photo of pillai flying her drone project

Swetha Pillai – Class of 2021

In her own words – interviewed Spring Quarter 2021

  • Hometown: Fremont, CA
  • Favorite Course: Introduction to Computer Vision (ECE 181)
  • Senior Project: ECE 189 (1st Place) – Ptero: low-cost collision detection and obstacle avoidance in drones using RADAR and LiDAR sensors for a number of safety purposes
  • Student Organization: Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
  • Interesting aside about you: I once played all 32 races of Mario Kart Wii in one sitting

Swetha’s Favorite

  • Hobbies: dancing, working out, trying new foods
  • Performer: Rihanna
  • TV Show: Stranger Things
  • Movie: Thor
  • Activity: anything competitive
  • Sport: badminton
  • Geeky Possession: yes, I've got games on my phone ;)

Favorite things about

  • CE Program: Seeing the same faces in different classes, it’s easier to get to know individuals in your major -- I’ve met some really genuine students and professors that way. Also, since our prerequisites set us up for both CS and ECE, I like the freedom we have to choose classes between the two. There’s a lot of room for exploration and learning.
  • UCSB: The campus is spread out enough that there’s plenty of open space to hang out or study, but not too far apart that it takes too long to get around. It’s right next to Isla Vista (IV - a community on the outskirts of campus) if you’re running late or want to grab a quick bite. The food options on campus are pretty good too, especially at Courtyard Cafe. There’s much to do and many places to visit on campus!
  • Santa Barbara: The weather here is unmatched, sunny with a nice breeze year-round. The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous. There are many beaches as well, but I personally love going downtown. There’s a lot to do, it’s bustling with life.

Swetha and Computer Engineering

Why CE as a major? I took some computer science classes in high school that I enjoyed, but CS is a pretty competitive major and I didn’t have any experience that stood out at that point, just interest. I decided to give CE a shot since it sounded like CS but with some hardware aspects.

Why did you select UCSB's CE program? After I visited the campus, I liked what UCSB had to offer and the CE program itself had a good reputation.

How did you hear about UCSB's CE program? When I was applying to colleges my senior year of high school, I came across UCSB’s CE program and I thought it sounded promising.

Prospective students and parents often ask, what can you do with a CE degree? With a CE degree, you have experience with both software and hardware concepts and applications, so you can explore careers or graduate education in either.

The Curriculum

What have you learned that has surprised you the most so far? Honestly, a lot of things have surprised me. The general idea boils down to the realization that there is so much detail in the processing and computation of any given electronic device. From something as simple as a dishwasher to something more complex like a self-driving car, it really gets you thinking about the extensive software flow or hardware functionality that’s involved.

What has your experience been like taking the Math and Physics core classes? I recommend coming in with a good score on the AP Calculus BC test from high school so you can have a solid foundation and also skip out on some of the math prerequisites. I enjoyed my math classes -- some of the professors can be pretty dry, but the TAs were really thorough and engaging. I didn’t come in with much of a background in physics from high school, so I thought it was challenging and needed to dedicate a lot of time to it. Our physics department has many accomplished professors, so their expectations are pretty high. If you need help, I found Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) to be a valuable resource.

What has been your most challenging but rewarding course? The most challenging but rewarding course for me was Sensor and Peripheral Interface Design (ECE 153B), the prerequisite to capstone. It introduced a lot of new concepts, but also the flaws in software and hardware. Even though something worked for another group, it didn’t necessarily work using the same method for us, so we had to tweak it and play around with different techniques until we had it performing the way we wanted it to. This class made me think about how everyday appliances use microcontrollers and different peripherals to achieve such useful purposes. Even though the late hours were rough, the TAs were great, easy to talk to, and always there to help.

Are there any specific classes that you are looking forward to? I’m glad I took all the courses I wanted to as an undergrad, but now I’m working towards my master’s as a part of the BS/MS program here. I took Introduction to Computer Vision (ECE 181) last quarter and I thought it was interesting and very applicable to advancements in tech today. I’m looking forward to taking Advanced Topics in Computer Vision (ECE 281B) next year to further study this.

Talk about your Capstone experience so far: Now that we’ll be finishing up our ECE 189ABC Capstone spring quarter, I can say it’s been a rewarding experience. Capstone allows us to work with a company and apply what we’ve learned the last couple of years to a real-world application. Working with a group of engineers has, to a certain extent, simulated what it’s like to be in the workforce. We get to demonstrate our skills while also picking up how to communicate effectively, meet deadlines, and present our progress. I feel like a Capstone project is a good way to wrap up our education and transition us into a work environment.

