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By Jessica Zimmerman

Jared Cochran, an undergraduate research student for the (CSICS), graduated from �鶹����AV with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering.

Cochran, who has been exposed to computers since he was young, has always been interested in how the brain of a computer works.

Originally attending Tidewater Community College (TCC), he started interning with the (VMASC) in 2022, where he was tasked with programming a robot to trace out a traffic simulation.

“I worked on an embedded system in a robot which really excited me,” said Cochran. “I thought it was really cool to work on both software and hardware, and in the modeling and simulation area.”

Another project that he worked on was with John Shull, Assistant Director of Technology for Collaborative Spaces. “I had to design a buoy that would collect water quality data from and around an oyster farm so that you can correlate the water quality data with the oysters’ growth. That was really cool,” Cochran said.

After earning an associate of engineering degree from TCC, Cochran became an official student at �鶹����AV. However, soon after he suffered the unexpected and devastating loss of his father. “That happened mid-semester, so going through that and attending school was pretty rough,” he said. “I had to pause on my research work and go all-in on schoolwork, especially with my tough classes coming up at that same time as well.”

Cochran told himself to just lock in and focus. “I thought that I just needed to keep going. I pushed through and a lot of it is just to keep going, keep focusing.”

He persevered in school while dealing with the grief and loss, earning straight A’s that following semester and maintaining a 3.8 GPA.

In 2024, he started working with CSICS on the Cybersecurity Center for Offshore Wind Energy project. “I worked mainly on trying to figure out if there are any what are called ‘side channels’ on offshore windmills that would essentially allow someone to break into them or break the systems inside it,” Cochran said. So, if there is an attack on the windmills, if they spin too fast, they could break. Or if boats wander straight up to them, we want to see what commands are being sent, what data is being relayed, so we can prevent these from happening.”

One of the most valuable lessons he has learned over the last few years is how to effectively manage his time and maintain a structured schedule.

“I’m actually using a calendar now, which helps a lot. Anything that is recurring, I try to put in the calendar on my phone because that helps me to remember and to be accountable for myself,” Cochran said.

Looking ahead, now that he has officially graduated, he would like to continue working in the modeling and simulation field full-time and work towards a master’s degree in electrical engineering at �鶹����AV.

“One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about working at VMASC and CSICS is the variety of projects,” Cochran said. “It allows ways to explore different things that I probably would not have originally thought of.”

“It’s been really amazing getting to experience all these different projects, from software optimization to building a buoy to doing electrical and simulation work. I’m excited for what’s next!”