OXFORD, Miss. – As a child growing up in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, Aik Min Choong received a LEGO Technic helicopter
for his birthday and enjoyed endless fascination with the
toy.
“Birthdays are bigger than Christmas in Malaysia,” Choong
said. “That helicopter was really a big thing. I believe
that’s where my interest in robotics began.”
Several years and many miles later, the young boy’s
preoccupation with his special toy led him to a
life-changing passion that has transcended time and
distance. Choong is an exceptional graduate student at the
University of Mississippi, where he is working on his third
academic degree.
“I’ve been interested in robotics for as long as I can
remember,” said the slim, dark-haired 27-year-old. “Growing
up, I desired to pursue a career in the field, but in
Malaysia there was no huge demand for professional robot
designers and manufacturers.”
After weighing his options, Choong decided he wanted to
become an electrical engineer. Upon learning of UM’s
rigorous academic program in engineering, he applied for
admission and was accepted into the bachelor’s degree
program
Enrolling on the Oxford campus in fall 1999, Choong was
enthusiastic about studying in another country. However, he
said that he found it extremely difficult being so far away
from his parents and older sister.
“There’s an 11-hour difference between the time zone here
and in Malaysia, and the flight time is even longer,” said
Choong. “In the eight years I’ve lived here, I’ve only
returned home three times and my family has only come to
visit me three times.”
Besides getting to know his fellow Malaysian students at
UM, Choong also was befriended by others in the university
community. “Professor (Charles) Smith was my mentor,” said
Choong, with his usual smile. “Seeing my interest in
robotics, he urged me and seven others in our electrical
engineering design class to compete in the IEEE
Southeastern Conference hardware competition.”
Though the Ole Miss team didn’t win, participating in the
conference cemented Choong to his first love and true
passion.
Smith guided Choong through his bachelor’s degree and was
supervising his first master’s when he died suddenly in
2005. Atef Elsherbeni, professor of electrical engineering,
stepped in and helped Choong revise his thesis and complete
the program.
“I later learned about Dr. (Pam) Lawhead’s robotics program
and began working closely with her in it,” said Choong, who
completed his second master’s thesis in electrical
engineering last December. “She became my new mentor and
helped me revise my thesis topic from an electrical
engineering project to a robotics project.”
“Aik Min has done a phenomenal job of bridging the two
worlds of electrical engineering and robotics,” said
Lawhead, professor of computer and information science.
“Not only can he design and build robots, but if an
existing one breaks down, Aik Min can investigate the
circuitry, develop innovative solutions that involve the
actual electrical structure of the device and create
devices and controls needed to repair it.”
After Choong switched to computer science, Lawhead invited
him to participate in a National Science Foundation grant,
which involved using LEGO Mindstorms in the undergraduate
computer science curriculum. He has participated as a
graduate assistant in that program, helping run workshops,
giving lectures and adapting assignments from the previous
version to the latest model. For example, he spent some 18
months doing research in infrared communication and
infrared transceiver for LEGO’s new NXT microcomputer
brick, so it can communicate with the old RCX brick and
LEGO IR tower (computer).
“Aik Min is our goodwill ambassador for the computer
science department,” Lawhead said. “He’s been very helpful
in our recruiting efforts.”
Choong said that Lawhead and two local couples – Bill and
Crystal MacKenzie and Wayne and Janet Prather – have served
as his extended family with pivotal roles in his adjustment
to living in the U.S.
“I lived in Bill and Crystal MacKenzie’s house for
international students for more than two years,” Choong
said. “In exchange for living quarters, I helped them with
their annual vacation Bible camp for youth from College
Hill Presbyterian Church. When I broke my femur and had to
have surgery to repair it, the MacKenzies helped me through
my recovery.”
Bill MacKenzie, UM’s energy coordinator and associate
utility engineer, described Choong as “an incredibly
pleasant and helpful guy, who is also amazingly creative
and highly competitive.”
Aside from his studies, Choong enjoys playing badminton,
tennis and pingpong, as well as bicycling with friends. He
also creates intricate origami figures, crafts and holiday
decorations.
Upon completion of his master’s degree, Choong said he
hopes to remain in the U.S. and possibly find work in
NASA’s robotics space exploration program. He concedes that
his future depends on his legal status at the time of
graduation.
“If things don’t work out here, I can always return to my
country and find work there,” Choong said. “I hear that
career opportunities in robotics in Malaysia have grown
since I’ve been gone. I know that my parents and my older
sister wouldn’t mind me returning home.”
If that should happen, Choong’s many new friends will
surely miss him.
“I know that there are quite a few people and families that
are sad to know that Aik Min’s time at Ole Miss is drawing
to a close,” MacKenzie said. “Though we’re proud of him for
all his degrees, we sure hate to have him leave.”
For more information on the Department of Computer and
Information Science, visit