Interview with Kassy Lum

Featured Engineer

Kassy Lum

Kassy Lum, EIT, MSME Systems & Design Candidate, Power & Energy Certificate, University of Kentucky

How did you get into electronics/ engineering and when did you start?

When my Dad would travel, he wouldn’t bring me a doll back home—I got model airplanes and military vehicles. When I was 6 yrs-old, my favorite airplane was an F-15 Eagle. My favorite gift was my model tank (it had a motor, so it actually drove!) Since Dad is an engineer, he always had to stay updated on his electronics, letting me tinker with anything considered obsolete…which gave me a LOT of stuff to play with! With my inherited metalsmithing abilities from my Mom, I have been soldering since I was 10. I suppose you could say it’s in my genes.

What are your favorite hardware tools that you use?

Pocket knife. And there’s an allen wrench set and a Phillips screwdriver in my purse. I also love tiny butane torches.

What are your favorite software tools that you use?

I use Microsoft Excel for almost all analysis in my studies, with MATLab as a close second. My favorite designing tools are Pro-E and NX.

What is on your bookshelf?

I read a lot of fantasy novels…just finished “The Wise Man’s Fear” by Patrick Rothfuss. If you haven’t read his first book “The Name of the Wind,” do yourself a favor and go to a bookstore today. I also have a good stock of Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, Paolini and John Grisham. Technical? From here, I see what most students see: Thermodynamics, Design of Machinery, Mechanical Design, Design and Analysis of Experiments, Fluid Mechanics, Earthquake Engineering…I also have a few books on leadership development, policy theory and some Spanish textbooks (my double major in undergrad was Spanish).

Do you have any tricks up your sleeve? (special way to analyze circuits, special process you use to make something, etc.)

If you aren’t already the expert, know who the expert is and be observant. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you do not know how to do something. I have a knack for cutting out the middle man if I want to get a job done. This is not always the best solution, but typically introducing yourself to the one who is actually doing the work you need (machinist, shop superviser, circuit builder, local computer services worker) and having face-to-face time with the project will not only solve communication errors caused by lost emails and long-distance assistance calls, but it will improve your understanding and work relationship for the future. It doesn’t seem like work if it’s a favor for a friendly colleague.

Do you have any note-worthy engineering experiences? (blowing up things, getting shocked, etc.)

I crashed in a solar car…Let me explain! I was a member of the University of Kentucky Solar Car Team for two years—specifically, a driver. I was driving our latest edition, Gato del Sol IV, last summer (2010) in the Formula Sun Gran Prix, an enduro track race which ended up being the prerequisite for the American Solar Car Challenge, a cross-country race from Oklahoma to Illinois. All drivers were required to drive at least 25 laps on the track to qualify for the cross-country. I was on lap 24 of the day, coming up on the track slalom in front of the cold-pit where they were tracking times. Next thing I know, I hear a loud crack up front and the car loses control. As any good solar car driver, the first thing I thought was, “Save the array! Save the array!” since the gallium arsenide PV cells on the car top were worth a good $95,000 of our fundraising. I noticed the wheel spindle had sheared off (we can’t afford to enclose the driver from all the inner workings of the car!) but since the car was heading unbalanced off the track, I jerked the wheel hard to the side so the tire would lodge between the chassis and the fairing, then waited for the car to drag to a stop as I used the regen pedal and mechanical brake (keep in mind, this all happened in a matter of seconds). Luckily, the car had stabilized with the pegged tire and didn’t flip over (which has happened to many solar cars). After I e-gressed and realized the car was safe, the adrenaline all wore off and I couldn’t stop shaking for a while. We ended up having to redesign the spindle, find a machinist, and get it replaced before ASC began. A friend of mine back in Kentucky got the SOS on facebook and stayed up all night machining a new set, then flew in (there’s no same-day shipping!) to Texas with them. We also found a local vendor who got the parts made for us. ASC gave us over a 2 hour penalty for the race, but at least I was able to hop back in and get back to driving the day after I crashed! I also came very close to having my hair lit on fire due to an exposed wire which was taped near my head on the seat…but luckily the electrical burning smell led us to find it and take care of it before that happened!

What are you currently working on?

I am planning for research in radio frequency identification (RFID) for my Masters thesis and taking classes full-time while working as an engineering Teaching Assistant. In addition to my graduate studies, I am heavily involved with extra-curricular activities. I am the VP Collaboration of the Kentucky Energy Club, hoping to be the bridge of communication between engineering tech-speak and the public by providing education and insight on the current energy national issues. I am also the District 6 Director of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society.

What challenges do you foresee in our industry?

Remember the Arms Race? We’ve moved to a new industry challenge: the Energy Race. They keep saying that energy usage is increasing at a decreasing rate, which means guess what? It is still increasing! With the current hype on renewables and sustainability, energy consumption will only continue to increase which leaves the country’s engineers very aware of our weak infrastructure. I foresee this Energy Race growing and becoming a top issue in our nation’s fight to expand/repair our economy and become more independent. Power plants will grow diverse in generation (wind, solar, more nuclear…) as research and development increases, but the variability of the input will be challenging to control. In any case, the advancements of technology require more power, and this increasing demand will be the issue to combat.

What recommendations would you give for young students aspiring to be engineers?

Don’t be afraid to be well-rounded. Know what you want, then do what you can to get there. Planning out your college career is like any programming algorithm—you have to know exactly how the path works in order to get the resulting function in demand, but there are always various different methods you can use. If you are interested in robotics, get involved with camps like Newton’s Attic or join a club like IEEE (I worked on a solar-powered robot for UK’s chapter in 2010). If you want to learn about a topic that your program does not cover, look for summer programs away from home (internships) or even abroad. International experience is a fantastic way to expand your horizons in not only traveling but learning what technologies are preferred globally. I studied renewable energy resources in Pamplona, Spain. It’s amazing how Europe’s outlook on energy distribution is so much different from that of the United States, which gives me a broader point of view to help with my future decisions and communications in industry.