Vem Noubarentz – Senior Class of 2025

In his own words – interviewed Spring 2025

• Hometown: Glendale, CA
• Favorite EE Course: ECE 136C - Quantum Photonics with Galan Moody
• Senior "Capstone" Project: Google Quantum AI- Wireless Thermal Sensor Array for Quantum Fabrication Monitoring
• Student Organization Memberships: Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Photonics Society, and the Armenian Student Association
• Last Book Read: Read People Like a Book by Patrick King
• Interesting aside about you: I’ve met Serge Tankian and camped with his brother for a week

Vem’s Favorite

• Hobbies: Playing sports and card games with my friends, rock climbing, and learning the guitar
• Band / Performer: Rufus Du Sol
• TV Show: HunterXHunter or Breaking Bad
• Movie: Heat
• Book: Old Yeller, Fred Gipson
• Activity: Spending time with friends
• Sport: Waterpolo
• Geeky Possession: All the failed devices I made in the cleanroom

Favorite things about

• ECE Department: How welcoming the professors are! I have often emailed professors just to chat and ask for general advice and it has always been very helpful and engaging. TA’s are often great resources as well.
• UCSB: The campus is gorgeous, the location is amazing, and the environment of Isla Vista is unlike anything I have ever seen before. UCSB was my dream college and it has not disappointed in the slightest.
• Santa Barbara: The weather here in Santa Barbara is spectacular. I really enjoy the outdoors, so being able to count on a nice sunny day almost year round is a blessing. With the ocean/mountains so close by, there is always something to do.

Vem’s most memorable moments that happened each year

• Junior Year: I transferred to UCSB from Glendale community college, and it was a major culture shock from living at home with my parents to living with friends in a college town. Living in Isla Vista is such a unique experience and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience it first hand. I made a lot of new friends this year from my different classes, at the gym, or just around IV.
• Senior Year: I have really been enjoying taking advantage of the courses that UCSB offers that are outside of my department. For example, my friends and I have been going to the Salsa classes, competing in the IM Volleyball league, and joined the church choir here on campus. There are so many involvement opportunities that are available here that are a blast to attend with your friends. Even if they are not something you have particularly done before or are experienced with, they’re an awesome way to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Vem and Electrical Engineering

Why EE as a major? After graduating from high school, I had no clue what I wanted to study. My lifelong best friend was in the same boat, and I asked him what he wanted to do. Since both of his parents were electrical engineers, he chose to study that and told me to join him on his journey. After a little research, I decided to follow that path as well and see where it leads. Although it feels like most of my engineering friends always knew they wanted to be an engineer, my story is slightly different. Even though I was never specifically interested in engineering, I found it to be a very rewarding major to study. I enjoy challenges and the process of problem solving, so I’m glad I stumbled into EE.

Why did you select UCSB's EE program? UCSB had always been my dream school because of the location and the rumors of how fun it was. Work life balance is very important to me, so I knew I wanted to go to a school that had a bit of both. Not to mention that UCSB has a very prestigious EE program that will set me up nicely for the future.

Prospective students and parents often ask, what can you do with an EE degree? EE is such a versatile degree because it covers such a broad range of jobs. I love the flexibility of studying electrical engineering because there are so many different topics to choose from to specialize in. Graduates can work in areas like power and energy, electronics, robotics, telecommunications, semiconductor devices, or emerging technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence. Some people go into more traditional roles like designing circuits, developing hardware, or working on large-scale infrastructure, while others branch into software, finance, consulting, or even start their own companies. Electrical engineers really can explore the field until they find something they truly love to do.

The Curriculum

What have you learned that has surprised you the most so far? I was very surprised to see that all of the foundational classes you take in the beginning of your EE journey are all connected together and how important they are to your upper division classes. It’s important to get the basics down early on as they will soon become second nature as you take higher level classes.

What has your experience been like taking the Math and Physics core classes? I took these core classes at community college, but I am sure the experience was similar to students who took it here at UCSB. I found it interesting since I love a good challenge, so I enjoyed taking these classes. Though I was very new to STEM classes so it took a bit of adjusting. It took some time to learn how to “think” in physics. My advice to prospective students who are going to take these classes is to be patient. These concepts take time and lots of practice. If you really are having trouble, don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors or TA’s and use online resources for extra practice or tutoring. These core classes are very well documented and youtube has a lot of helpful information.

What has been your most challenging but rewarding course? The 120AB series, which is an integrated circuit fabrication class. It was not specifically challenging in terms of material, though it was very time consuming and challenged your time management skills. These courses were performed as a group, with meticulous planning and attention to detail being imperative. A small mistake from anyone in the group could result in the whole quarter worth of work leading to a non functional device. This class tested your skills in working as a team (potentially with people you don’t know), ability to plan weeks in advance, and testing your patience with meticulous and tedious processes. Though I can confidently say that these were the most rewarding classes I’ve taken because the feeling of testing the device you made from scratch and finding out that it is functional, after 10 weeks of work, is unparalleled. Also, I believe this is one of the most rewarding classes because UCSB is one of the few schools who offers a class that provides hand on cleanroom experience, so this can really set you apart from competition when applying for jobs or internships.

