Malak Soliman

Doha, Qatar

20 April 2024

Dr. Hasan Kurban

Electrical & Computer Engineering Department
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Doha, Qatar

Dear Dr. Kurban,

I write to you with great enthusiasm about becoming your research assistant for your AI vehicle research project as
a junior Electrical Engineering student, a member of the Shell Eco-Marathon team, and someone who has done
research on subjects like coding, math, and artificial intelligence. During my time at Texas A&M University, I worked
on many research projects, which I found both intriguing and rewarding. My ability to learn new things in order to
perform in-depth analysis and research, use information to build and design a product, and effectively express my
understanding through a number of methods makes me an outstanding candidate for the position of your research
assistant.

A year ago, I decided to challenge myself into competing in the Microsoft Hackathon 2023. I had to research a lot
about artificial intelligence and how to create my own AI machine and secure it. My project was about making an AI
application that can act as a teacher's assistant. I spent time understanding and testing out large language models
provided by the Microsoft Azure OpenAI service which then helped me access GPT-4 embeddings to learn how to
create a similar chat bot designed to assist professors and provide them with accurate content in accordance with
the class syllabus. I also interviewed a couple of teachers after designing my prototype. By undergoing all this
research, I was able to create an application and win third place worldwide. This project allowed me to adapt to
researching a topic even if I wasn’t familiar with it.

My interest in cars have also been a great reason why I joined the Shell Eco-Marathon team this year. I had to start
off by self learning how and when a car can switch from an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to an Electric Engine in
a hybrid vehicle. This took lots of research and testing as well as, patience and determination. Through this my team
and I were able to build an electric motor and connect it to superchargers which are also connected to an external
alternator to self charge when coasting. Being your research assistant would add a lot to my knowledge which can
definitely help me with continuing this project until August.

Your research project about building an AI vehicle satisfies both my interests and assures me that I can quickly catch
up to what you have already done. I believe that my ability to self learn and understand through different methods as
well as, using my critical thinking and teamwork skills will make me a great contributor to your research team. I'm
looking forward to speaking with you, either in person or via Zoom. Please do not hesitate to email me if you would
like any additional information about me using malak.soliman@qatar.TAMU.edu.

Sincerely,
Malak Soliman