Featured Member - Efren Medallo

We will be featuring different members of the Brilliant community, so that you can get to know them better. For the eighth issue, we are featuring Efren Medallo, who is an electronics and communications engineer interested in underwater exploration.

Efren's has written up numerous problems, as a quick search would demonstrate. One of the problems that I really enjoyed was the Hatred of Eleven, in which different approaches could be developed to understand and solve the problem. At it's heart, it makes use of the Divisibility Rule of 11.

Eftren has also been working on improving the presentation of his solutions, so that he can express himself clearly to others. This is a gradual process which involves constant work, and we should cheer him (and everyone else) on! Check out this solution of his, which presents a clear analysis of a myriad of cases.

Tell us more about yourself.
I'm currently a fifth year electronics and communications engineering student. Initially, I was just looking for a program which includes a lot of Math, because I quite enjoy Math in its applied form. Eventually though, I was drawn into electronics as time goes by. Robots are limitless. Nowadays, with an ample knowledge of coding, you can do almost anything. I also loved how communication technologies have their corresponding mathematics behind them, which is why I'm pursuing this joint major.

I don't have much experience with international math contests, but I am still intrigued by those problems. I know that I am not yet an expert in the field of Mathematics, and am still prone to making some mistakes. I remember learning a lot from Revisiting some Limits, which reinforced my understanding of multi-variable calculus. I encourage you to check it out, and learn from my misconception!

What is one fun fact about yourself that the Brilliant community doesn’t know about?
I am a frustrated photographer. ^.^
Also, I am currently working on a thesis study focused on designing a robot that could terrestrially navigate towards a user-defined Earth coordinate input for underwater mapping purposes. That takes most of my time these past few days, which explains why I have slowed down in posting problems.

What project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on designing a rover that accepts GPS data coordinate input, generates a straight line path from its initial position to the input coordinate, and makes it move towards this path while taking pictures of the seabed underneath. The pictures are then stitched and are sent to a home station where the map is built. This is primarily developed for the purposes of benthic mapping for further researches in marine aquatic ecology and resource.

The main issue I am facing is to create algorithms that counteract external forces (such as waves, wind, obstacles) which may put the rover off its course. The control system has to take these all into account to make sure that your rover takes the right path, instead of stumbling down a dark abyss. It is made more difficult as we have limited ability to track the varying conditions under water, e.g. currents could move in both directions.

What do you want to accomplish in the next few years?
Well, aside from being a successful engineer, I want to be able to even at least visit Brilliant's main office. If I could work for Brilliant, then that would be even better!

What do you wish for Brilliant?
I hope that Brilliant's popularity with respect to time increases without bound. I want Brilliant to be a part of every student's learning experience.

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Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
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`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Featured Member - Efren Medallo

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