Are there any specific classes that you are looking forward to? A class that I was really interested in and was looking forward to is ECE 136C - Quantum Photonics. I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint as it is still my favorite class I have taken here at UCSB. I was particularly interested in the material and found the labs to be very engaging and fun. I definitely recommend this class to prospective students.

Talk about your Capstone – ECE 188ABC experience so far: I am on the Google Quantum AI capstone team tasked with creating a wireless thermal sensor array for quantum fabrication monitoring. I am the group leader for this project, so learning to navigate leading a team on a project that I am unfamiliar with has been great practice for me. This project has been extremely illuminating in terms of material because thermal management is a critical factor of the device we are making. As electrical engineers, we do not have too many courses on how to manage heat, so learning how to mitigate overheating issues has been very fascinating and has taught myself and my team alot. I am also in charge of budgeting, timeline, and procurement, which are all skills that are very important to master as they can be applied to any avenue of your life. Regardless of what capstone team you are on, it’s a great learning experience.

What area do you want to specialize in? Although the past internships that I have had have been in power engineering, I am most interested in the field of electronics and photonics (E&P). I have taken classes that dive deeper into this material and find myself fascinated at the level of intricacy. Classes like the ECE 136 series and ECE 162 series have really helped me understand the material and further peak my interest. I have decided to do the BS/MS program here at UCSB, specializing in E&P to further my knowledge in the subject.

Have you done an internship? I have had two previous internships at Ayres and LADWP. While working at Ayres, I served as an Electrical Design intern in the MEP (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing) division of the company. I learned to work in AutoCAD and Revit, while adhering to the codes and standards of California. At LADWP, I served as a Electrical Receiving Station Design intern where I created drawings in MicroStation, conducted site-walks to coordinate with construction teams, and redesigned outdated systems. These were wonderful and very developmental experiences in my journey as an engineer as they taught me how it feels to work in industry and explore different career paths I can choose with first hand experience. I would recommend prospective students to get as many internships as possible to not only become a more competitive applicant, but also to figure out what you truly like to work on.

Preparation from High School to College

What prepared you the most for studying engineering in college? Developing strong time management skills and being well organized will make the engineering journey feel much less stressful. Playing sports and doing extracurricular activities in highschool helped me progress these skills. Now, I meticulously plan out my days and weeks well in advance in order to not forget things and to allocate enough time to my respective classes.

Are there any classes that you suggest EE students take before entering UCSB: Since I came to UCSB as a transfer student, I had already completed all of the prerequisite courses before entering the major. So I would recommend taking as many math and physics courses you have available to you as it will definitely help in the future.

Any additional experiences that you would like to share with students to help them prepare for college? As an engineering student, you will have enough schoolwork to keep you busy, but I think it is important to find things you like to do outside of academics and explore those options. Follow your interests and make time to exercise and spend time with friends. Something else you might have not considered is living on with people you might not be familiar with. Learn to be a good roommate and communicator, as this will most probably be something you will encounter regardless of what school you go to if you decide not to commute.

Student Life at UCSB

What is campus life like for EE students? The “engineering side” of campus is a bit far from Isla Vista, so account for a slightly longer walk or bike ride when going to class, since most of your classes will be held within the same few buildings. The library here at UCSB is amazing, and you will probably be very familiar with it soon enough. Since EE is a smaller major, you will get to know your classmates as they will be with you throughout your years here. Making friends with classmates is a great way to make study groups and meaningful friendships

What is the social scene like on campus, in Isla Vista, and off-campus like for EE students? The social scene as a student at UCSB is what you make of it. There are an abundance of clubs and organizations on campus that you could join to meet people. In Isla Vista, it is a very unique and amazing experience to live so close to all of your friends. You will never be living more than a 15 minute walk from one of your friends so it’s super easy to head over and hang out even if you have limited time. The beach is super close by with a gorgeous sunset view, and if you're into going out, there is always someone’s birthday to go to or some excuse to celebrate.

Describe your housing experience frosh to present: I was fortunate to have friends that were already living in Isla Vista, so I jumped into their lease the first year I got here. It made for a very smooth transition for me, although I was still living with a few people I had never met before. It definitely takes some getting used to, living on your own, though you get the hang of it really quickly. I never lived in the dorms or on campus housing, so I cannot provide much insight there, but living in Isla Vista has been super fun. The further away you get from Del Playa, the quieter it will be around your house, but if you’d like to wake up to an incredible ocean view every morning, living on DP is an experience. My advice would be to look for housing as early as possible, as rent is not cheap here in IV, and try to be as neat and clean as possible.

After Graduation

What are your “big picture” plans/aspirations after graduation? I have been accepted in the BS/MS program here at UCSB, which is an incredible program where you can obtain your masters degree in EE in only one additional year. During your senior year of undergrad, you begin taking graduate courses that will count towards your masters degree, saving time and money. After I complete my masters here at UCSB, I plan to look for a job in the industry, hopefully here in Santa Barbara or in LA, where I am originally from.