I'm an entrepreneur and life-long student
trying my hardest to learn everything.
So far, it's taking longer than expected.
Computer Vision Scientist
@ Occipital
Roboticist | Runner | Co-founder of
Replica Labs
gallimatrix~at~gmail.com
Once upon a time, I received 1st place for Graduate teams in the Pitch George Elevator Pitch Competition at GWU. My pitch was for a technology I called Replica, which created 3D printable meshes of objects on a mobile phone. The prize was $2000. I was humbled. It was awesome.
That simple idea has blossomed into Replica Labs, co-founded with me by some pretty smart people. By the end of this summer, we hope to have created software that will do an amazing thing: turn any smartphone into a 3D scanner. This flagship product, called Rendor, won't be the first app of its kind, but with the science that we're throwing behind it, it will be the most powerful. Beta testing for Rendor is now open for sign-up; make your way down to the site and see for yourself how powerful Rendor can be!
My robotics research primarily focused on path planning using autonomous vehicles; though I didn't publish anything, I performed intensive research on planning using deep learning techniques and RRT modifications. I steeped myself in both planning and computer vision literature; most of this experience has been applied to developing the Rendor infrastructure.
The ARPG (now at CU Boulder) designed their codebase from the ground up; I was privileged enough to work on this system in its relative infancy. I contributed to SceneGraph, Node, and HAL, and completely took apart Nima Keivan's CarPlanner to complete my research. I designed SimBA, a robotics physics simulator, from the ground up using the Bullet Physics Engine to enable the lab to simulate common robotic conditions using real-time physics. SimBA is the cumulation of almost all of the available libraries in ARPG, so maintaining it became a full-time job. That being said, it worked wonders for autonomous vehicle testing. But who am I to say.
Buckshot (formerly SimLAB) is a wrapper of the Bullet Physics Engine using MATLAB, for faster iterations in research. It lingered in my directory, all alone, for quite some time; since I was proud of the work I did, I decided to put it up on GitHub and open it up to community development. Since then, I'm happy to say that it's come in handy for a good number of people. I would love to see it become a full-fledged scientific tool, but things are a bit hectic for me to work on it right now. Volunteers are always welcome... if you're really inspired to help, see the GitHub issues page and contribute!
I became involved in robotics research in the Fall of 2012; before that, I had been intensely focused on materials science and nanotechnology. This interest brought me to the NRL, working under Dr. Alberto Pique. Through application of Laser Direct-Write manufacturing, a technique developed through the NRL, I performed and became educated in both battery and electronics manufacturing. I also used and calibrated laser optic systems, profilometers, microscopes, UV lamps, spectrometers, and other vital pieces of research equipment for application in various projects.
Analyses of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures in Palladium Metal (Thesis, B.S. Physics, GWU). Project Advisors: Prof. Gerald Feldman (GWU), Prof. David Nagel (GWU), Prof. Scott Mathews (Catholic University). We used a femtosecond laser to create laser-induced periodic surface structures, i.e. LIPSS, on samples of palladium for potential materials applications. LIPSS have been the subject of several interesting case studies involving the micro-structuring and modification of materials. When shot with a short-pulse laser beam, a metal will bend and shape its surface according to the beams parameters, creating a periodic surface structure. We analyzed the results of femtosecond interaction with Palladium using a scanning electron microscope and MATLAB. The experimental parameters were the fluence of the laser and number of shots on a particular spot. LIPSS were not produced with our chosen parameters, but other structures were created that could still be of use in experiments influenced by surface modification, such as deuterium loading.
The Coffee and Cream Problem: Physicists love coffee. Hot coffee, to be exact. Looking at our too-often lukewarm mugs, GWU's Prof. Gerald Feldman and I wondered: what's the best way to mix cream in one's coffee to achieve the hottest temperature for the longest time? This was an elegant experiment demonstrating Newton's Law of Cooling at a basic level. I used Logger Pro to demonstrate this effect on a cup of hot coffee (hot water) mixed with cool cream (cold water). This project was presented at SESAPS 2011, as “The Coffee and Cream Dilemma”. I obtained a student award from the APS to travel to the conference in Roanoke, VA to present the poster.
