professors: jian-gang (jimmy) zhu, mark budnik, greg kesden, tom zajdel

tools: a little bit of everything :P
course website

I first took 18-100: Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering during my first semester at Carnegie Mellon. For me and most incoming students, this class was the gateway to the department. 18-100 does more than teach circuit fundamentals and code; it inspires students to pursue ECE while setting the foundation for collaborative problem-solving.

The core philosophy of 18-100 centers on close, personal mentorship between TAs and students. Learning happens through small-group lab sessions, accessible office hours, and a dedicated team of TAs who support students beyond circuit analysis or programming.

Because 18-100 recruits mostly freshman and sophomore TAs, it creates a near-peer mentorship model: first-year students gain accessible role models, while young TAs discover a passion for teaching while reinforcing fundamental engineering concepts.

teaching assistant

My desire to give back led me to join the course staff as a Teaching Assistant (TA) from August 2023 to January 2025:

  • Small-Group Labs & Recitations: Led weekly lab sections to translate theory into practical steps.
  • Office Hours & Debugging: Guided students to debug their own circuit problems, encouraging patience and persistence.
  • Student Mentorship: Helped students navigate academic transitions and adapt to CMU’s rigorous environment.
  • Grading & Feedback: Graded assignments, lab reports, and exams with detailed feedback.

head teaching assistant

Building hands-on pedagogical experience prepared me to serve as Head TA from January to December 2025, managing course logistics and mentoring the teaching staff:

  • TA Mentoring: Guided TAs on effective teaching practices, active listening, and supporting students through academic adversity.
  • Course Direction & Mascot: Collaborated with faculty to keep course content modern, engaging, and supportive. The staff even established a custom course mascot, Wattson!

Wattson Photo
Wattson with a multimeter. Special thanks to Michelle and Angie for designing our stickers!

  • Course Material Development: Refined lecture slides, homework questions, and hands-on lab experiments alongside faculty.
  • Course Logistics: Coordinated lab equipment, managed grading distributions for a team of 40 TAs, and maintained gradebooks.

resources

During my time on the 18-100 staff, I developed several custom recitations and planning tools:

photos

Fall 2025 Staff
Fall 2025 Staff Photo.

Fall 2024 Staff
Fall 2024 Staff Photo.

Fall 2023 Staff
Fall 2023 Staff Photo.

acknowledgements

Thank you to all the students, fellow TAs, staff, and professors who made 18-100 such a special experience.

To Megan, Bex, Malcom, and the ECE academic services and logistics teams: thank you for your support at every turn, and apologies for the endless late-night lab crises.

To the TAs and students I worked with: thank you for your patience, passion, and care. You will go far.

To the head TAs before me (Nora, Owen, Liam, and Kaitlyn): thank you for inspiring our team and shielding the TA staff so they could focus on teaching.

To my fellow head TAs (Julius, Shirley, and Calla): thank you for the mutual support. It was an absolute privilege to lead alongside such a dedicated team.

Above all, thank you to professors Jimmy Zhu, Mark Budnik, Greg Kesden, and Tom Zajdel for giving me this opportunity and mentoring me every step of the way.