懂色帝

鈥淪ince I was little, I鈥檝e had an interest in robotics and electronics,鈥� says electrical and computer engineering student Derrick Chiu. 鈥淭o the point where I would dissect anything I could get my hands on, even though I knew nothing about the electronic parts.鈥�

While his hands took things apart, he was also absorbing science fiction鈥檚 futuristic possibilities. Cartoons involving advanced technology became a calling, inspiring Chiu to pursue engineering. Now working in the Long Island campus鈥� Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC), he is fulfilling his childhood goals.

鈥淭he lab is everything I hope to work toward when I graduate, like collaborating with other College of Engineering and Computing Sciences disciplines to create working prototypes,鈥� Chiu says of his motivation to join the ETIC in the spring of 2024. After completing the 25-hour program鈥攖he ETIC鈥檚 prerequisite to become a hired worker鈥攈e quickly rose from intern to engineer to his current role as project manager.

Currently, Chiu is leading a project as part of 懂色帝鈥檚 contract with NASA鈥檚 Technology Transfer Expansion (T2) program. The design involves a digital-to-analog conversion for electrocardiogram (EKG) heart signals so that any EKG dataset recording may be transformed and easily transferred from one doctor to another. Chiu worked on the product鈥檚 interface and coding and will see the project to completion over the summer, at which point the team will deliver this prototype and others to NASA.

While seemingly complex, these projects are Chiu鈥檚 specialty. His past undertakings include an infrared tracking circuit to control the opacity of smart glass panels and a 3-D-printed cast with embedded muscle stimulation pads to provide an active and passive recovery system, minimizing muscle atrophy and recovery time for bone fracture patients.

In April, he and his ETIC colleagues presented at the Ingenium Awards reception and traveled to Albany, N.Y., for the Cultivating Resources for Employment with Assistive Technology Symposium (CREATE). At CREATE, his team received a third-place prize for their Transport Ready Assisting Machine鈥攁 miniature forklift to transport small, heavy packages.

Outside of the ETIC, Chiu is working as a technician for a vending machine service company, where he fixes physical hardware as well as internal electronics and refrigeration on-site at the company and in response to local businesses鈥� calls for machine repairs.

鈥淭hrough all of this hands-on experience, I鈥檝e been able to apply my studies in a practical work environment and adapt to different challenges,鈥� Chiu says.

Expecting to graduate in 2026, the young engineer hopes to become involved with defense contracting, working on robotics and control systems. Further in his career, he envisions working with medical devices and dreams of creating something new to benefit society.

To help make those aspirations a reality, Chiu will take on personal projects to bolster his portfolio. He is considering studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step to becoming a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). He is also considering pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in electrical and computer engineering and may someday work toward a Ph.D.

He says, 鈥淚nspiration comes from when you take a step back from your workload and enjoy the small things in life.鈥