Aithihya Kompella

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada · kompella@mcmaster.ca · (613)-601-6753

I'm an Electrical Engineering student at McMaster University. I'm now in my fourth year of university after 16 months of co-op. Most recently, I worked at IMAX as a hardware engineering intern, and before that as an Electrical Intern at Introba, one of the world's largest building engineering firms. I'm concurrently pursuing an Embedded Systems Professional Certificate with the University of California San Diego Extended Studies. I have a keen interest in hardware and electrical design, and spend much time outside of the classroom researching and learning about it.

In my free time, I love hiking and being outside, baking, making digital art, watching TV or movies, and playing the flute.

I'm looking for a four month internship position focusing on electronics hardware design/testing starting in May 2025!

Education

McMaster University

Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical Engineering
September 2020 - May 2025 (Expected)

University of California, San Diego - Extended Studies

Embedded Systems Engineering Professional Certificate
July 2023 - December 2026 (Expected)

Courses:

  • Electrical Engineering: Electronic Devices and Circuits I, Circuits and Systems, Logic Design, Microprocessor Systems Project, Signals and Systems, Electrical Systems Integration Project, Computer Architecture
  • Computer Science: Introduction to Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms, Introduction to Software Development
  • Embedded Systems Engineering: Embedded Systems Hardware Design

Work Experience

Hardware Engineering Intern, IMAX

  • Tested, debugged, reworked, and performed bring-up of various PCBs, using oscilloscopes and multimeters.
  • Implemented and followed rigorous testing protocols for EMI compliance, thermal performance, and signal integrity and ensured design and performance criteria were met; documented results and implemented improvements.
  • Designed 4 PCBs in Altium Designer and collaborated closely with the mechanical engineering team to ensure mechanical fit, packaged files and followed protocols to upload required engineering documents into SAP PLM.
  • Reviewed and corrected cable drawings in Microsoft Visio, ensuring correct cable lengths, pin assignments, and component availability.
  • Initiated redesign of a polarizing lens mover, aiming to reduce movement time by 73% by replacing the belt mechanism with a lead screw and selecting a new motor based on torque calculations.

May 2024 - August 2024
Electrical Intern, Introba

  • Supported senior electrical engineers in designing electrical systems, conducting load calculations, and ensuring compliance with the Canadian Electrical Code and OESC for 3 projects including a new university building and community centre/medical facility, while optimizing energy efficiency and keeping consistent with client requirements.
  • Modelled thousands of electrical equipment in Revit like lights, transformers, circuit panels, and receptacles on floor plans.
  • Created detailed single-line diagrams illustrating power distribution, fire alarm and lighting control risers to precisely map device locations within a facility, to enhance project team's understanding of infrastructure layout, and performed 100+ photometric lighting calculations with Elumtools.

May 2023 - April 2024
Call Centre Agent, Canada Revenue Agency
  • Handled sensitive taxpayer information and provided reliable answers to client questions and concerns while simultaneously noting important points in the client's file using dedicated software from the CRA.
  • Made and received calls confidently in both English and French, adapting to various situations as they arose.
  • Practiced organizational skills using methods to keep client information orderly.
May 2021 - August 2021
Badminton Coach, Soong Badminton Academy
  • Created lesson plans for a given age group based on specific themes and implemented techniques to keep players of all ages engaged and active
  • Taught badminton to players and gained valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, resilience, and leadership.
March 2019 - March 2020

