I led a NASA-funded project through the Flight Opportunities program of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) to develop low-cost attitude control methods and hardware for CubeSats. Specifically, my project demonstrated the ability to repurpose low cost hard drives as CubeSat and SmallSat reaction wheels through Zero-G parabola testing (December 2021, June 2022, and November 2022 onboard G-Force One). My responsibilities included: - Project management of a Zero-G flight demonstration of extremely low-cost CubeSat reaction wheels- Experimental design & operation (on-ground testing, Zero-G testing)- Flight software development (Python)- Pointing/Stabilization controller development & simulation (Matlab/Simulink)- Electronic speed controller development and testing- Computer vision implementation for attitude determination- Mechanical design & development (Solidworks, CAD, lathe/mill)- Environmental testing- Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) development- Sensor fusionI also directly mentored five undergraduate researchers who supported the attitude determination system development & hardware development. With this project, my team and I demonstrated the effectiveness of hard drives as COTS reaction wheels, that cost (on average) thousands to tens of thousands of dollars less than commercially available reaction wheels. All findings, performance data, and controller designs will be made publicly available and open source to support low-cost satellite development, especially for the university level.

I led the development & implementation of a hard disk drive reaction wheel payload for demonstration onboard a NASA JSC CubeSat mission. Combined with the Zero-G Flight demonstrations of the reaction wheels in December 2021, June 2022, and November 2022, this will raise the technology readiness level of hard drive reaction wheels to TRL 9. My responsibilities on this project were broad, including: - Project management- Payload design & manufacturing- PCB design & manufacturing - Flight software development- Payload environmental testing- Spacecraft integration I also directly mentored six undergraduate interns and worked closely with other graduate students to build a strong CubeSat community in the lab and at our university.

As an intern at NASA GSFC, I supported the ACS software development, system simulation, and hardware testing for the PACE earth observing satellite, SNOOPI CubeSat, and BurstCube CubeSat. My responsibilities included:- Developed Monte Carlo simulations to analyze detumbling behavior of BurstCube CubeSat- Collaborated on the Hi-fi simulation (Matlab/Simulink) for the PACE earth observing satellite mission- Identified and debugged issues in the PACE Hi-fi simulation, created unit tests to verify ACS functions- Served as ACS engineer on console for PACE Comprehensive Performance Testing (CPT) and mission sim- Performed final ACS hardware and software checkout testing for SNOOPI CubeSat prior to delivery

As a USRA intern with Johnson Space Center (JSC), I supported NASA’s ongoing efforts to better understand and characterize lithium-ion battery thermal runaway events. I worked on various projects throughout my internship, involving data automation in MATLAB, thermal analysis in Thermal Desktop, a submission to a peer-reviewed journal, and teaching a short course in a NASA conference.My main focus for eight months was the development of a software package to standardize and automate processing of large data sets gathered from thermal runaway tests. This tool will be used both internally in NASA and externally with industry partners to characterize thermal runaway responses of various Li-ion battery cell formats & failure mechanisms. I was involved in the software development from its early stages, through architecture, design, debugging, validation, and deployment. In addition to the software development, I developed a detailed user's manual, flowcharts, and training videos to ensure seamless implementation.

As the Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) Lead, I had the pleasure of leading 30+ undergraduates throughout six sub-teams in the development of low-cost ADCS for UC Davis’s first undergraduate CubeSat mission. On the technical side, this required a full-system understanding and a strong background in physics, mechanical engineering, analysis, and problem solving. I led student research in the design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of magnetorquers, reaction wheels, and sun sensors, as well as their integration with determination and control algorithms. I also oversaw the environmental and performance testing of Hard Disk Drives as a low-cost alternative to reaction wheels.On the project management side, my position required adaptability, creativity, mentorship, and strong communication skills. The ADCS team was comprised of undergraduates of various majors and experience levels, all of whom were excited to learn and contribute to the satellite development. It was my responsibility to ensure that they had the necessary resources and mentorship to do so. I also collaborated extensively with other system leads and members to ensure that the ADCS was easily and efficiently integrated in the overall 2U CubeSat design.

As an ADCS engineer at the very conception of the REALOP mission, I focused on magnetorquer research, development, and testing. I performed optimization calculations, and produced the mission's first embedded coil prototypes through chemical etching and milling of copper PCB's. I then experimentally verified the magnetorquer performance trends and began preliminary thermal analysis of the components.

As the New Product Development Intern, I supported the research and development lab of PacSci with mechanical design and analysis work. I worked in interdisciplinary teams on multiple projects for the aerospace industry, helping to design, prototype, and test energetic devices. I had the opportunity to run finite element analyses with SolidWorks Simulation, design and assemble testing fixtures, size rocket nozzles for solid propellant tests, and analyze data from multiple rounds of performance testing.

As the mission specialist for the Advanced Modeling and Aeronautics Team (AMAT) at UC Davis, I assisted in the overall design and manufacturing of a small aircraft to compete in the SAE Aero West Competition. I focused on identifying the mission requirements, determining the optimal payload configuration, and planning flight patterns. I also worked to troubleshoot hardware and software issues and encourage communication between members working on different subsystems.

Manufactured and assisted in the design of wings for a small aircraft

Assisted in the design of an empennage (tail) for a small aircraft

As the Program Assistant for the UC Davis C-STEM Center, I was able to influence K-12 STEM education in the Northern California region by helping to develop curriculum that took a hands-on approach to learning science and mathematics. I also helped to lead and organize trainings and conferences for educators who had little to no background in coding or robotics, in an effort to increase the use of technology in classrooms.

As a part of an ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) competition, I collaborated with a small team in the development of two pairs of buoyancy shoes which allowed team members to "walk" on water. The shoes were developed rapidly on a tight budget, and used to compete against local colleges.