2016 2016: Abner Barros: Internship at General Dynamics

Year: Class of 2016
Major: Electrical Engineering
Program: 5-year BS/MS in Electrical Engineering
Hometown: Born in Fogo, Cape Verde; moved to Brockton, MA
Internship: General Dynamics Mission System
Leadership: Team leader, senior capstone design project
Next steps: Completing master's degree

Passionate about electronics

Choosing electrical engineering as my major was a result of my childhood obsession and keen interest in the ever-growing world of technology.

Growing up, I was a passionate collector of electronic components and devices, from radios to DC motors and just about anything that had a circuitry built within. I often glared at the printed circuit board puzzled, eager to know how it could possibly make the speakers generate sound.

A dream blossomed out of this obsession, then a lifelong quest to learn and discover the mystery behind the copper-coated board came along, and ultimately an education in the field of engineering.

My interest in engineering became apparent during high school. Taking courses such as robotics, engineering drawing, and computer-aided design gave me a glimpse of what being an engineer was truly about.

Becoming a "master student"

I’m proud to say that the College Now/START program is the cornerstone of my college education. I learned the fundamentals of mathematics and physics required to endure the first year of engineering.

After completing the program, the support I continued to receive from assistant director Anne Boisvert, advisor Laurajane Fitzsimons, and the entire College Now staff proved to be of great importance in my academic success in the College of Engineering.

I was hired by Ms. Boisvert to tutor her students in algebra and pre-calculus. Over the years, I found myself tutoring students in Calculus I, II & III and sometimes with engineering and physics courses. I was not only helping them but also myself, because when tutoring, you tend to master the subject in the process.

I’m forever grateful to the College Now/START program and their amazing staff for helping me become a “master student”. Once College Now, always College Now!

Internship at General Dynamics

I interned with General Dynamics Mission System in Taunton, MA. As an electrical engineering intern, I was able to dive into specific assignments in support of Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 3 Radio Frequency Systems test activities.

I worked with the NetOps System Engineers to develop and run test procedures for the WIN-T Network Management System software used during their government functional qualification testing.

My internships led to a greater understanding of electrical engineering concepts and new skills within tactical communications, system engineering and computer networks including satellite communication, communication protocols, and network topology.

I’m proud to say that the College Now/START program is the cornerstone of my college education. I learned the fundamentals of mathematics and physics required to endure the first year of engineering.

Senior capstone design project

I’m deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as one of the team leaders for the electrical and computer engineering senior capstone design project. The project has served as an opportunity to enrich my leadership skills and solve an open-ended engineering problem.

Being a team leader puts you in the shoes of an engineer manager. It comes with a great deal of responsibility on which your team’s success depends in order to meet the customer's needs and requirements.

I’m working with three other engineering students to design and implement an Acoustic Ruler device/system to facilitate acoustic measurements between microphones and loudspeakers for Speech Technology & Applied Research Corp.

Graduate study in electrical engineering

I’m currently enrolled in the 5-year BS/MS program here at UMass Dartmouth. I decided to strive for my master’s in electrical engineering with a concentration in signal processing. The areas of research that pique my interest include interactive media processing for immersive communication and the advanced signal processing techniques for radar and sonar applications.

My desire to further my studies in this field stems from the applications, concepts, and theories I learned in Dr. Kasilingam’s technical elective courses and the persuasive insight I received from my fellow engineers at General Dynamics Mission System, electrical engineering professor Dr. Gendron, and advisor Dr. Buck.

More information

College of Engineering: Electrical Engineering

College Now/START