Derek Witcpalek Email & Phone Number

Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States

Ann Arbor, Michigan

I develop software simulations to support human factors research in stimulus-rich environments. Additionally, I create software to retrieve useful information from experiment data, and I integrate hardware components into simulations.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

We are developing an autonomous boat to compete in the RoboNation Roboboat competition. Last year, I developed path-planning software for our boat as part of a small team. In order to ensure it worked, I also developed unit tests for each piece of code, and wrote a system test to simulate inputs from the perception system and simulate the motion of the boat. This allowed us to have mostly functional software prior to testing out on the water.This year, I am developing an automated testing system so that we can test the boat's full behavior in a simulator whenever a change is made to the code. This will allow us to verify that changing logic in the software hasn't broken any functionality. I've written software for ensuring that the boat heads through the course in the correct order, and avoids obstacles when moving. I've also developed a system to score how well the controls system does at making the boat follow the given path.

Troy, Michigan

I developed neural networks for low-resource embedded systems. This involved decreasing memory usage and improving inference latency while minimizing losses in accuracy. Additionally, I taught the rest of my team how to convert neural networks to this smaller form, and shared the tips I learned for improving performance.

Troy, Michigan

I modified and tested a core dependency of an infotainment application, allowing a window manager application to control the ordering, placement, and visibility of windows on screen. Additionally, I created a cross-architecture build system and instructions for setting it up. Along the way, I documented all of my findings and the procedure to replicate what I did. I also worked on an application to receive AVB (Audio Video Bridge) video streamed over ethernet.

Troy, Michigan

I developed software to collect information about touch events and various gestures from users. Additionally, I created programs to send and receive video over Audio Video Bridge (AVB) and facilitate creating a connection between a talker and listener application. I also debugged issues in a large multi-threaded software package, and evaluated the performance of alternative tools and libraries.

Troy, Michigan

I developed an internet of things android application to display vehicle information retrieved from a server, and designed a data format for communication between the end node and a gateway. Additionally, I documented all of my progress for future work on the project.

Computer Engineering, Engineering, Senior

Activities and Societies: UM::Autonomy (engineering project team creating an autonomous boat), HKN (EECS honor society), Tau Beta Pi.

Education record

Activities and Societies: FIRST robotics, National Honor Society, Soccer