Second-year University of Florida student Andreas Zeitler combined a strong foundation in engineering in high school with critical tracking courses at State College of Florida to reach his goal of majoring in electrical engineering at UF in Gainesville. Through his coursework and extracurricular involvement in various university organizations, Zietler is demonstrating the mindset of the New Engineer and has expanded his knowledge base to leading-edge AI and machine learning technologies.

“Andreas is part of a team of undergraduate students who are continuing our recently published work on a deep learning model to help neurology clinicians predict the influence of electrical stimulation of deep brain stimulation (DBS),” says the University of Florida Electrical and Computer Engineering Instructor, Dr. Erin Patrick. 

 Zeitler also uses UF’s supercomputer (HiperGator) to run simulations and work closely with faculty in the Neurology department at UF College of Medicine.

As a freshman, Andreas enrolled in engineering classes at Suncoast Polytechnical High School but was hardly a newbie. He had been tinkering with hands-on work since middle school, where he was introduced to Arduino circuits. By the time he was a senior, he was constructing his electric bike for his final class project before graduating in May 2022. 

After settling in at UF, he has had a chance to reflect on what keeps him inspired, “The quality of the people and the opportunities.” Andreas feels well prepared for the courses to come but admits the transition came with a learning curve, “Take a lot more notes earlier on.”

The problem-solving skills and perseverance he is embracing as an engineering student are proving to be valuable in other aspects of his life. “Things don’t always go as planned, so you must be flexible and keep your end goal in mind.” His openness to change will serve as a leadership quality as he pursues internship opportunities in Sarasota.

For information on how to partner with the UF Innovation Station for engineering interns, contact Ann Marie Chupa at amchupa@eng.ufl.edu