June 5, 2019
Liz Do & Tyler Irving
At Spring Convocation on June 19, 2019, students from The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
Having enriched the U of T Engineering community as undergraduate and graduate students, they will join our vibrant, global network of Skule™ Alumni, where they will continue to address pressing challenges around the world and inspire the next generation.
This year’s “Grads to Watch” embody the spirit of U of T Engineering. Selected by their home departments and institutes, they embody the creativity, innovation and global impact that define our community. Watch their next steps!
THE INTERNET SECURITY DEFENDER
Kristina Dzeparoska
(ECE MASc 1T9, PhD candidate)
Dzeparoska’s philosophy is to always look at ‘the bigger picture’ — and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Internet.
Motivated by seeing the catastrophic impact of online security breaches, she researched under Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia (ECE) to develop novel security solutions to defend against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Dzeparoska developed a new type of security defense that would span across multiple Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) to ultimately cut off malicious Internet traffic at the first point-of-entry.
“I truly believe that having an additional layer of security defense overarching the Internet would make a significant impact,” she says. “That’s why I think my project will become very helpful in the years to come, especially once we have completely evolved to Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities, self-driving vehicles, 5G, etc. Internet security will become even more crucial than it is now.”
Dzeparoska is looking forward to continuing her research as a PhD student in Leon-Garcia’s lab. “I am thankful to U of T Engineering for teaching me so many valuable lessons, such as patience, collaboration and the reward that comes with working hard. As a lifelong learner, I’m excited to see where my PhD journey takes me.”
“Above all, I would like to thank my supervisor, the awe-inspiring Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia for his incredible guidance and support. A thank you to the staff and faculty at ECE, and a shout-out to the SAVI research team and Vladi. Last, a special thank you to my parents and brother for always being there for me!”
THE ENTREPRENEUR
Frank Gu
(ElecE 1T9)
Looking back at his journey at U of T Engineering, Gu can think of milestones for all four years.
As a first-year student, Gu landed a coveted internship with Nanoleaf, a global lighting startup founded by U of T Engineering alumni.
In second year, he was part of the Blue Sky Solar Racing team that finished third at the 2016 American Solar Challenge. “Our success fuelled the fire to push each other even harder towards the World Solar Challenge,” he says.
The following year at the World Solar Challenge, not everything went as planned. On the second day of the race, “We encountered a large thunderstorm described by the locals as happening only ‘once every 30 years,’” says Gu.
The team pushed through the muddy terrain and severe flooding, eventually finishing without trailering their solar car. “We received the Safety Award in recognition of our team’s discipline and composure in the face of various problems and emergency situations along the race. I’m really proud of that.”
In his final year at U of T Engineering, Gu says completing ECE’s capstone project was an encapsulation of everything he’s learned and experienced inside and outside of the classroom. His team, despite challenges with delays in parts shipments to build their prototype on time, ended up winning the top design award.
Gu envisions starting his own autonomous drone company. “I have an ambitious goal: do no harm to this planet. You’ll most likely find me and my friends working together on some automation-related project that will improve everyone’s quality of life,” he says.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Professor Olivier Trescases for his unwavering support of my endeavours. He is the Faculty Advisor supervising the Blue Sky Solar Racing team, and he has helped us through various hurdles in administration and technology. I am grateful for all his help to me personally, and his pivotal role in the Blue Sky Solar Racing team.”
Read stories from Grads to Watch from across U of T Engineering.
More information:
Jessica MacInnis
Senior Communications Officer
The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
416-978-7997; jessica.macinnis@utoronto.ca