Electrical Engineering Student Co-Authors a Conference Paper

Chet Pajardo II, ’20, co-authored a paper entitled, “Implementing Stochastic Bayesian Inference: Design of the Stochastic Number Generators,” which was published in the Proceedings of the International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS) conference in August 2019. The abstract for Chet’s work can be viewed online. Chet began this research as a Hauber Fellow in the summer of 2018 under the guidance of Dr. David Hoe in the department of engineering at Loyola University Maryland. Under the Hauber Research Fellowship program, students receive generous grants to do research with a Loyola faculty member during the summer. Chet continued his research with Dr. Hoe during the fall 2018 semester by enrolling in an independent study research course, a common way that students can work with a faculty member during the semester while also receiving course credit.

The overall goal of this research is to develop circuits that allow computers to process data using a statistical approach known as Bayesian inference. This new way of designing computer circuits may eventually enable machines to think more like humans in making decisions—something more popularly known as artificial intelligence. The focus of Chet’s work was on the design and simulation of the circuits that generate the pseudo-random number sequences that allow the probabilistic calculations to be performed. In doing the simulations, Chet made use of Loyola’s computing cluster, a network of high-performance processors that significantly reduce the time needed to perform complex computations. (Learn more about Loyola’s computing cluster).

Chet concentrated in electrical engineering within the engineering program at Loyola. “The Hauber Fellowship program helped me learn about different engineering systems and gave me practical experience in interpreting and visualizing experimental data,” Chet said. “The knowledge I obtained over the summer and the following semesters will surely help me further my future engineering endeavors and I am very grateful for the opportunity. It was easily a top five lifetime experience!”

“Chet did an outstanding job in contributing to this research,” added Dr. Hoe. “He was one of our first student researchers to run simulations on Loyola’s new computing cluster. We ran a lot of simulations on the cluster. Chet’s diligence in organizing and documenting his work was instrumental in allowing us to analyze the simulation results and in producing a quality scientific paper.”

With its small faculty-to-student ratio, there are ample opportunities for undergraduate students in Loyola’s engineering program to work on research projects under the direct supervision of a professor. Learn more about research opportunities for students in the engineering department.