Nicholas Colmenares Email and Phone Number

Conducted research, testing and analysis for development of a sub millimeter accuracy magnetic tracking system, used in high risk medical applications.

During the last year of my graduate experience, I was the lead TA for large (300+ students) introductory physics courses. I spearheaded a team of TAs in class discussion settings, liaised with the supervising Professor on various administrative tasks, engaged with students inside the classroom and outside of it via online forums, and administered exams.

I worked as a graduate student researcher for the Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO), which measured the distance to the Moon to millimeter precision on a regular basis in order to test aspects of gravity, like the Strong Equivalence Principle. During my tenure with APOLLO, an Absolute Calibration System was added to the experiment to independently assess the accuracy of APOLLO by sending well-timed photons to the detector, during regular operation, to act as an optical ruler. I developed nearly all of the software for instrument communication and monitoring, designed the optical mounting hardware and aided installation of calibration equipment. Once installed and taking data, I was charged with developing the software to reduce calibrator data into a usable form, analyze the results, and develop a methodology to integrate timing corrections into the main data pipeline.Additionally, I was responsible for the management and revision of software governing system operation/data acquisition, and the software for the reduction of lunar range data products into usable forms.

During the first two years of my graduate experience, I taught introductory physics in laboratory settings through hands-on experiments. I communicated with all of my students individually during the classes to understand student knowledge gaps and facilitate better comprehension of the material.