Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Crime-fighting coder - successful Malaysian undergrad in Purdue Univ




Crime-fighting coder

Name: Ahmad Mujahid Mohd Razip
Major: Electrical and computer engineering
Year: Senior

Hometown: Penang, Malaysia

Tracking crime: Ahmad developed an app for iPhone and iPad that displays local crime and traffic information. Using the GPS feature in the devices, a user can see what crimes have occurred in the area, by type and location, as well as trends for specific types of crime. Ahmad says the app could be used by police officers, attorneys, real estate agents, reporters or anyone interested in local crime.

Purdue programs: Ahmad began working on his crime analysis app while participating in Purdue’s Summer Internship Research Fellowship (SURF), which offers students an intensive research experience and a chance to work directly with graduate students and professors. He developed the app for a Purdue research center, Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability (VACCINE), which is developing technology to assist police officers and homeland security personnel by turning massive amounts of data into actionable knowledge.

Rigorous academics: “My most challenging class was ECE 437, Computer Design and Prototyping,” Ahmad says. “You start by designing a single processor computer, then you design a dual core processor one. It was good, but not easy. Overall I prefer to write software.”

Staying active: When not studying or developing apps, Ahmad enjoys playing indoor soccer, which he does regularly. He is also active in the Purdue Malaysian Student Association and enjoys music and comedy.

Next steps: International student Ahmad hopes to get a job developing software either in his home country of Malaysia or in California. “Anywhere warm,” he says, admitting he never completely adapted to Indiana weather. “The snow is very interesting at first, but then less so.”

By Steve Tally

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