Alex Ruege - Interview
Alex Ruege
PhD Student, Advisor: Prof. Reano
Hi! I'm Alex Ruege. This is my 3rd year at ESL.
1. Why did you join ESL?
I joined ESL because I was told or I heard that it's a great place for electromagnetics. By the end of my undergrad, I decided this is what I want to get into.
2. What do you like most about being part of ESL?
I like being part of ESL for several reasons but mainly [because] I get the opportunity to design using electromagnetic principles; design, test, and build some devices and also make them in facilities that we setup including the cleanroom here that I set up with the help of my professor, Prof. Reano, and his other research group members. So we work in here to make our devices.
3. What project are you currently working on?
I am working in integrated optics, where I design, build and fabricate microscale devices that use laser light on a chip. Right now, I'm working in sensors as an application - using laser light to interact, with say, the environment to see what's really there.
4. What is it like being a GRA at ESL?
Here at ESL, I've learned that it's a lot about work ethic. You put in a lot of time for these research projects and sometimes it's a lot of struggle. You get a little bit of success for a lot of time but that little success really makes it all worth it.
