ENGINEERING YOUR IMPACT
First-generation student Brodie Alexander is making waves below the surface, studying computer engineering with underwater robotics research, a combination only available at UA.
"UA has opened a lot of pathways for me. I feel very confident that after my experience here, I could probably pick any city in the world and get a job there."
Resources Within Reach
A chance email. A 3D printer. The desire to know how things work. Those things brought Tuscaloosa native Brodie Alexander to the Capstone before he was ever a student.
Brodie learned about programming and robotics in high school, but he wanted to go deeper. While he was looking into how to make his own hardware, it clicked that just down the road, UA had a 3D-printing lab, The Cube, that could make printed circuit boards.
"That got the gears turning. I found the email address and just said 'What's the worst that could happen?'" He learned The Cube was only open to UA faculty, staff and students, but he was invited to come in and learn how the lab worked.
Like many other students, Brodie was sold on UA because of the vast network of labs and experiential learning opportunities across colleges.
Discover the resources to ignite your passions today.
Diving into Research
Since that very first experience Brodie's portfolio has taken him from a desk in The Cube to exploring the bottom of Lake Tuscaloosa with the "Song lab" under the direction of Dr. Aijun Song, an esteemed researcher in subsea communication and marine robotics.
"I started scouting 'What professors are there in my department that I could do research with? What are their research areas?' And UA's websites make that information very accessible," Brodie said.
"When you think of computer engineering, you think about circuit boards, you think about making chips. You don't think about underwater robotics." Working closely with Dr. Song, Brodie created a low-cost acoustic pinger, a device that sends out a repeated signal to locate a missing vehicle. The pingers used at the time could only identify the underwater vehicles, but not transmit the information. Brodie had quickly been empowered by his time with Dr. Song and was excited to make recommendations for improving this technology.
"Radio waves don't really transmit very well underwater. Something that would go five miles on the surface through uninterrupted air probably would struggle to make it 30 feet underwater. You need to find another way," Brodie explained.
"So, what follows is, can we use those same strategies that people use for radio using sound waves? And can we use that to actually get underwater drones to talk to each other? And the answer is yes, but there are some unique challenges to it."
Brodie is prepared to meet challenges through research innovation with hands-on learning and access to resources that match the limits of his imagination.
Opportunities in Focus
Throughout his years at UA, Dr. Song's mentorship guided Brodie on a journey of continuous discovery.
In fact, he's found many professors who meet undergraduate students where they are and help them navigate classes and grades, while taking an active role in important, real-world research.
"The University of Alabama has become the catalyst for me going from this blank slate, fresh out of high school into having this conviction that I want to go forward with research if possible," said Brodie, who is also considering working toward earning a doctorate.
Your legendary journey awaits.
"I want to be doing something that is tackling new ground. UA gave me the tools, the ability and the freedom to explore all of that and find that out about myself."
WHERE LEGENDS ARE MADE
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS UP TO YOU...
