Lewis Bates

lewisforrestbates@hotmail.com • (901) 605-9136 • www.lewisforrestbates.com • github.com/LFB1937

Objective

Obtain an internship, co-op, or full-time employment in Computer Engineering or a closely related field for Summer 2026.

Education

Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN — May 2026

B.S. Computer Engineering • Cumulative GPA: 3.04

Brighton High School Brighton, TN — May 2021

Honors Diploma • GPA: 3.76

Course Projects

Computer & Electrical Engineering

Microcomputer Systems and Architecture

  • Collaborated on 8 labs covering ARM assembly language and computer architecture fundamentals
  • Developed a microcontroller-based digital lock with LCD, 7-segment display, and keypad interface

Digital Systems Design

  • Completed 8 VHDL/FPGA labs utilizing accelerometers, encoders, and VGA output
  • Implemented and refined 7 variants of Pong on FPGA; resolved rendering, rounding, visibility, and score-tracking issues

Embedded System Design

  • Built multiple projects on Raspberry Pi Pico 2 covering UART, ADCs, I²C, keypads, and various sensors
  • Analyzed Johnson Building Materials Calculator; produced full technical report with schematics, Bill of Materials, and system diagrams

Fundamentals of Computer Design

  • Designed and simulated three CPU architectures (Single-Cycle, Pipelined, and Pipelined with Forwarding/Hazard resolution) in ModelSim
  • Implemented and tested designs on DE10-Lite FPGA board

Computer Science

Object Oriented Programming and Design

  • Developed a full-featured weather application that fetches real-time API data by city name or GPS coordinates
  • Displays hourly and daily forecasts with clean, responsive UI

Work Experience

Undergraduate Assistant Engineer, Part-Time Oct 2024 – Present

Center for Energy Systems Research, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN

  • Supported MS and PhD research teams on power systems and microgrid projects; coordinated with clients and co-authors to ensure contract compliance and on-time deliverables
  • Rebuilt and enhanced Typhoon HIL real-time simulations; collaborated directly with Typhoon engineers on software debugging and lab IT maintenance
  • Engineered 4G cellular interfaces for Raspberry Pi data acquisition systems

Student Worker, Part-Time Summer 2024

Cybersecurity Education, Research & Outreach Center, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN

  • Collaborated with a small student team for 8 weeks to design and develop interactive educational puzzles teaching elementary and middle-school students cybersecurity and basic technology concepts (GenCyber Hack-a-thon)

Hardware Security Competitions

MITRE Embedded Capture The Flag (ECTF) — Hardware Engineer Jan 2024 – May 2024

13th place out of 76 teams internationally

  • Worked on 7-person team to implement security bug fixes for a medical-device microcontroller platform
  • Researched offensive and defensive hardware techniques; debugged Analog Devices MAX7800FTHR board
  • Analyzed I²C bus traffic for hash and PIN validation vulnerabilities

MITRE Embedded Capture The Flag (ECTF) — Hardware Engineer Jan 2025 – May 2025

33rd place out of 113 teams internationally

  • Member of 9-person team responsible for implementing satellite TV stream encoding/decoding with access-control security
  • Integrated and validated custom hardware libraries for secure media handling

Volunteer Experience

Audio, Visual & Livestream Assistant Aug 2022 – Present

Sycamore Church of Christ, Cookeville, TN

  • Rotate weekly duties managing audio mixing, projector/PowerPoint presentations, and OBS-based livestream production using iPad controls
  • Tune microphones, speakers, and inputs for optimal sound quality during services and recordings

Participant — American Journey Experience Summer Institute June 2021

  • Two-week intensive in-person program focused on the founding principles and history of the United States
  • Read and analyzed 16 primary-source historical texts by distinguished authors
  • Evaluated modern interpretations using scientific papers, economic data, historical records, and scriptural context
  • Trained in proper archival handling and preservation of historical documents and artifacts

Licenses & Certifications

Amateur Radio License — Technician Class (KQ4SNV)

Applied electrical engineering principles to radio communication, antenna design, and real-world RF problem-solving.

Skills

Computer Languages C/C++, Python, VHDL
Hardware Interfaces & Platforms Raspberry Pi (all models), Typhoon HIL real-time simulators, Modular HIL Connect, THCC SCADA panels, SEL RTAC, Intel DE10-Lite FPGA, STM32, Analog Devices MAX7800FTHR
Software & Tools Microsoft Office Suite, Intel Quartus Prime, ModelSim, Git/GitHub
Hardware Security & Analysis Tools ChipWhisperer suite, Bus Pirate 5, Oscilloscopes, Power Quality Analyzers (PQAs), Saleae Logic Analyzers, Mixed-Signal Analyzers, Digital Multimeters, Clamp Meters