight, and we
established protocols for using these algorithms in
actual test runs. Interacting with the pilots who participated in these simulations was interesting too. We also
presented results to high-level Air Force personnel. The
style of these presentations were different from the conference presentations that I was accustomed to at the
time. I had to learn to refrain from having slides with
lots of equations and to focus more on highlighting a
takeaway message for a program manager. At these
meetings, I came to realize that I needed to clearly identify the metrics of success by which I would be judged.
In school, the metric of success had been very straightforward: do well on the exams or, in the case of doing a
dissertation, come up with a novel, publishable idea of
interest to a relatively large research community. The
goal now was to develop ideas and solutions that are
mission relevant. At the Air Force laboratory, a new
46
Q
May/June 2015
Overall, my first job was a very positive experience. Looking back on it, I
do think I could have taken better
advantage of my time as an NRC Fellow. I once heard a successful
researcher give the following advice in
a presentation directed to young faculty members. He said being successful requires three types of work: hard
work, teamwork, and network. I
wished I would have done more networking during my first job, but, then
again, if you cant look back and see
ways that you could have done better, maybe you didnt
learn very much. I would certainly recommend the NRC
Research Associateship Program. It was a valuable experience and a wonderful first job.
About the author

Rodney Roberts (rroberts@eng.fsu.edu)
_______________ earned B.S.
degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from
the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1987, an M.S.
degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in
1988, and a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from
Purdue University in 1992. Since 1994, he has been with
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
at the Florida A&M UniversityFlorida State University
College of Engineering, where he is currently a tenured,
full professor of electrical and computer engineering. He is
the vice president for Systems Science and Engineering
for the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society and
a Senior Member of IEEE.
IEEE POTENTIALS

Conclusion
Student Resources
Call For Articles
AD INDEX & SALES
The Advertisers Index contained in

this issue is compiled as a service to
our readers and advertisers: the
publisher is not liable for errors or
omissions although every effort is
made to ensure its accuracy. Be
sure to let our advertisers know you
found them through IEEE Potentials.
Cover 4
IEEE Marketing Department
innovate.ieee.org
__________
James A. Vick
Sr. Director, Advertising
Business
+1 212 419 7767;
Fax: +1 212 419 7589
jv.ieeemedia@ieee.org
_____________
Marion Delaney
Advertising Sales
Director
+1 415 863 4717;
Fax: + 1 415 863 4717
md.ieeemedia@ieee.org
_______________
Mindy Belfer
Advertising Sales
Coordinator
+1 732 562 3937;
Fax: +1 732 981 1855
m.belfer@ieee.org
______________
PRODUCT
ADVERTISING
Midatlantic
Lisa Rinaldo
Phone: +1 732 772 0160
Fax: +1 732 772 0164
lr.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC,
KY, WV
Advertising inquiries
should be addressed to:
Mindy Belfer
IEEE Potentials
445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ
08854-1331
Phone: +1 732 562 3937
Fax: +1 732 981 1855
E-mail: m.belfer@ieee.org
___________
New England/Eastern
Canada/South Central
Jody Estabrook
Phone: +1 774 283 4528
Fax: +1 774 283 4527
je.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT,
AR, LA, OK, TX
Canada: Quebec,
Nova Scotia,
Newfoundland,
Prince Edward Island,
New Brunswick
Southeast
Thomas Flynn
Phone: +1 770 645 2944
Fax: +1 770 993 4423
tf.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL,
MS, TN
Midwest/Central Canada
Dave Jones
Phone: +1 708 442 5633
Fax: +1 708 442 7620
dj.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
IL, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE,
ND, SD, WI, OH
Canada: Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, Alberta
Midwest/Ontario, Canada
Will Hamilton
Phone: +1 269 381 2156
Fax: +1 269 381 2556
wh.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
IN, MI, Canada: Ontario
West Coast/Mountain
States/Western Canada
Marshall Rubin
Phone: +1 818 888 2407
Fax: +1 818 888 4907
mr.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
AZ, CO, HI, NM, NV, UT,
AK, ID, MT, WY, OR, WA,
CA
Canada: British Columbia
Europe/Africa/Middle
East/Asia/Far East/
Pacific Rim
Michael OKane
Phone: +44 1875 825 700
Fax: +44 1875 825 701
mo.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
Europe, Africa, Middle
East, Asia, Far East,
Pacific Rim, Australia,
New Zealand
RECRUITMENT
ADVERTISING
Midatlantic
Lisa Rinaldo
Phone: +1 732 772 0160
Fax: +1 732 772 0164
lr.ieeemedia@ieee.org
_____________
NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE, MD,
DC, KY, WV
New England/
Eastern Canada
Liza Reich
Phone: +1 212 419 7578
Fax: +1 212 419 7589
e.reich@ieee.org
__________
ME, VT, NH, MA, RI
Canada: Quebec,
Nova Scotia,
Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island,
New Brunswick
Southeast
Cathy Flynn
Phone: +1 770 645 2944
Fax: +1 770 993 4423
cf.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL,
MS, TN
Midwest/South Central/
Central Canada
Darcy Giovingo
Phone: +1 224 616 3034
Fax: +1 847 729 4269
dg.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, MI,
MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, OH,
OK, TX, WI
Canada: Ontario,
Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta
West Coast/Southwest/
Mountain States/Asia
Tim Matteson
Phone: +1 310 836 4064
Fax: +1 310 836 4067
tm.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
AZ, CO, HI, NV, NM, UT,
CA, AK, ID, MT, WY, OR,
WA
Canada: British Columbia
Europe/Africa/Middle East
Michael OKane
Phone: +44 1875 825 700
Fax: +44 1875 825 701
mo.ieeemedia@ieee.org
______________
Europe, Africa, Middle
East
IEEE POTENTIALS

