GLASS Project

My Interests

I am interested in implementing sustainable infrastructure systems that aid in the social mobility of marginalized communities in urban areas. Making innovation more accessible to the working class will decrease the income gap and help improve the quality of life for everyone. One prominent element of these systems is agriculture and the transportation systems that connect food sources to communities. This issue of connectivity and access to basic needs has been a motif throughout most of my time in GLASS.

Working Towards this Goal

Through my experiences in GLASS, in Abu Dhabi, my internships, and my role as the Head of Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, and Equity in the General Engineering Department I am working on contextualizing that goal. In Abu Dhabi, I spearheaded a project that would implement an electronically powered bus system to connect the more rural areas of Abu Dhabi to the town center, reducing the reliance on cars, reducing carbon footprint, and increasing access throughout the city. Through my process engineering internship at Archer Daniels Midland, I worked to optimize manufacturing processes while reducing energy and resource consumption. At my design engineering internship at Boeing, I worked on teams that ensure the structural integrity of the innovation behind modern globalization: airplanes. And finally, through my social justice work on the Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, and Equity committee in the General Engineering Department, and being President of the RoboSub VIP at Tandon, I am working on contextualizing that goal. The UN Sustainable Development Goal that my GLASS Project addresses is to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” (United Nations). By focusing on cutting-edge technologies and emerging trends, the project seeks to provide insights into the role of underwater robotics in addressing the global need for resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation in the maritime industry. AUVs are an integral part of combating climate change, adapting to changing environments, and building the renewable resource infrastructure that will reduce the effects of climate change in the future. Rising sea levels are an unfortunate symptom of climate change and AUV’s are the solution. Studies have shown that they are useful in monitoring at-risk coastlines for flooding. They are often used in underwater construction of seawalls and other mitigation measures. AUV’s can be used to monitor the health of marine habitats and ecosystems. Most notably, AUV’s are used to construct underwater energy resources like tidal or wave energy farms. The uses for AUV’s extends beyond just these sustainable applications, but when examining climate change solutions, AUV’s are often overlooked as an innovative solution for combatting a variety of issues.

Future Efforts

As my senior year comes to an end, I am excited to announce that I have accepted an offer to continue this work as a Payloads Design Engineer at Boeing in Renton, Washington. Additionally, I am travelling to Bandung, Indonesia for several weeks this winter to continue to learn about sustainable acgricultural practices in regions at the most risk for climate change.