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My name is Thomas Pickell. I'm a sophomore ECE student at Rice University in Houston, Texas. My primary areas of study include systems engineering, VLSI Hardware design, and FPGA applications. I graduated from Rockwall-Heath High School in 2022, and will graduate from Rice in 2026.

Currently I'm taking courses in VLSI design, machine learning, and advanced signal processing. I've also recently joined the Senior Design and Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Ghost in the Machine @ Rice, under the instruction of Dr. Ray Simar. The group aims to design and implement a TPU that rivals the architecture and numbers produced by Google's design. You can read more about it on the GIM page here. I plan on pursuing postgraduate studies in the future, and plan to start taking graduate courses as early as next fall.

I have had a myriad of experiences and responsibilities during my time at Rice. I worked during the Fall 2023 semester as a culinary intern for Rice Housing and Dining, and was interviewed about my experiences here. I also work as a technical writing mentor for Rice's Intro to Engineering Design course (ENGI 120), and I play bass for Rice's Owl Pep Band.

my most relevant coursework is COMP 215 (Program Design), ELEC 378(Machine Learning Concepts), ELEC 422 (VLSI Design), ELEC 327 (Embedded systems design), ELEC 242 (Advanced DSP)

If you can talk brilliantly about a problem, it can create the consoling illusion that it has been mastered.

-Stanley Kubrick