Class of 2016, BS in Electrical Engineering

During his sophomore year and the ensuing summer, electrical engineering student Daniel Douglas worked with Temple University's Neural Engineering Data Consortium under the supervision of Joseph Picone, professor of electrical and computer engineering. Douglas helped build a data file consisting of more than 25,000 electroencephalograms (EEGs) from more than 15,000 Temple University Hospital patients.

The purpose: to develop software and train computers to automatically identify neurological conditions such as epilepsy and stroke in order to help physicians better diagnose and treat them. "It was my first exposure to using digital signal processing to develop machine learning technology," says the Egg Harbor Township (New Jersey) High School graduate, "and I was quite taken with its power."

Following his May graduation, Douglas—who previously earned an associate's degree in computer technology from the ITT Technical Institute—will pursue a doctorate focusing on digital signal processing and machine learning at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, which has offered him a graduate fellowship.

Last summer Douglas was a fellow at the Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Research Program at Binghamton University. Working with BU Associate Professor Scott Craver, Douglas explored vulnerabilities in speech verification programs by demonstrating that targeted noise could thwart such systems without affecting speech-to-text decoding. He presented that research at the 2015 McNair Summer Research Conference in Buffalo, New York.

Under the supervision of Temple Professor Saroj Biswas, he also co-authored a peer-reviewed paper for the American Society for Engineering Education on developing a web-based multi-media virtual laboratory for power engineering for students at universities without electrical machine laboratories.

In addition, as a work-study assistant lab manager in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, with Picone's guidance Douglas developed an app for Android smartphones in conjunction with the university's Department of Undergraduate Studies that ensures better matches between students and their peer mentors.

Of Picone's influence, says Douglas, "He found me when I didn't know what I wanted to do and groomed me to overcome my challenges and realize my potential. He wasn't just a teacher for a semester, he's become a mentor I can hold onto for the rest of my life."