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Aramis Mendoza
  • Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering

Aramis Mendoza

I’m a second-year undergraduate majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in aerospace engineering. I am very interested in the development of novel aerospace technology. This past summer, I completed a SURF with the NASA Big Idea Challenge Team 2022, advised by Dr. Soon-Jo Chung, developing LATTICE, a lunar railroad built to explore craters, and I have been working on the project since. This summer, I will be working on a project at Boeing utilizing a combination of mechanical engineering and computer science. In addition to my aerospace interests, I am deeply committed to writing as a form of expression and outlet for creativity. I enjoy analyzing Black films alongside their historical contexts and connecting them to current trends today. When I’m not working, I’m spending time with friends and family, watching my favorite movies, and playing tennis.

Ming-Liang Wei
  • Graduate Student, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering

Ming-Liang Wei

Hi there! I'm a first-year PhD student from Taiwan. I received my master's degree from the National Taiwan University in Taiwan before joining Caltech. Now I am currently working in the Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory (COIL), headed by Professor Lihong Wang. Our research focuses on Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), an imaging method that detects optical contrast via the photoacoustic effect. With PAM, I try to acquire some ex vivo images from sliced or unsliced biological tissue, which could help the collaborating doctors to diagnose fatal diseases in the future. Our lab also studies Photoacoustic Computed Tomography (PACT), a computed tomography via the photoacoustic effect for various clinical applications. Outside of academic research, I enjoy spending my time cooking, singing, and reading - especially some Chinese classic literature and thought.

Joudi Hajar
  • Graduate Student, Electrical Engineering

Joudi Hajar

I’m a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering, and I joined Caltech as an EAS Chair Scholar. I’m humbled to be the inaugural recipient of the Elachi Fellowship, established in 2023 by the 8th Director of NASA JPL (2001-2016), Charles Elachi, and his wife Valerie. Before coming to the U.S., I completed an MSc in robotics and control at ETH Zurich, and a BE in ECE at the American University of Beirut. I enjoy researching optimal control theory and looking for cool applications in autonomous driving. As my advisor, Professor Hassibi, says: "control is like life; given your past, you take actions in the present and make decisions that influence the future, but... the future is unknown. What to do?" If you’re like me, you’d follow the regret-optimal control strategy, and you would design yourself as a partially memoryless system - your output matrix should be sparse!

Zachary Ahmad
  • Graduate Student, Applied Physics and Materials Science

Zachary Ahmad

I am a G1 pursuing a PhD in Materials Science in Katherine Faber’s lab. In my current project, a collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I am excited to develop new methods of additive manufacturing via reaction bonding of dense, high-temperature materials for space exploration. Pursuing a PhD at Caltech offers a unique environment for me to support diversity and equity in the next generation of scientists and engineers. As a first-generation student from a rural background, it is important for me to use the many resources available at Caltech to advocate for and reach out to underrepresented communities in STEM fields. With these goals in mind, I serve on the Board of Directors for the GSC; the EAS Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; PRISM's Leadership Team, and Caltech's Health Committee. When not pursuing these efforts, I enjoy spending time with friends and playing guitar and piano.

Gabriella Twombly
  • Undergraduate Student, Computer Science

Gabriella Twombly

I’m a third-year undergraduate from Weston, FL pursuing Computer Science with a minor in Information & Data Science. My interests lie in machine-learning and data analytics. Throughout my time at Caltech, I’ve explored intersections between CS and other areas of science by participating in planetary and economics research. I’ve also explored predictive analytics in gene sequencing devices through my last internship and look forward to continuing my work in industry as a software engineer. I serve as the UG Academics and Research Committee Chair and VP of Academic Affairs on ASCIT where I’ve been spearheading the organization of the 2023 Student-Faculty Conference. As a committee, the ARC has focused on supporting students and faculty with the transition to in-person academics and the renewal of student-faculty relations. My hobbies include playing on the Caltech intercollegiate women’s volleyball team, mentoring through the Caltech Y, and checking out the surrounding areas like downtown LA.

Emile Anand
  • Undergraduate Student, Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Emile Anand

I am a fourth-year undergraduate student from Dubai, UAE, majoring in Computer Science. My research interest lies in complexity theory, where I am currently studying the pseudo randomness of expander random walks using Boolean Fourier analytic methods with Professor Chris Umans. I am also interested in online convex optimization and online algorithms for reinforcement learning, which I work on with Professor Adam Wierman in the Rigorous Systems Research Group. Currently, I am also the head TA for CS 155 (Machine Learning and Data Assimilation). In my free time, I enjoy playing the piano, going for runs, and writing blog posts.