May/June 2015
Q
47
Student Resources
Call For Articles
GAMESMAN PROBLEMS
Problem #1: Fire When Ready!

Mr. Black, Mr. Gray, and Mr. White are
fighting in a truel. They each get a
gun and take turns shooting at
each other until only one person is left. Mr. Black, who
hits his mark 1/3 of the
time, gets to shoot first. Mr.
Gray, who hits his mark
2/3 of the time, gets to
shoot next, assuming he is
still alive. Mr. White, who
hits his mark all of the time,
shoots next, assuming he is also
alive. The cycle repeats. All three
competitors know one anothers shooting odds. If you are Mr. Black, where
should you shoot first for the highest
chance of survival?
sure that you arrive at grandmas house with

exactly two cakes?
Problem #3: Red

Means Stop
NUMBERS CAN STOCK PHOTO/AGSANDREW,

ANDROID CAN STOCK PHOTO/KIRSTYPARGETER
There is a traffic light at the

top of a hill. Cars cant see
the light until they are
200 ft from the light. The
cycle of the traffic light is
30 s green, 5 s yellow, and
20 s red. A car is traveling
45 mi/h up the hill. What is
the probability that the light will
be yellow when the driver first
crests the hill and, if the driver continues through the intersection at his present speed, that he will run a red light?
Problem #4: A Palindromic Possibility

Problem #2: Cake Boss
You are on your way to visit your grandma, who lives at
the end of the valley. Its her birthday, and you want to
give her the cakes youve baked. Between your house and
hers, you have to cross seven bridges, and there is a toll
charge at every bridge. Each toll booth operator insists
that if you want to cross the bridge, you must pay the
toll. Since you never have cash, you are still allowed to
pass through if you give the toll booth operator half of the
cakes you are carrying. Displaying their kindness, they
each give you back a single cake when you pay in cakes.
How many cakes do you have to leave home with to make

48
Q
May/June 2015
Problem #5: No Xs and Os on This Toe

Arrange the numbers 1 through 9 on a tic-tac-toe board
such that the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal add up to 15.
If you have a problem for the Gamesman,

submit it along with the solution
to ______________
potentials@ieee.org. If we publish your problem,
youll receive a free IEEE t-shirt, so please include
your size (L or XL). Thanks.
Solutions are on page 5.
IEEE POTENTIALS

