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Electrical and computer engineering major Matt Johnston ’03 (Nantucket, Mass.) is assisting on a project to improve the speed and efficiency of wire circuitry. An EXCEL Scholar, Johnston is collaborating with John Nestor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.
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“We’re working on a project called ‘maze routing’ using an integrated computer chip,” Nestor explains. “Our design is similar to a layer cake, with each layer holding wires that cannot cross each other without shorting out. We’re trying to determine the best connections between these layers.”
“This project is based upon a paper Professor Nestor wrote, where he proposed a new way to do routing,” says Johnston, who is minoring in mathematics. “Based on a simple, yet time-consuming algorithm, this new circuit will allow people to route wires faster and more efficiently. The whole project is about cutting the overall cost of the circuit and making a very efficient and compact design.”
Johnston credits his faculty mentor with helping him rise to the challenges of the research.
“Professor Nestor oversees all of my research,” says Johnston. “He checks on my work and helps me solve problems. He points me in the right direction, but mainly allows me to find the solutions to problems on my own.”
For Johnston, tackling a project of this size and scope has tapped into a wide range of skills honed at Lafayette. It has also helped shape his career choices.
“I’ve never done research like this before, and I thought that this would be a good way for me to gain experience with hands-on engineering. This has been a great project so far. I’m using skills from several classes that I took over the past few years,” says Johnston.
He adds, “I really like the digital circuit side of electrical engineering, so this has been a good experience to see what field I might want to go into.”
Based on experience gleaned from this project, Johnston is considering tackling an honors thesis in communications, which also would serve as solid preparation for graduate studies he hopes to pursue.
A graduate of Nantucket High School, Johnston is a member of the varsity fencing team and Haven, which promotes a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. He also is photography editor for The Lafayette.
Trustee Scholarship recipient Matthew Johnston ’03 studied the speed and efficiency of wire circuitry in EXCEL research with John Nestor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.