User:Zainab Siddiqui

User data

Name	Zainab Siddiqui
Affiliations	Western University
Skills	Arduino, PCB Design, Soldering, 3D Printing, Embedded Systems
Interests	Open-source Hardware, Sustainable Engineering, Biomedical Technology
Email	zsiddi29uwoca
Links	[www.linkedin.com/in/zainab-siddiqui-148a9a344 linkedin.com]
Registered	2026

My name is Zainab, and I am a third-year student in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering. I am interested in exploring how engineering can create technology that has meaningful, long-lasting impact on people's lives.

I’ve always been interested in how things work, whether in physics, biology, or fiddling with how ideas can be expressed through literature. I've grown to become increasingly curious about the connections between these areas and how our scientific knowledge can be translated into practical solutions.

From learning how electrical systems, sensors, and circuits work to seeing an idea come alive through design, I’m drawn to challenges that combine logic with empathy and innovation with purpose.

Designing technology that not just works, but means something to the people it reaches, is important to me.

As a Research Assistant in Dr. Jibran Khokhar's lab, I contributed to the hardware development of an affordable, non-invasive system to track sleep and activity in mice models for an undergraduate thesis project. The system adapts the COMPASS framework, using PIR motion sensors, custom PCBs, and Arduino-based SD data logging to monitor across multiple cages simultaneously. My work focused on assembling and soldering the electronics, debugging hardware connections, calibrating sensors, and helping create 3D-printed mounting structures for long-term, sustainable data collection. I am currently contributing to preparing the full system and data for publication.

An open-source system originally developed to track fluid consumption in socially housed rats, I built six standalone FARESHARE fluid-monitoring modules adapted for mice. The system integrates a custom PCB shield with Arduino, RFID tags for each animal, an infrared lickometer to signal fluid delivery, an OLED display, and continuous data logging to an SD card for preclinical alcohol consumption and addiction research. I worked on the assembly, soldering, and troubleshooting of the system based on the project’s framework. This included assembling the DC stepper motor housing, 3D printing the enclosures, and soldering the RFID reader into the sensor housing to detect the animal tags. Two of my completed modules were also exported to an external research lab to use in their studies.

In my ECE 2242 design project, I led the development of S.M.A.U.G. (Secure Monitoring and Access Unit for Galleries), an Arduino-controlled security system designed to protect museum artifacts and temporary exhibits where higher-end solutions were impractical. The system integrates PIR, light, sound, tilt, RFID, and RTC sensors with an LCD, RGB, LED, buzzer, and servo-controlled locking mechanism. I modelled our embedded system circuit on TinkerCAD and programmed the control logic in Arduino. I also learned to design a PCB shield in Altium Designer, working around space and routing constraints to fit all our sensors and actuators on one side. I honed my soldering skills to the single-layer PCB and performed continuity testing and troubleshooting with my team, and we integrated the components into a simple prototype, resulting in a functional PCB and a successful system.

Being a member of Sunstang Solar Car Project's electrical team, I am developing practical experience with solar vehicle electrical systems. My work and learning so far have focused on low-voltage electrical integration, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), and battery-system design. This exposure has increased my interest in sustainable engineering and in understanding how electrical systems can be designed for efficient real-world applications.

For the ECE 1050 winter design project, my team developed the Portable Potable, a low-cost and portable 3D-printed filtration prototype to address arsenic-contaminated water in rural communities. The design uses a PETG enclosure with stainless-steel mesh layers and activated alumina and activated carbon to chemically decontaminate the arsenic while allowing the filter components to be easily removed and replaced for continuous use. This project introduced me to designing engineering solutions targeting a real-world problem for a client, working around constraints like affordability, portability, maintenance, and accessibility.

I am interested in building on these experiences through open-source and sustainable engineering, particularly in developing technologies that are affordable, accessible, and useful in the communities that they serve.