Pursuing graduate studies is something I have considered way earlier in my college studies. Studying is always something I am passionate about. Five years of electronics and communications engineering education together with my undergraduate research experience, made me realize that research is a career I can imagine myself doing. I am determined to pursue MS in Electronics Engineering.
My undergraduate thesis was entitled entitled Design and Development of Decision Support System Using Near Cloud for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction. My research aimed to solve the problem of lack of communication lines and information sharing in the event of disaster scenarios as the Philippines is a disaster-prone country. In the research, we used the near cloud (mobile cloud technology) to store, load and upload information, this project has designed and developed decision support nodes that is able to gather and distribute intelligent information before, during, and after disasters. Due to the limited time of undergraduate research, I was not able to maximize the potential of my research topic. I would want to pursue graduate studies under the guidance of the same faculty that helped me through my undergraduate research. I want to not only continue but to improve on what I have done in my undergraduate research. My philosophy and theology classes have equipped me with valuable of cura personalis and magis have encouraged me not to be a person who is self-serving but rather to be a person-for-others. I believe that it is in pursuing research that I can truly be of help for others. I believe my Atenean education have taught me technical skills, core values, practical life lessons and many more which I believe is enough to equip me with what is necessary for graduate school .Ateneo showed me how much I truly love learning and helping others.
To prepare further, I am researching at the Ateneo Innovation Center where we are focused on innovation and new technology. In addition, I am learning the technologies and courses on machine learning, speech recognition, mobile cloud technology and internet of things. I am learning under the supervision of the faculty in the Ateneo Innovation Center, in particular, Dr. Gregory Tangonan, Dr. Nathaniel Libatique, and Dr. Gemalyn Abrajano. In AIC, we are currently working on Multi-platform ICT Decision Support System UAVs, Vehicle Hubs, Ubiquitous Computing for Disaster Risk Reduction. This research is supported by Toyota InfoTechnology Center. I am hoping I could continue on working with them in my graduate studies.
If given the opportunity to study MS in Electronics Engineering in the Ateneo, I would be able to contribute to the community through my efforts in research of more efficient decision support systems of communication and information sharing for disaster risk reduction and management. Disaster-preparedness and post-disaster relief could save thousands of lives that is why it is something I am truly passionate to address. Furthermore, if given the chance, I would be able to give back and share my skills and knowledge both in pursuing academe and research work.
Jane Arleth dela Cruz 