MALVERN, Pa. — When you meet Chandan Shivalingaiah, you can’t help but notice his drive to improve his skills in software engineering and to use them to improve the world.

“The thing about software engineering that excites me is that, using just one simple software, you can reach millions of people,” he said. “By exchanging information with a person, making them more knowledgeable, you can make a lot of difference.”

Shivalingaiah earned his bachelor’s degree from Bangalore Institute of Technology in India, and he researched several top American universities for his graduate-level studies. He said Penn State stood out to him after he heard from a friend about the many opportunities she had as a graduate student at the University.

“The University is doing a lot to motivate you to explore different avenues and become a better version of yourself,” Shivalingaiah said. “That’s something that I love about Penn State.” 

As he works toward his master of software engineering at Penn State Great Valley, Shivalingaiah said he enjoys learning from his professors. He mentioned the engaging teaching style of Dusan Ramljak, assistant professor of software engineering, who taught a class on analytical programming with Python. Shivalingaiah said Ramljak once explained a series of organized steps in an assignment by comparing them to the steps of a dance, which he performed for the class.

“He explains in a very unique way, which is enriching and fun!” Shivalingaiah said. “And it helps you understand better.”

Shivalingaiah is serving as a research assistant for Everton Guimarães, assistant professor of software engineering, helping to analyze the architecture and design flaws of Java-based mobile applications for a research paper that they hope to submit for publication.

“He was of great guidance in terms of helping me write a paper,” Shivalingaiah said.

Courses in software construction, architecture and testing helped Shivalingaiah learn how to organize his efforts and optimize processes when building and assessing software. In addition to developing his technical abilities, he said Penn State has also helped him improve his communication skills.

“It’s the small things — the way you write emails professionally, how to approach people if you want to request things,” he said.  

Shivalingaiah also learned practical skills from students who were ahead of him in the program and gave him tips for internship searching, such as making a spreadsheet to track applications and telling recruiters and alumni stories about past projects in order to stand out from the competition.

Last spring, Penn State Great Valley hosted a career fair where Shivalingaiah learned about an internship with CTDI, a global engineering, repair and logistics company that provides solutions to the communications industry. He applied and interviewed, sharing about his experience working on other software development projects, and CTDI offered him the internship.

Shivalingaiah spent this past summer working with CTDI’s automated systems that test the functionality of smartphones and tablets. For his first project, he used Python, Pandas and OpenCV to process an image of a phone screen to confirm that all the pixels around the dynamic island were working.

“This went into software production within a month, which was a proud moment for me,” he said.

Next, he helped build software to test tablet touchscreens using a robotic arm. Using C# and .NET, he programmed the arm to touch up to 40 points on tablets to ensure the sensors were all working.

With both these projects, Shivalingaiah said he enjoyed collaborating with his mentor, senior electrical engineer Nilofar Sayyad, sharing problems he was facing and asking for her input, as well as brainstorming ideas with her.

“The internship gave me beautiful experience, meeting a lot of great people, like my mentor,” he said. “Everybody is so accomplished in their careers. Those are the kinds of people you look up to.”

In addition to his research and internship, Shivalingaiah keeps busy teaching with the College Bound STEM Academy, a collaboration between Penn State Abington, KleinLife and George Washington High School, which offers underserved high school students expanded learning opportunities through supplementary STEM modules and college-level dual enrollment courses. Shivalingaiah’s parents are both teachers, so he said it’s in his blood. Teaching has helped him hone his communication and presentation skills, he said, which are valuable for career growth. He started as a teaching assistant with high schoolers for algebra and calculus earlier this year, and he was promoted to lead teacher this semester, with his own class.

“I am pretty sure that with the name tag of Penn State, I’m bound to have a lot of opportunities,” Shivalingaiah said, reflecting on his overall experience as a graduate student. He also mentioned Penn State’s strong reputation, as well as the contacts he has made with alumni. “You immediately connect once you see that Nittany Lion sticker on the car!”