Bio

     I am a Computer Science Graduate Student at UCSD (University of California at San Diego).  My focus, and my passion, is Machine Learning. 
     While still in High School, I became fascinated by the notion of Complex Systems and Machine Learning -  Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, and agent-based learning schemes in particular. 
    I got my bachelor's degree at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2001, majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Math.  Upon graduation, I started my own company, "Z&G Engineering", and subcontracted on a DoD engineering research project for several years.  For that contract, I adapted and integrated a biometric voiceprint verification algorithm, and assisted development of a proprietary security protocol, for a smart and secure military satellite radio. 
     I am currently finishing my Master's Degree in Machine Learning, and hope to start my PhD in the next year or two.  I am interested in both supervised and unsupervised learning - particularly in their application for commercial and military uses.  Currently, I am working at the San Diego Supercomputing Center (SDSC) doing Machine Learning research and fraud detection on the entire Medicaid dataset.
    While in grad school, I became the head Teaching Assistant for CSE 3 - Computer Science for Non-Majors (particularly Psychology and Biology students).  I wrote the Lab Curriculum and all of the Labs, held weekly meetings with the course professors, and trained all other TAs and Tutors for the course. 
    I have traveled extensively and hope to continue traveling, writing, research, teaching, and working with people.  Machine Learning, Data Mining, and Analytics are my passion as well as my profession.  I hope one day to research and implement innovative Machine Learning applications and techniques in the US and around the world.

Research
  Winter 2010 - Present: Machine Learning on the federal Medicaid database at SDSC (San Diego Supercomputing Center).
               Our goal is to use Machine Learning algorithms to identify fraudulent insurance transactions.
               Supervisor: Dr. Natasha Balac

  Summer 2009 - Present: Positive-only learning
               Research project applying data mining algorithms to computer security and ecological data. 
               Our goal is to learn useful predictive models given positive and unlabeled training data.
               Faculty supervisor: Dr. Charles Elkan.

   Spring 2008: Semi-supervised medical imaging project
               Used boosting technology to create a model to identify individual cells from microscopic medical images.
               Faculty supervisor: Dr. Yoav Freund

   2002 - 2005: Biometric voiceprint identification
              Adapted and integrated proprietery MIT algorithm into a secure satelite radio for the Air Force.
              Subcontracted to BRE Systems on SBIR contract.

  1999: Neural Network Data Mining tool
              Investigated potential medical and commercial uses of a Motorola Proprietary data mining algorithm.
              Summer Internship.
              Supervisor: Dr. William Campbell (now at MIT Lincoln Labs)

Teaching
 
  2007-2009: Lead TA for CSE3 at UCSD
             Design and lead weekly labs in basic programming and data analysis.
             Faculty Supervisors: Rick Ord, Susan Marx, Gary Gillespie, and Paul Kube

Relevant Course Work

  Data Mining and Predictive Analytics (Spring 2009)
  Computer Models of Cognition (Spring 2009)
  Unsupervised Learning (Winter 2009)
  Principals of AI: Probabilistic Reasoning and Decision-Making (Fall 2009)
  Machine Perception (Spring 2008)
  Principals of AI: Learning (Fall 2008)
  Advanced Statistics, Probability theory, and Linear Algebra

Travels and Hobbies
 
    I have traveled all over the continental United States (though strangely never New England), Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada.   I have been to Europe more than 10 times including two backpacking trips that lasted a couple of months each.  I visited all over France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Denmark, as well as shorter visits to Belgium, Norway, Germany, and Sweden.  I also spent some time in Morocco which was one of my favorite places on Earth.  I very much want to visit Eastern Europe (where my family is from), as well as Greece and Turkey and the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean, along with the UK.  I am planning a visit to India in the near future, and very much hope to visit Asia, Africa, and South America soon.

   In addition to traveling, I love wilderness backpacking, kayaking, white water rafting (spent three weeks rafting the Grand Canyon), and snorkeling, as well as just playing in the ocean and laying on the beach.  I am also a crazy bookoholic and have bookcases lining most of the walls in my house.  I love reading books and am working on writing one in what little spare time I have between school, work, research, and traveling.  I also draw and paint and would like to have time to do some metalwork and sculpting.  Accompanying me as much as possible are my two dogs - Argo, a German Shepard/Lab mix and Loki, a psychotic miniature Schnauzer with a massive Napoleon complex.