Lynn Sementilli

Hometown: Williamsville, NY

Level of Study: BS, Class of 2017, Current MS student

Why did you choose to study electrical engineering?

Although I was interested in a variety of subjects throughout my childhood and high school years, and was seriously considering a degree in law or government as a senior in high school, I was encouraged by my family and friends to try some introductory courses in engineering when I entered college because of my skills in science and mathematics as well as the wide array of career choices that engineering offers. Upon taking EAS140 with Dr. Zirnheld, and participating in the career module for this course, I absolutely loved the UB engineering community and decided to take EE101 with Dr. Kevin Burke. The enthusiasm of the EE faculty who taught these courses and the enjoyable hands-on projects that I was able to participate in led me to be excited about continuing my education in the UB EE department. Because of my interest in national security and defense technologies, paired with my curiosity about how computers and electronics work, electrical engineering was definitely the best fit for me.

What are your areas of interest in EE?

Ever since my high school years, I have always had an interest in United States government and policy, as well as in defense and security technologies, and this has also had an impact in my interest within the EE department. Within electrical engineering, I have an interest in using electronic communications and networks to improve our national security, whether that be through electronic warfare, secure wireless communications, UAV communication controls, or the implementation of wireless sensor networks for domestic security.

Why did you choose UB?

In making a decision for which university to attend, two important factors to consider are the value of the education and the environment of the community both on and off campus. At the University at Buffalo, I realized that the value of the education was incredible, and I was also blessed with being offered additional scholarships. Being able to attend a high quality university like UB with the prospect of a debt-free graduation definitely made my decision quite easy. Also, being from the Buffalo area, I knew that the community would provide me with an enjoyable four years of undergraduate study, and would also provide great potential for making connections for my future career.

What makes UB Electrical Engineering special?

The University at Buffalo Electrical Engineering department definitely is unique for its faculty and staff. Every member of the faculty and staff are there to see each student succeed and learn, both during and after our academic careers. From my first freshman year classes with Dr. Zirnheld and Dr. Burke to my junior and senior level courses with Dr. Liu, Dr. Batalama, and Dr. Meduri, every faculty member that I have interacted with has always been a great encouragement to me as an aspiring engineer.

What are your plans following graduation?

Although I am still unsure about where God will lead me in the future, I am definitely seeking to use the education that I have obtained here at UB, as well as the experience that I have in data analytics, to improve the nation's security through defense and security systems development, and I was able to begin to fulfill some of those goals by experiencing a summer internship (June-August 2016) in the field of aircraft controls electronics. I have also just recently begun to consider furthering my education through a Masters degree at UB while working part time in industry.