George Zhang received his B.S. degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2017 and his M.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2019, all in Electrical Engineering. He was a recipient of a 2017 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and has authored or co-authored 11 publications in the areas of liquid-metal electronics, 2D materials, and sweat sensors. In 2019, George joined Apple full time as a software engineer.
George's VIP Experience
We spoke to George about his experience in the UH VIP Program. This is his response:
I had the pleasure of researching under Professor Wayne Shiroma and Professor Aaron Ohta's Liquid-Metal Electronics VIP Team from Summer 2015 to Spring 2017. Upon joining the team, I was fortunate to be able to shadow Dr. Ryan Gough, who guided me through all of the research steps, from device design to fabrication to measurement to data analysis. He shared with me key insights on liquid metal and electromagnetic wave behaviors gained from his years of experience. Dr. Gough's mentorship was critical in allowing me to develop the skills for future projects.
During my time as a VIP student, I led three projects: a high-frequency switch and two antennas with reconfigurable signal direction and strength, all using liquid-metal circuitry. These projects built on methods previously developed by the team but with a few added design twists that had me thinking, "It would be so cool if this worked or had an effect!" Our ideas gradually became reality, inspiring us to publish and share our findings. When preparing conference and journal paper submissions, Professor Shiroma, Professor Ohta, graduate and VIP students engage in thoughtful back-and-forth, each taking turns to provide revisions and feedback. I learned all that I knew about effective technical writing from this process, and the end result is a paper of publishable quality beautifully showcasing our work. As VIP students, we also had the opportunity to present our research at various VIP, banquet, and conference poster sessions. Professor Shiroma and Professor Ohta spent hours helping us prepare and rehearse our presentations, from which I learned how to organize and deliver information for maximum impact. Our VIP Team was especially fortunate to be co-led by Professor Shiroma, two-time General Chair of the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), the largest international conference for radiofrequency and microwave research. Professor Shiroma invited me and fellow VIP Team members to attend IMS 2016 in San Francisco and IMS 2017 in Hawaii the summer after I graduated. I loved meeting students and researchers from all around the world, some of whom I am friends with to this day. And our social team hangouts at IMS are among my fondest memories during all my time at UH Manoa.
The VIP Program has completely shaped my path from undergraduate to present day. I'm not sure where I would be today had I not asked Professor Ohta to join his VIP team years ago. Through the VIP Program, I learned how to carry out projects from start to finish and break down goals into bite-sized tasks. Effective speaking and writing are key to a successful professional career, and the VIP Program has allowed me to hone these skills. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to research alongside and become friends with fellow VIP Team members, and I am excited for where they are heading today.
George's Advice
For current and future VIP students, I hope to offer the following advice. Throughout your journey, it may help to keep an open mind. You won't know where your path will lead you to, and I hope that you try to enjoy each moment. Explore as much as you can, whether it be learning new things, meeting new people, or gaining new experiences. Why not sit in on that class you're not taking but interests you? Or perhaps consider studying abroad for a summer? From these experiences, I hope you find that something you want to immerse yourself in and dedicate your life's work to.