On a 12-hr digital clock, what is the smallest interval

between two times that are palindromic (can be read forward and backward as the same number)?
Student Resources
Call For Articles
Opportunity
knocks.
Will
you answer?
CAN STOCK PHOTO/LUMAXART2D
IEEE Potentials is looking for

students, recent graduates, and
professionals with unique viewpoints
and cutting-edge ideas to write for the
magazine. If you have an interesting
technical article or want to contribute your ideas to an existing opinion
column, we can assist you in seeing
your ideas through from submission to
publication.
IEEE Potentials is dedicated to serving the needs of undergraduate and
graduate students as well as entrylevel engineers. Article subjects are
explored through timely manuscripts with a goal of assisting readers
on a technical, professional, and personal level.
If youre an engineer who possesses cutting-edge technical ideas,
formulated concepts about what will work, or opinions about the

forces that influence the problem-solving process, IEEE Potentials
would like to hear from you.
IEEE Potentials is interested in manuscripts that deal with theory,
practical applications, or new research. They can be tutorial in nature.
Submissions may consist of either full articles or shorter, opinionoriented essays. When submitting an article, please remember:
tAll manuscripts should be written at the level of the student audience.
tArticles without equations are preferred; however, a minimum of
equations is acceptable.
tList no more than 12 references at the end of your manuscript. No
embedded reference numbers should be included in the text. If you need
to attribute the source of key points or quotes, state names in the text and
give the full reference at the end.
tLimit figures to ten or fewer, and include captions for each.
tArticles should be approximately 2,0004,000 words in length;
essays should be 9001,000 words.
tInclude an individual e-mail address and a brief biography of four to
six lines for each author.
All submitted manuscripts are evaluated by the IEEE Potentials
reviewer team and graded in accordance with the above guidelines.
Articles may be required to go through multiple revisions depending
on reviewers grades and comments.
Jump in and submit your article through Manuscript Central at:
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/pot-ieee
Theres a knock at the door. Answer it. Become an author for IEEE
Potentials.
Got Game?
Do you revel
in causing match-up
problems for the opposition?
Put your skills to the test and submit your problem and
its solution to the Gamesman. If it is published you will score
a free IEEE t-shirt to go along with the satisfaction of challenging
your fellow students.
Those submitting problems including diagrams must include the
images in separate figure files (jpg, tiff, gif, or eps files are acceptable).
Each question should not have more than one correct solution.
Submissions should be sent to potentials@ieee.org.
____________
Please include your name, mailing address, and t-shirt size (L or XL).
3 G GRAPHICS

Student Resources
Call For Articles
While the world benets from whats new,

IEEE can focus you on whats next.
IEEE Xplore can power your research

and help develop new ideas faster with
access to trusted content:
+ Journals and Magazines
+ Conference Proceedings
+ Standards
+ eBooks
+ eLearning
+ Plus content from select partners
IEEE Xplore Digital Library

Information Driving Innovation
Learn More
innovate.ieee.org
Follow IEEE Xplore on

Student Resources

Dollars Versus Diplomas: Find Your Fire

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dollars Versus Diplomas: Find Your Fire

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Contents

For navigation instructions please click here

For navigation instructions please click here

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Call For Articles

THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

Associate Editors to Join the

Write, solicit, and coordinate invited articles.

The nomination form includes the essay questions:

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2015.2421191

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Call For Articles

THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

THEME: DOLLARS VERSUS DIPLOMAS

Take an active approach to getting interviews

The importance of communication in the workplace

Working abroad: What is your vantage point?

What is your work ethic?

by a career or continuing education?

Navigating the engineering career

DRAGONS CAN STOCK PHOTO/DVARG.

Five reasons why you should attend

What and what not to expect from your Ph.D. advisor

Finding a research problem: Tips for new Ph.D. students

What every student should know: Seven learning

Finding happiness and satisfaction

Weighted code approach to generate Gray code

MISSION STATEMENT: IEEE Potentials

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2015.2398473

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Call For Articles

THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

IEEE POTENTIALSTHE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

Wai-Choong Wong, Member &

IEEE MEMBER & GEOGRAPHIC

MGA STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Mostafa Mortezaie, Region 6

MEMBER & GEOGRAPHIC

IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2015.2398474

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Call For Articles

THE MAGAZINE FOR HIGH-TECH INNOVATORS

IMAGE COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/CLAY JUNELL.

How will you get the carrot you desire?

I enjoyed showing tourists around offshore attractions,

About the author

Davis George Moye (davisgeorge.moye.us@ieee.org)

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page

Previous Page | Contents

| Zoom in | Zoom out | Front Cover | Search Issue | Next Page