Projects

Electronic Power Systems & Mechanical Lead – Smart Dartboard – Capstone Project
  • Led the component and wire gauge selection and design of a power management PCB in Altium Designer, ensuring efficient power distribution from a wall outlet to systems such as the Raspberry Pi 5, Raspberry Pi Pico, and an LED strip.
  • Engineered and modelled a 3D-printable dartboard in Autodesk Inventor, utilizing TPU and PLA to build a durable dartboard compatible with traditional metal-tip darts to create a dynamic, interactive playing experience.
  • Directed and executed both the power and mechanical modules, ensuring seamless integration of hardware components with microcontrollers and software developed by a team of 4, optimizing overall system performance.
September 2024 - Present
Designing a Power Regulator and LED Board - Personal Project
  • Gained proficiency in Altium Designer through Altium Education’s independent study modules by selecting components, creating a schematic design, drawing a schematic capture, simulating, and creating a bill of materials (BOM) for a power regulator/LED Arduino UNO shield board that can reduce input voltage by 7V.
July 2023 - November 2023
Automated Electric Vehicle - Electrical Systems Integration Project
  • In a team of four, used the C language to program, debug, experiment, and test a wall-detecting vehicle to be able to drive autonomously for 50 meters using LiDAR technology and odometry.
  • Learned about electric motor drive systems, kinematics, control of robotic manipulators (IMU, odometry), batteries, Robot Operating System (ROS), Nvidia’s Jetson Nano, and Linux.
January 2023 - April 2023
PCB Light Up Name Tag - Personal Project
  • Performed calculations for voltage and additional components required, with the goal of optimizing the longevity of the PCB.
  • Designed a circuit, drew a schematic capture, and simulated the circuit board in Autodesk EAGLE, then milled it on a single-sided pure copper-clad laminate board, with a focus on process comprehension and experiential learning.
  • Assembled 42 3.5mm x 2.8mm SMD LEDs and a battery holder with solder paste and a reflow oven and tested the PCB with test probes and a digital multimeter.
April 2023
Engineering a LiDAR Scanner - Microprocessor Systems Project
  • Leveraged computer architecture and hardware skills to design and build a circuit interfacing GPIO, I2C, UART, a ToF sensor, and stepper motor with a microcontroller and PC to achieve the functionality of a LiDAR scanner.
  • Programmed the microcontroller with embedded C in Keil uVision, then tested and debugged the system to verify and validate its functionality with the given requirements of the project.
  • Procured and displayed over 11520 sets of coordinates to generate a 3D model of a space in Realterm with a Python script, the PySerial API and Open3D library.
January 2022 - April 2022
Building a DC Power Supply Without a Transformer - Electronic Devices and Circuits I Project
  • Calculated the input voltage, identified relevant diode parameters, designed and drew a circuit schematic, and simulated it in OrCAD, performing any necessary troubleshooting/debugging along the way.
  • Identified design trade-offs, design margins, component ratings, and safety issues within the design, and how they were mitigated.
  • Built and connected the circuit to an oscilloscope to measure the performance and wrote a technical report to summarize the project.
February 2022

Clubs and Activities

Circuitry Team Lead - McMaster Chem-E-Car
  • Led the circuitry sub-team at the AIChE National Chem-E-Car Competition in San Diego this October, gaining expertise in mechanical systems to represent both the mechanical and circuitry sub-teams.
  • Conducted rigorous testing of circuitry with propulsion and braking systems to ensure seamless integration and functionality.
  • Organized and facilitated workshops on electronics, GitHub, and PCB design using Altium Designer to enhance team technical knowledge.
  • Managing a team of 5 to design a custom PCB and develop Arduino code for the upcoming regional competition (March 2025), aligning with the electrical needs of propulsion, mechanical, and braking systems.
June 2024 - Present
Circuitry Team Member - McMaster Chem-E-Car
  • Researched requirements and drew a schematic for a PCB that integrates 8 major components of an electric vehicle.
  • Programmed an Arduino UNO to interface with motors and the IMU module on the vehicle and implemented a Kalman filter to reduce sensor noise.
  • Won 1st place for our poster presentation and car concept at the regional competition at The Ohio State University.
September 2023 - April 2024
Vice President, Marketing and Media - McMaster Electrical and Computer Engineering Society
  • Designed creative posts in Canva to post on the McMaster ECES Instagram page.
  • Coordinated with 29 executive members to plan Instagram takeovers, as well as with professors for Instagram Story content.
August 2023 - April 2024
Arduino Sub-team Manager - IEEE McMaster University Chapter
  • Delegated tasks and supervised a team of 11 software and hardware designers on an Arduino currency counter project.
  • Wrote a 5-page document in LaTeX to detail the basics of Arduino, how the currency counter works, and how the motion and colour sensors in the project interface with the Arduino to distribute to folks interested in learning about this process.
January 2023 - April 2024
Girl Guides Guider - 1st Waterdown Girl Guides
  • Help run inspiring and motivating activities and challenges for girls aged 9 to 11 to teach them various interpersonal and intrapersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, resilience, and leadership.
  • Ran a meeting about engineering, to inspire and motivate girls into pursuing STEM as they grow older.
  • Delegate jobs, clearly communicate tasks, and help the girls out individually when needed while also being engaging.
January 2023 - Present
Buck Converter Workshop - IEEE McMaster University Chapter
  • Attended a workshop pertaining to buck converters, and learned about their purpose and how they work.
  • Soldered components onto a small PCB to make a buck converter and tested it using a digital multimeter and an oscilloscope.
November 2022

Certifications and Courses

Canada Boat Safety - License
  • Pleasure Craft Operator Card
September 2024
HIL Academy, Typhoon HIL, Inc. - Courses
  • HIL Fundamentals
  • Communication Protocols
April 2024
Linkedin - Certification
  • Learning LABView
December 2023
Altium Education - Certification
  • PCB Basic Design Course
December 2023
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - Certification
  • Software and Systems Engineering Standards: Verification and Validation of Systems, Software, and Hardware
July 2023
MATLAB Simulink - Certification
  • Circuit Simulation Onramp
June 2023