Natalie Shultz Email & Phone Number

Livermore, California, United States

Remote internship working with the Optical Materials Science and Technology Group part of the National Ignition Facility (NIF). My work has been focused on fused silica debris shields (FSDS) that are used in the final optics assembly of (NIF) and have been shown to increase the lifetime of other optics. The goal of the project is to develop a metric that can be applied to all beamlines that indicates when an FSDS needs to be replaced in order to maximize its lifetime and ensure safety of other optics.

Tucson, Arizona

I have acquired in-depth knowledge of image processing procedures and programming related to the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. I am able to process images manually and have analyzed current methods to improve image correction while also establishing new calibration techniques to ensure accurate processing. A novel correction technique I proposed that was used to correct artifacts in short-exposure images was found to reduce the radiometric error in the produced mosaic by a factor of four. I have developed programming skills with Matlab while being exposed to IDL and Terminal.

Independent study that focused on the feasibility of 3-D printing infrared glass. My role included preparing solutions of chalcogenide glass that were spin coated or irradiated with a laser source. I learned about, and used, several materials analysis methods, such as SEM and Raman Spectroscopy.

Tucson, Arizona

Invitation to join Tau Beta Pi is based on credits completed and GPA. There are opportunities to connect to the community through service events and develop leadership skills through activities like tutoring. Previous meetings have begun with Tau Beta Pi vs the World in which groups of members come up with a solution to a given problem that exists in the present world. Different disciplines of engineering always come together in interesting ways to tackle a problem in hopes of creating a better future, something I feel is the main goal of this organization. As Social Chair it is my responsibility to plan and carry out social events for the organization. Rather than just being something that is attended to meet a requirement, I hope these events are able to bring like-minded members together so that we may grow as a community.

Tucson, Arizona Area

Blue Chip is an organization with the aim to empower students with the skills to step up as leaders in the community and work force through the core values of integrity, diversity, service, and excellence. As a former member of Blue Chip, I have been given multiple opportunities and guidance as to how I can become a better leader, such as service projects and team building activities. I have been able to apply these leadership skills in other areas of my life and have continued to improve them.Beginning the semester as a Team Leader, I was able to facilitate team meetings that give first year students leadership opportunities not unlike what I was exposed to my first year. My hope is that through these team meetings, first year students will become more comfortable in a leadership position and will learn effective ways to lead.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

My project during my internship at the Air Force Research Laboratory was investigating the reflectance and transmittance of space relevant materials in the ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet spectral ranges. Not a lot of research has been done in this spectral region with practical materials, though in the future this could be an important area for space-based detection. I had the opportunity to collaborate with another lab that was taking similar measurements and through this collaboration we came up with a way to conveniently store our data together. I was also able to apply previous programming knowledge in order to look at both the wavelength and angle dependence of reflectance and transmittance from the data that was taken. While a lot of the data that I collected is preliminary, I created scripts so that future data may be analyzed in a similar manner and so that the research that I started may be continued.

Scottsdale, Arizona

Leading various positions (i.e. concessions, box office, etc.) of the movie theatre to promote company success. As a Team Leader, I was highly dependent on time management and interpersonal communication skills to get certain tasks completed and connect to both my coworkers and guests coming to see a movie. I learned how to efficiently delegate tasks to a team as well as the importance of forward-thinking and a positive attitude.

Scottsdale, Arizona