People

Dr. Lora Van Uffelen

Associate Professor of Ocean Engineering, joint appointment with the Graduate School of Oceanography

Research:

Long-range ocean acoustic propagation, acoustic navigation of gliders, acoustical oceanography, particularly in the Arctic, ocean variability and effects on acoustic propagation, observations of marine mammal vocalizations using mobile platforms

Education:

• Ph.D. Oceanography. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego

• B.S. Engineering. Hope College

Dr. Luis Pomales Velázquez

Post-Doctoral Researcher in Physical Oceanography

Before joining the OPERA lab in 2019 Luis worked for the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System in Puerto Rico on a wide array of projects that exposed him to the beauty of working in the interdisciplinary field of Oceanography. Besides his interests in science, he is an avid explorer of life in general, he enjoys anything related to art and nature.

Research:

Luis' work focuses on using oceanographical data and passive acoustic recordings collected by two buoyancy-driven Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to assess the sound speed fluctuation as measured during the 2017 Canada Basin Acoustic Glider experiment (CABAGE, of the tomographic Canada Basin Acoustic Propagation Experiment.) Alongside this, he uses RAM, a range dependent parabolic equation numerical model, to make acoustic predictions in CABAGE and generate solutions that can successfully achieve reliable and accurate subsea vehicle localization. The goal of this work is to achieve one-way tomography using AUVs.

Education:

• Ph.D. Physical Oceanography, University of Rhode Island

• B.S. Physics Applied Electronics. University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Abigail Smith

M.S. Student in Ocean Engineering

Abby did her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University. During this time, she interned at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, working on sonar technology. This is what got her initially interested in underwater acoustics. She worked to develop her research skills during internships with the Department of Energy, and looks forward to developing them further in the Opera Lab. 

Research:

Abby's research focus is on modelling long range propagation and investigating their arrival structures. 

Education:

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, 2024

Kylie Pasternak

M.S. Candidate in Ocean Engineering

Kylie is an engineer with extensive experience in scientific instrumentation, submersible vehicles, and data collection. Her early career experience includes working as an ROV pilot aboard the E/V Nautilus and as a marine technician on the R/V Endeavor.

Kylie completed a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Rhode Island and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering. She is interested in underwater acoustics because it is at the intersection of ocean technology and signal processing.

Alongside her technical work, Kylie is deeply engaged in outreach and education. This informs her research approach, as she designs with education and public engagement in mind. She is also a collaborator on artistic projects which explore creative ways of communicating scientific research to broader audiences.

Research:

Kylie’s research explores passive acoustic monitoring in Narragansett Bay, with an emphasis on developing observation tools that support both scientific inquiry and community engagement.

Education:

• B.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 2025

• A.S. Engineering, Bristol Community College, 2018

• Certificate, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Bristol Community College, 2018

Isaiah Wang

M.S. Student in Ocean Engineering

Isaiah graduated from the University of Miami with bachelor’s degrees in Marine Science and Computer Science. During his time at Miami, his research focused on applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to oceanographic research, including hurricane analysis and prediction, coral growth and decay quantification, ocean carbon flux estimation, and sonar operations. As an undergraduate, he also interned at the Naval Research Laboratory and the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology through the University of Connecticut, where he further explored applications of underwater acoustics.

Research:

Isaiah’s research focuses on long-range acoustic localization and the development of embedded systems to improve acoustic data collection.

Education:

• B.S. Marine Science and Computer Science, University of Miami, 2026