Education and Work

A little summary of my educational history and prior employment!


Education

Ph.D., Robotics – Oregon State University
Laboratory for Robotics and Applied Mathematics
Thesis Title: The Geometry of Passive and Constrained Locomotion

Corvallis, Oregon
2020-2024

M.Sc., Robotics – Oregon State University
Laboratory for Robotics and Applied Mathematics
Thesis Title: Validation of a Novel Stereo Vibrometry Technique for Spiderweb Signal Analysis

Corvallis, Oregon
2018-2020

B.Sc., Aerospace Engineering – The University of Oklahoma
Honors: Summa Cum Laude

Norman, Oklahoma
2012-2016


Work History

Ph.D. Research Assistant

Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
2018-2024

This was the work that I performed while pursuing my Ph.D. at Oregon State! My main focus was researching novel robotics techniques and writing technical publications, although I was also heavily involved in collaboration management, lab outreach, and product sustainment for lab robots.

My technical research work included developing embedded software and realtime motion controls for mobile robots, implementing geometric algorithms to model and optimize robot motion dynamics, and automating computer-vision techniques for spiderweb signal analysis.

Flight Controller, International Space Station

NASA – Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
2016-2018

My first job out of my undergraduate work! I worked with CRONUS, which was one of four mission control teams on-console 24/7! At CRONUS, we handled data transmission through the RF channels from the ISS to the communications network and the management of the network communications architecture onboard the ISS. The primary roles of our group were to configure the ISS communications systems for mission tasks, ensure the delivery of ISS telemetry to the mission control room, and to recover ISS systems in the case of onboard failures.

In addition to these on-console duties, in my off-console time I worked development and test for software automation tools built to streamline mission control processes. I spent a lot of time developing system requirements, testing the processing of telemetry through the software tools, and writing my own tools to automate the command process.

Through this job, I became highly trained in engineering communication during high-stress mission failures and challenges. It’s important to keep a level head when the ISS is threatening to fall out of the sky!

Aerospace Engineering Intern, P&W F100 Jet Engine

Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, OK
2014-2015

My first big boy job. Here, I performed maintenance for the Pratt & Whitney F100 jet engine, which powers the nations fleet of F15 and F16 supersonic fighter aircraft. I wrote software to automate the detection of anomalies from jet engine black-box data, helped analyze post-catastrophe engine failures, and worked part procurement for engine repair and maintenance.