Hi! My name is Kushal Parekh, I just finished my third year in SSOE, pursuing a major in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. I am very interested in sustainability along with all facets of technology, especially wireless communication and interaction, robotics, and renewable energy. During the fall and spring terms, I worked as a TA for ENGR 0/1716: The Art of Making. Last summer and this coming summer, I am interning at GE Power Conversion in Imperial, PA. My team works with the development of Medium Voltage Solid State Transformers for various use cases, and this has allowed me to learn a lot about power systems, simulation, inverters, FEA, and more. My free time consists of cooking, playing pickleball and tennis, and technical side projects.

I am going on the Exploration of Electrification and Energy: Brazil global experience, where we learn about the Brazilian power infrastructure system, from renewable generation to transmission to localized distribution. This two-week experience consists of multiple site and company visits that work with different parts of the Brazilian energy infrastructure, along with exploring Brazil’s culture through tours, lessons, and eating. I am looking forward to venturing on this new experience, and I am extremely grateful for the University of Pittsburgh for offering this journey abroad. I am especially thankful for the Frederick Honors College for helping make this trip financially feasible and allowing me to share my experience through this blog. Talk to you in Brazil!

*These blogs are backdated between the end of April and the middle of May due to extenuating circumstances*