Yue Cao’s spin down memory lane begins on the third floor of Everitt Lab — “before the renovation,” he notes.
“It used to host all the ECE Power and Energy Systems faculty and student offices and research labs. It was such a historic floor that one could find homework and exams dated back to the ’80s,” Cao says from Seattle, where the two-degree UI grad (MS ’13, Ph.D. ’17) is a research scientist and power electronics engineer on the Amazon Prime Air team.
“We joked about the air conditioning system — it was so cold in the summer that people wore sweaters and so hot in the winter that T-shirts were standard. Nevertheless, it was a cozy den for us as the graduate students got to enjoy the two-person office luxury and the easy access to everything to receive the degree — the qualifying exam, prelim and final defense pretty much happened within a few rooms away.
“We were sad that we had to leave while the new ECEB was open.”
Off-campus, Cao’s go-to spot was Bo Bo China. “This is a restaurant every Chinese student probably knows,” he says. “It is a must visit every week as we got to enjoy the truly authentic northeastern Chinese style dishes.
“Far away from hometown, many of us actually did not miss home. The dishes have sparked many ideas, whether for homework or research, and have witnessed the growth of individual engineers, scientists, professors, etc.
“Pro tip: do not be fooled by the lunch buffet — always order from the Chinese menu, especially the chef specials.”
