We are in the information age with access to large volumes of data from different sources and modalities and with the computing power to tackle problems that were science fictions 15 years ago. This is an incredible transformation full of new opportunities and we have only seen the top of the iceberg of what will come. Advances and developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning and information processing in general are currently transforming and shaping our global society for the following decades.  Many technical and ethical challenges must be faced to transfer this knowledge and developments  and create a better global society for future generations.

I firmly believe that the future generation of electrical and computer engineers will play a major role in the creation of this new information-age. In particular, they will create and develop the solution to tackled relevant problems, not only within the  EE and CE areas, but in the entire context where EE and CE could be applied naturally: biology, neuroscience, medicine, social sciences, business and economy, astronomy, geosciences, music, etc.. It could not be a more exciting time to jump on the journey of learning and discovering the power of electrical and computer engineering.

The academic formation as well as the experience of working on cutting-edge research problems in the context of EE and EC programs offer a unique perspective to formalize and address the challenges of this new information age in many fields.  Hight dimensional analysis, information processing, computer engineering, algorithms, digital signal processing, applied statistics, communication theory,  to name a few of the relevant topics, place Electrical and Computer Engineers at the top of the game for the open challenges of the future.

Be creative and open to learn new things every day. This is an amazing learning journey and the EE and CE programs at USC offer a fantastic context for that. You can learn firsthand and get involved with researchers and scientists working at the border of their areas of expertise. This is an invaluable learning opportunity.

Finally, you should find your specific interests and care about your learning to make the most of this experience.  It is very important to find a topic that strongly moves you. There are great opportunities to look at in Electrical and Computer Engineering at USC. I am sure you will find one.