Ethan Luan
Ethan is a third-year student in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology. He participated in the Summer Research Exchange Program with ETH-Zürich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. There, he worked with the SAFARI research group, led by Dr. Onur Mutlu, conducting performance tests and developing a DRAM or type of computer memory.
Through his background reading and practical experimentation, Ethan gained experience working with computer hardware and software that has the potential for large-scale practical implementation. Ethan also learned how research differs from other aspects of his studies:
“Firstly, there are less deadlines set by others and one must be more proactive since they are doing their own research. Secondly, there is no ‘correct answer’ to research since it is often novel, and thus intuition and experience are both important in determining how to conduct research and whether its results are valid.”
Although Ethan is now back at U of T, he has continued working with the SAFARI group remotely. Interested in pursuing graduate studies, Ethan wants to pursue computer hardware/architecture within the broader fields of electrical and computer engineering in his upper years.
Research Type(s): Summer Research Programs, International Research Experiences