Sci-Fi Sparked His Studies

“Since I was little, I’ve had an interest in robotics and electronics,” says electrical and computer engineering student Derrick Chiu. “To the point where I would dissect anything I could get my hands on, even though I knew nothing about the electronic parts.”

While his hands took things apart, he was also absorbing science fiction’s futuristic possibilities. Cartoons involving advanced technology became a calling, inspiring Chiu to pursue engineering. Now working in the Long Island campus’ Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC), he is fulfilling his childhood goals.

“The lab is everything I hope to work toward when I graduate, like collaborating with other College of Engineering and Computing Sciences disciplines to create working prototypes,” Chiu says of his motivation to join the ETIC in the spring of 2024. After completing the 25-hour program—the ETIC’s prerequisite to become a hired worker—he quickly rose from intern to engineer to his current role as project manager.

Currently, Chiu is leading a project as part of New York Tech’s contract with NASA’s Technology Transfer Expansion (T2) program. The design involves a digital-to-analog conversion for electrocardiogram (EKG) heart signals so that any EKG dataset recording may be transformed and easily transferred from one doctor to another. Chiu worked on the product’s interface and coding and will see the project to completion over the summer, at which point the team will deliver this prototype and others to NASA.

While seemingly complex, these projects are Chiu’s specialty. His past undertakings include an infrared tracking circuit to control the opacity of smart glass panels and a 3-D-printed cast with embedded muscle stimulation pads to provide an active and passive recovery system, minimizing muscle atrophy and recovery time for bone fracture patients.

In April, he and his ETIC colleagues presented at the Ingenium Awards reception and traveled to Albany, N.Y., for the Cultivating Resources for Employment with Assistive Technology Symposium (CREATE). At CREATE, his team received a third-place prize for their Transport Ready Assisting Machine—a miniature forklift to transport small, heavy packages.

Outside of the ETIC, Chiu is working as a technician for a vending machine service company, where he fixes physical hardware as well as internal electronics and refrigeration on-site at the company and in response to local businesses’ calls for machine repairs.

“Through all of this hands-on experience, I’ve been able to apply my studies in a practical work environment and adapt to different challenges,” Chiu says.

Expecting to graduate in 2026, the young engineer hopes to become involved with defense contracting, working on robotics and control systems. Further in his career, he envisions working with medical devices and dreams of creating something new to benefit society.

To help make those aspirations a reality, Chiu will take on personal projects to bolster his portfolio. He is considering studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step to becoming a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). He is also considering pursuing a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and may someday work toward a Ph.D.

He says, “Inspiration comes from when you take a step back from your workload and enjoy the small things in life.”