Alex Tung, PhD Student
Electrical Engineering
Why I Chose Stanford
I came to Stanford for my undergraduate degree mostly because I was unsure
of what I wanted to do, and Stanford had a great reputation as a
well-rounded university that could appeal to both my "techie" and "fuzzy" sides.
I was able to explore different interests before settling on electrical
engineering as my major. I stayed here for graduate school because of the
myriad opportunities and resources to get engaged in exciting
interdisciplinary medical device research. The university encourages
collaboration in a way that is hard to find in other places.
What I Work On
I do research on medical technologies for minimally invasive surgery. Our
lab is developing devices that will hopefully one day improve the precision
and speed of catheter-based surgeries by giving physicians a
robotically-assisted interface with tactile feedback. I enjoy the blend of
technical and humanistic design concepts that encompasses this kind of
medical device design. There's also diversity in the technical skills I've
had to acquire, as the work ends up being quite the mix of electrical,
mechanical, and biomedical engineering, with even some material science
thrown in as well.
What's Great About Studying Here
In addition to my engineering interests, I've long been involved in public
service activities and projects, and at Stanford there are tons of
opportunities to get out and do good in the community. Also, Stanford
fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, and if there is something missing,
chances are there's a way to make it happen. A few years ago, a number of
students and faculty (myself included) came together to propose the creation
of a public service office in the School of Engineering, and now I am
working part time as the Public Service Coordinator to support engineering
public service efforts throughout the school.
What I Hope to Do
In the long term, I hope to use engineering to solve problems for our
developing world. Whether bringing high tech solutions to a fundamental
human problem or using low tech in an innovative way, there's a huge
opportunity for engineers to leverage their skills to promote positive
social change. I hope to be a part of these efforts in whatever small (or
large) way I can.
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