What area do you want to specialize in? I can’t name any one area -- I still have many yet to explore. If I were to name one field I find especially intriguing right now, it’d be machine learning as I’ve seen it being used to complete computer vision tasks. I believe it’s used predominantly by tech companies today and has a lot of potential for growth.

Have you done an internship? The summer after my second year, I worked as a Software Engineer Intern at an R&D company called SmartRG in Santa Barbara. I configured and tested different routers and mesh networks, and evaluated their performance. I got a taste of what it’s like to work in industry. This summer, I’ll be working as a Machine Learning Performance Engineer Intern at ServiceNow in the Bay Area.

Have you had any on-campus research opportunities at UCSB? The summer after my second year, in addition to an internship, I also did research with the Biomimetic Circuits & Nanosystems Group led by Dr. Luke Theogarajan. I worked on a couple of projects that I learned much from, such as interfacing hardware with software.

Preparation from High School to College

What prepared you the most for studying engineering in college? AP Computer Science helped a lot to set the groundwork for logical thinking and programming. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it did make the transition to CS courses at UCSB a lot smoother. AP Calculus BC also helped because I was able to learn all the material well, given that it was spread out across a year rather than 10 weeks, plus I was able to skip a few math courses my freshman year.

Are there any classes that you suggest CE students take before entering UCSB? Taking AP Computer Science and AP Calc BC definitely lightens the load a bit when you get to UCSB because it provides a decent foundation and makes you think logically. Some APs could satisfy GE, history, writing, and/or other requirements, so check up on that!

Any additional experiences that you would like to share with students to help them prepare for college? Looking back at my undergraduate coursework, I wish I hadn’t taken so many units each quarter. I was so intent on trying to take everything, but I feel like I would have benefited more if I had taken a few courses each quarter, did well in them and spread them out across the years. Cramming a bunch of courses allowed me to hit everything I was potentially interested in and made me realize what I truly enjoyed, and what I would like to pursue more. However, with taking so many units at once, you’re not able to fully grasp some concepts because there’s too much on your plate and you can’t dedicate enough time and effort as you’d want to.

Student Life at UCSB

What is campus life like for CE students? Most of our upper division courses have labs in Harold Frank Hall (HFH), so you end up spending a good chunk of your time on that side of campus. If people aren’t in class, they’re usually hanging out or doing work at the Computer Science Instructional Lab (CSIL). Aside from classes, people can engage in Greek life, campus orgs, jobs, research, hobbies, or whatever they feel like doing. In contrast to the rigid structure of high school, you can create your own schedule and squeeze in time for the things you love.

What is the social scene like on campus, in Isla Vista and off-campus like for CE students? It’s whatever you make of it. Whether it be hanging out with friends, going downtown, out to the beach, or just staying in, it’s whatever you choose to do. There are so many options and you can never really be bored, especially with a group of friends that share the same interests. One of the last times I was in a giant social setting was right before the pandemic and lockdown set in. A bunch of my CE friends and I had a game night, hung out, danced, and I injured myself for months to come, but it was so much fun and I’d do it all over again if I could.

Describe your housing experience frosh to present: In my freshman year, I lived in Manzanita Village (Manzi), with two second-year students. It was a top floor, corner room, so it was very spacious. I’ve heard many horror stories about the bathroom situation at the freshman dorms on the other side of campus, but in Manzi, each huge bathroom was shared between about six people and you would have the whole bathroom to yourself. It was right across from Carrillo Dining Commons, where they have amazing brunch on the weekends. Manzi is primarily for second-year and third-year students, so there are not many freshmen. Even though the living situations were great, it was hard to meet other freshmen -- I really had to go out of my way versus just meeting people on my floor like other freshmen did. In my second year, I did room retention where I got the same room again in Manzi but this time with my friend, and we had some other familiar faces on the same floor, so it felt more at-home. In my third year, I moved out into an apartment in IV with friends, right near Pardall Rd where all the food lies and not too far from campus. In my fourth year, my friends and I got a place near campus on Del Playa Drive (DP), with our living room looking right out onto the ocean. Since the pandemic took place and everything’s been remote anyway, we’ve talked about how we could’ve just gotten a place further down IV away from campus, where the houses are bigger and have better accommodations. We didn’t know this was going to happen, but we’ve managed with our place thus far.

After Graduation

What are your “big picture” plans/aspirations after graduation? After I finish my undergraduate degree this year, I’ll be working at ServiceNow in the Bay Area as a Machine Learning Performance Engineer Intern. Then, in the following school year, I’ll continue working towards my master’s degree in Computer Engineering as a part of the BS/MS Program here at UCSB. Once I complete the graduate program, I plan on joining industry with the advanced, specialized knowledge gained through the master’s degree.