As with any startup, there's not a narrow list of duties for my position. I work closely with the team on developing software and dreaming up better technology, and actively recruit new and talented developers. I also serve as the public face of the company, having designed both the Replica Labs and Rendor sites, and I keep interested parties up-to-date through the company blog.
As a STEP Assistant, it was my duty to maintain and organize lab equipment and research tools. In the course of my time there, I learned to operate the lab's laser and optic systems, both 355nm and 266nm beams. I had two main research goals: the accurate machining of research materials and creation of successful laser direct-write (LDW) samples for the NRL.
I acted as a resource and mentor to students in my dormitory, as well as helped the University at large through service and event coordination. The position was less RA, and more guidance counselor to younger students.
I learned how to use and troubleshoot Callahan's patented software program Peer to Peer, which processed and presented data from United States Credit Unions to CEOs and CFOs, allowing for more effective analysis. Working with Peer to Peer helped me gain experience with Salesforce, SQL Server Management Studio, and HTML.
I planned to continue my PhD studies in a new environment. However, I've demoted my candidacy to Masters in order to take a more formative role in Replica Labs.
I joined the Autonomous Robotics and Perception Laboratory (ARPG) as soon as I graduated, under the guidance of Prof. Gabe Sibley. While here, I was involved in robotic path planning and computer vision studies, with the goal of improving the autonomous navigation of an RC car. It was a formative and challenging year. In the summer of 2014, Prof. Sibley, ARPG, and I transferred to CU Boulder to develop the Computer Vision program there.
A ten-day conference covering a wide array of Machine Learning techniques and applications, taught by some of the world leaders in the subject. It was an incredibly valuable experience, and helped me conceptualize several core concepts in statistics, control, inference, learning, and big data analysis. I highly recommend the sources listed above to any researcher in the field; I took so many notes that I thought it would be best to write them all up in LaTeX, just to help me organize everything. Maybe one day I'll finish editing them...
UPDATE: I have not. C'est la vie.
B.A. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Physics conferred May 2013. Physics thesis found here. I was a member and Student Advisor in the Undergraduate Honors Program. Graduating GPA: 3.33/4
I ranked 5th in my class and was the Foreign Language Student of the Year for studies in Japanese and Latin. Graduated with a Cumulative GPA of 4.17/4. I captained both the Chess Club and the Academic Team. Yup.
On Nov. 16th, 2013, I received 1st place for Graduate teams in the Pitch George Elevator Pitch Competition at GWU. My pitch was for a technology I called Replica, which created 3D printable meshes of objects on a mobile phone. The prize was $2000, and led to the founding of Replica Labs.
I was a STEM-focused tutor throughout my Undergraduate career. I was a volunteer tutor at the School Without Walls, Washington, DC for a year. I was also a private tutor starting January of 2010. Subjects that I have taught include Java, C, algebra, multivariable calculus, general physics, and Latin.
I received the Eagle Scout rank in Dec. 2008 for installing a weather station at Gainesboro Elementary School, Winchester, VA, and implementing an accompanying curriculum. I also received the Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award for service provided to the community. I know how to create some mean lashings.
I was CFO of the (surprisingly large) organization from November 2009 – December 2010. I am a gold-level competitive collegiate dancer, and have performed and from everything from dance battles to Inaugural Balls. During my undergraduate time, I was also a ballroom instructor/mentor to both Newcomer and Bronze students. I was the winner of the 1st Annual Dancing with GW on February 2012, partnered with Prof. Melissa Keeley.
A blog that I started that focused on how much science dominates in everyday life, and seeks to make the subject engaging for non-scientists. Kept up from June 2011 to February 2012.