Summer 2025 Research: Building, Learning, and Collaborating
This summer, Sonoma State University’s Summer Research Program reached a milestone: for the first time, students from Electrical Engineering and Computer Science participated together and collaborated across multiple exciting projects. Guided by faculty from both departments, the team also included a high school student from Sonoma Academy, making this year’s program the most diverse yet.
Over ten busy weeks, ten students rolled up their sleeves and dove into projects that blended creativity, technical skill, and real-world problem-solving. Their work ranged from building SSU’s first campus-wide energy dashboard, to designing an autonomous chess-playing robot, to developing a low-cost, off-grid, long-range emergency communication system.
Learning by Doing
While the projects themselves were impressive, what stood out most was the personal growth each student experienced along the way. Many started the summer eager but uncertain, and left with a whole new set of skills, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment.
Brandon McCulloch, a junior in Electrical Engineering, began the summer with almost no hands-on hardware experience. “I started with little to no experience in soldering, PCB design, or circuit troubleshooting — now I have all of that. Best of all, I enjoyed every bit of it.”
For Computer Science student Holden Ea, the highlight was the teamwork: “I had a great time exploring new topics and collaborating with everyone on our project.” Classmate Krittana Phumjam agreed: “I’ve learned so much and really appreciated the chance to work closely with such a talented group.”
Tadhg Cahill summed it up simply: “We’ve all been learning as we go, and seeing everyone bring their best to different aspects of the project has been amazing.”
Computer Science student Jacob Halaweh loved applying what he learned in class to a real-world challenge: “Working on a project with real-world applications was a ton of fun and helped me sharpen my skills as a computer scientist and engineer.”
For our youngest researcher, high school student Siddharth Kohli, the experience was eye-opening: “I gained hands-on experience in engineering I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. Learning machine learning, computer vision, and 3D design will be invaluable in the future.”
Throughout the program, students worked closely with faculty mentors, Dr. Salek, Dr. Farahmand and Mr. Marivani, who provided guidance while encouraging independence and innovation. The mix of mentorship, teamwork, and hands-on challenges made this summer a unique and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
As one student put it, the summer was “nothing short of amazing.” With the success of 2025, we’re already looking forward to an even bigger, more collaborative Summer Research Program in 2026.
To learn more about the student projects, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].