In the Fall of 2009, I will be attending Stanford University to study towards a Masters degree and (potentially) a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering. At Stanford I’ll be focusing specifically on communication systems and sensor networks, but I plan to take courses outside of these areas as well. I’m also looking forward to exploring the west coast and all that it has to offer – biking, hiking, (and wine) just to name a few.
For the past two years, I was working in the Boston area as an electrical engineer and entrepreneur. In March of 2008, I deferred admission to Stanford in order to co-found OutSmart Power Systems. The company is built around an original system prototype, “SmartCircuit,” developed by me and my team at UMass for our senior design project. The OutSmart system is a next-generation power distribution network. Through embedded electronics in electrical nodes (outlets, switches, etc.), OS provides the building manager with an information backbone to deliver all kinds of building performance statistics, control, and management. With Outsmart – as with all small companies – I worked on an exciting variety of projects ranging from hardware design to market research to object oriented software development. This was my first true entrepreneurial opportunity, and I loved it. I am and will continue to be very interested in early stage venture development.
Prior to my involvement with Outsmart, I worked as a design engineer with Sensata Technologies. I first held an internship with them my junior summer and joined them full-time after graduation. I was involved with the automotive pressure sensor group, working specifically on the electronics for occupancy and brake-line fluid sensors. I supported existing and new product designs, and was exposed to a great deal of test design, development, and execution.
I graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in May 2007, receiving my bachelor’s of science in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. As I mentioned before, my senior year was largely spent developing the OutSmart (then called SmartCircuit) prototype. At the end of the year, we won first place in the senior design project competition. Additionally, I prepared an honors thesis on an “Examination of Power-line Communication Technologies and Application of the Ultra-Wideband Communication System.” Some of this research was included in a paper published at MilCom 2007, “A Class of Ultra Wideband (UWB) Systems with Simple Receivers,” with Professor D.L. Goeckel. Since graduating, I’ve been profiled as a prominent young alumni in the ECE Department Newsletter.
Outside of coursework, I participated in a number of extracurricular guilds and societies, including the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) EE Honors Society and the UMass Theatre Guild. With HKN, I was the 2006-07 President. To get away from engineering, I held lead roles in 2 productions with the theatre guild, as well as 1 with the Smith College Theatre Department. My favorite role was Phil in “Hurlyburly,” a contemporary black comedy by David Rabe. My involvement with the arts started back in high school. I grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts with my parents and my sister, Gabrielle.
Personal interests right now include swimming and kiteboarding. Kiteboarding is a new one, and is extremely challenging and addicting. It’s really fun! I plan to pick up biking and train for a short triathlon at some point in the near future as well.