Justin Hwang

Last spring, while talking to an FPGA engineer at a quant firm, she recommended that I work on an open-source processor to gain digital design experience. In particular, adding some sort of branch-prediction algorithm would be very effective. I found Darkriscv, an existing open-source RISC-V processor with a 3-stage pipeline and added a simple 1-bit branch predictor, which improved overall CPI by 13% (and branch CPI by 49%!).

When living on-campus, RAs usually print nameplates for every apartment door. These always annoyed me slightly, so I decided to use the laser cutters at one of GT's makerspaces to make my own.

In my Digital Design classes, I constantly thought hmm, I could make this in Minecraft. Growing up, I'd spent countless hours using the in-game circuit system to make variou small mechanisms, but the same transistor-level building blocks could theoretically be used to make a full computer. So, my roommates and I decided to start up a new server to build a Turing-complete computer, starting with the simplest gates and progressing through a fully-functional processor, including a 16-bit adder, addressable RAM, a program counter, a logical unit, and a 4-digit hex display.

At HyTech Racing, our car becomes more complex every year. As a result, the learning curve for new members becomes steeper every year. I wanted to increase two things: the number of actively-contributing members, and the contributions of each member. To this end, I designed a guided, asynchronous set of training modules that forms a semester-long curriculum. (read more)

During CS classes, I take notes using a combination of Emacs Org-mode and LaTeX. This allows me to take notes in a markdown-like environment, but compile it into clean PDFs. Emacs is highly configurable, and I have really enjoyed using various features to take notes quickly and elegantly during class. (read more)

In my Object-Oriented Programming (CS 1331) and Data Structures/Algorithsm (CS 1332) classes, students are encouraged to share tester files for the homework assignments on the class forum. My friend and I began working together to write the most elegant, thorough, and compartmentalized tester files to monopolize the market. In total, we published over 25,000 lines of code and reached an estimated 4,000+ downloads. (read more)

For Hytech, we needed an array of thermistors to measure temperature data at many different points. Initially, this was designed to measure data in an array between two large aluminum plates to to verify their thermal properties. (read more)

From the course catalog (ECE 3058)

Basic organizational principles of the major components of a processor - The core, memory, hierarchy, I/O subsystem, and basic operating system constraints that utilize them.

From the course catalog (ECE 2026)

Introduction to discrete-time and continuous-time signals. Filtering. Frequency response. Fourier Transform. Z transform. Laboratory emphasizes computer-based signal processing.

From the course catalog (ECE 2035):

Creation of complex execution and storage mechanisms, based on instruction set architecture, for software design including high-level programming languages and operating systems.

From the course catalog (ECE 2031):

Design and implementation of digital systems, including a team design project. CAD tools, project design methodologies, logic synthesis, and assembly language programming.

From the course catalog (ECE 2040):

Basic concepts of DC and AC circuit theory and analysis.

From the course catalog (CS 1332):

Computer data structures and algorithms in the context of object-oriented programming. Focus on software development towards applications.

From the course catalog (CS 2050):

Proof methods, strategy, correctness of algorithms over discrete structures. Induction and recursion. Complexity and order of growth. Number theoretic principles and algorithms. Counting and computability.

From the course catalog (PHYS 2212):

A calculus-based course with laboratory covering electromagnetism, applications of electromagnetism, light, and modern physics.

From the course catalog (ECE 2020):

Computer system and digital design principles. Switch and gate design, Boolean algebra, […] storage elements. Datapath, memory organization, instruction set architecture, assembly language.