When I started at Coastal in September of 2021 there weren't yet any rapid prototyping facilities on campus accessible to the general student population. After a few weeks of laying the groundwork, I opened Kimbel Library Makerspace in January 2022 to serve that need.

In the spring of 2019, Valentina Aquila and I learned about Low Cost Air Quality Sensors (LCAQS) and became exctied about their increased spatial and temporal resolution compared to regulatory monitors. After many conversations we decided we were interested in quanitfying the impacts of foliage coverage on fine particulate matter (AKA “PM2.5”, the concentration of suspended particles ≤ 2.5μm) in DC.

When COVID-19 stay-at-home orders went into effect we were unable to tend to our LCAQS, therefore data collected ceased. We pivoted and began investigating how reduced human mobility due to COVID-19 has contributed to air pollution, specifically PM2.5 concentrations, using publicly avaiable PurpleAir sensors.

PM2.5 concentrations are highly multivariate, being mediated by a wide range of natural and anthropogenic processes. For this reasons I built Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) that utilized data from NOAA ground weather obervations, SafeGraph human mobility data and PurpleAir PM2.5 concentrations.

This project is still ongoing...

Kristof Aldenderfer, asked me if I would TA for his new class “Interactive Device Design”. The class teaches students the fundamentals of rapid prototyping and the engineering design process, as well as the basics of microcontrollers. Students form groups and build a prototype of a physical device that solves a real world problem using microcontrollers. As TA I held office hours, advised groups on their prototypes, and graded homework.

Vanderbilt University accepted me into their 2019 Physics NSF-REU program. I worked under Sokrates T. Pantelides and Andrew O'Hara.

Materials with the pyrite crystal structure, such as iron and cobalt sulfide, are composed of earth-abundant elements with potential applications in photovoltaics, catalysis, and spintronics. While the surface properties of FeS2 have received significant attention in the literature, less is known about the surface properties of other pyrite-type materials like CoS2 as well as the interfaces between these materials.

In my work at Vanderbilt, I performed calculations using density functional theory (DFT) to gain insight into the surface and interface energetics of these pyrite materials. The results provide insights concerning the observed epitaxy of these materials in hybrid nanoparticle experiments and provide guidance for additional experiments regarding the growth of structures utilizing these materials.

One of my first weeks of college, Kristof Aldenderfer came to my intro to physics class to quickly share his vision of AU’s first rapid prototyping facility. He was seeking volunteers to help bring the idea to life and I was thrilled by the concept, becoming one of DaBL’s first employees.

We officially opened our doors fall semester of 2018. AU doesn’t have a school of engineering, so our goal is to provide an enviornment where students of all disciplines and skill levels can manifest their creative ideas. We do this by hosting workshops which teach engingeering principles and safe use of our tools. As well as providing insight on student projects.

Working at DaBL has been tremendously rewarding. Not only has the job equipped me with tons of prototyping and engineering skills, but DaBL has served as an important creative outlet for me. It was a place that naturally combined my love for computer science, physics and building with my wide imagination.

Nathan Harshman, AU Physics Department chair, asked me if I was interested in constructing a weekly newsletter for students and staff, as well as manage social media presence on Twitter and Instagram.

Valentina Aquila, environmental science professor at AU and NASA Goddard climate researcher, gave me my first experience doing computational research. Initially, Valentina recruited me to help her build plots and run simulations for a project studying the impacts of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption on stratospheric aerosols. Later we shifted to studying the impacts of typhoons on stratospheric aerosols. This internship gave me experience writing Python scripts for NASA’s MERRA-2 model with packages (such as SciPy and matplotlib).

My senior year of high school I was given the opportunity to work as a technology intern due to my performance in Networking and Computer Engineering classes. During third period I serviced work orders, fixing computers and other technology around the school. This was an awesome opportunity that helped me make a bit of money as a student.

Parchie Clothing Supply, LLC. is a grassroots street wear startup I cofounded with some friends in high school. We envisioned a skate and surf-wear brand that encapsulated the aesthetic of the Port City. Our approach was simple, no shortcut - period. We registered an LLC, built a brand and worked with the best artists we could find. We dropped two successful clothing lines before disbanding in 2017 as college neared and I shifted my focus towards academics full-time. The Parchie experience was beyond words. Everything had such a pure energy. We were building something from nothing, and our journey led us to meet lots of amazing people.