John Backes , IT 2009
Synthesis of Stochastic Circuits for Nanoscale Architectures
Major
Computer Engineering
Mentor
Marc Riedel, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Brief Bio
I am majoring in Computer Engineering here at the University. My two greatest interests are computers and music. In my first year here I was involved in the Ifellows <http://www.iroc.umn.edu/ifellows.html> program. I am employed as an undergraduate research assistant for the Electrical Engineering department where I am researching stochastic Logic. I also work for the Housing and Residential Life department here at the U as a student tech staff.
Future Plans
Right now I am trying to decide whether I would like to go to Grad school or if I want to go work for company right away after school. I am doing research to help decide what I am more interested in. Either way I plan on leaving this state and living some place that is warmer.
Why Research?
I am doing research to help me decide if I am more interested in the practical or theoretical applications of my major. Also I figure that after I graduate I will have the opportunity to go work for a company but I will probably not have nearly as good of an opportunity for research as I do while I am going to school here.
What Did I Get from Research?
I use the knowledge that I have gained from my classes and see how I can apply it to problems that people have not solved yet. It gives me the opportunity to really test what I have learned here so far at the University.
How Did I Start?
I developed a good rapport with Professor Marc Riedel and he approached me about an opportunity that he was looking for an undergraduate to help him with.
My Advice for Another Student:
The best advice I could give would be to find a professor whom you think you could work well with and who has similar research interests as you. You can usually find out a professor’s research interests from checking their websites or by simply asking him/her. Then just simply ask your professor if they have any opportunities for you.
Research Summary
Stochastic logic is a topic in Electrical Engineering that involves designing circuits so that they are more tolerant to faults. The research involves finding ways of transforming logic circuits that already exist into a “Stochastic” circuit. Stochastic logic is a tool that can be used for hardware that is constructed with inherent faults in the system or that will be affected by faults because of the environment that the hardware has to operate in. So far my research has involved me writing some computer programs to design how certain components of a stochastic circuit can be constructed and also theorizing how to design circuits using Nano-Wires and stochastic logic. I helped write a paper on the topic that was accepted to the International Workshop on Logic and Synthesis for 2007.