Sarthak Gupta

Sarthak Gupta spent his childhood taking electronics and computers apart just to try and put them back together. That problem-solving spirit followed him to adulthood, motivating his interest in computer science and allowing him to identify and develop new ways to fix problems daily.

Sarthak joined the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering due to the flexibility of majors and the wide variety of courses, allowing him to pursue his many interests freely.

As a student, he conducted research as part of his degree program in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and also worked with faculty in the ASU School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning. Those efforts afforded Sarthak the opportunity to present his research on the environmental impact of urban development and deforestation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Seattle, Washington. He also completed a software engineering internship at Facebook, where he worked on the WhatsApp Data team to build critical infrastructure.

The vast networks of student organizations helped him to meet and engage with peers of similar passions. One organization Sarthak was involved in was Engineering Without Borders, or EWB, where he served as the vice president. The EWB branch at ASU is one of the largest chapters in the world with close to 100 active members and five active projects internationally and in the United States. As vice president, Sarthak collaborated with students, faculty, industry mentors, the professional chapter of EWB Phoenix and project representatives abroad.

Furthermore, as a part of the EWB Solar team, Sarthak participated in a project to develop the code for an Arduino microcontroller for data storage and processing. The team had to problem-solve to find simple, cost-effective solutions to the complex problems they encountered on their journey.

Above all, Sarthak emphasizes the importance of collaborating with others at ASU.

“Engineering has changed my life by making me realize the importance of communication and collaboration between not just people working in your major or [within] engineering but people outside of it as well,” he says. “People from different backgrounds will have different ideas and it’s crucial to hear everyone’s perspective.”

After graduating, Sarthak will start a job as a software development engineer at Amazon, where he completed a software development engineering internship. 

“In the long-term, after I get more experience,” Sarthak says, “I would like to create a startup dedicated toward preserving the environment and promoting climate sustainability.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Fall 2022 class here.