Projects

Standard note-taking apps (linear outlines, flat lists, rigid hierarchies) don't map to how ideas actually connect. Thoughts branch, loop back, and relate to each other laterally. So I built a tool that works the same way: a canvas-based graph where nodes are ideas and edges are the relationships between them.

Built in React with a custom Canvas API rendering layer. No backend; everything is saved locally, with full export to JSON, CSV, and a custom plaintext format that works well with LLMs. Useful for debate flow, annotating papers, planning projects with non-linear dependencies, or just getting a mess of ideas out of your head and into something you can look at.

• Infinite pan/zoom canvas with labeled, directional connections and relation presets
• Multiple independent maps with auto-save; multi-select, copy/paste, and batch operations
• Per-node and per-edge style overrides; custom backgrounds (dots, grid, image URL)
• Export to JSON, CSV, and plaintext; import and merge maps
• Full keyboard shortcut suite; mobile-friendly touch pan and pinch zoom
• AI-prompt templates built into the Help tab for structured export to LLMs

Leading the protection and control design for a 250 kW islanded microgrid that could power roughly 100 homes, developed in partnership with Schneider Electric engineers Nurulwahida Jamaludin and Jinlei Xing. The project is simulated end-to-end in MATLAB Simscape Electrical, from DER modeling through load dispatch validation.

• Designed feeder protection schemes to detect, isolate, and clear faults between distributed energy resources and load, aligned with industry DER coordination practices
• Developed SOC-based BESS control logic to maintain voltage and frequency stability during islanded operation, including load-following and ramp-rate limiting
• Built 24-hour load and solar irradiance profiles to validate system dispatch, resilience under cloud transients, and islanding recovery behavior
• Set up Git-based version control and standardized workflows across the team
• Worked directly with Schneider Electric engineers to validate the protection architecture against commercial DER integration standards

When Vanderbilt demolished the MSA's existing prayer space with no direct notice and no alternative offered, a small group of students started working to get something permanent built. For one and a half years I was part of this effort, stretching from initial advocacy through design review and final approval. The space opened in April 2026.

• Contributed to a two-year effort to secure a permanent on-campus prayer space from initial advocacy through final approval and opening
• Helped identify and document community requirements — external entrance, 75+ person capacity, dedicated wudu station, 24/7 keycard access — and made the case for each through ongoing discussions with university administration and Vanderbilt facilities teams
• Reviewed AutoCAD drawings and proposed floor plans on behalf of the student community to ensure requirements were accurately reflected across design iterations
• Maintained team continuity over two years alongside a small group of MSA students through leadership transitions as members graduated
• Resulted in a purpose-built space serving close to 100 Muslims for Jummah, daily prayer, and Ramadan programming

Commercial syringe pumps cost $800 or more. We built one for under $80 that matched market-standard precision. The project was awarded Best Compact Build in the Fall 2024 Rapid Prototyping class and covered the full stack: mechanical design, custom electronics, and real-time embedded firmware.

• Designed custom motor control hardware and led PCB prototyping and hand soldering
• Implemented real-time embedded firmware in C++ using Arduino and the AccelStepper library for precise stepper motor control and acceleration profiling
• Achieved ±0.0001 mL volumetric precision, matching specifications of commercial units costing 10× more
• Designed the enclosure and all mechanical components in Fusion 360 and fabricated via 3D printing and laser cutting
• Took it all the way through: CAD → electronics design → firmware → assembly and calibration

Vanderbilt's engineering department has solid labs and fabrication equipment that most students never use. I started the IEEE Project Showcase to fix that: give students a reason to show up, access to funding, and a place to present what they built.

• Founded and ran the first Vanderbilt IEEE Project Showcase, with enough structure that future students could keep it going
• Opened up lab resources and equipment most students had never touched
• Got funding and mentorship to 30+ student project teams
• Handled logistics, judging criteria, technical requirements, and outreach across multiple engineering disciplines
• Students left with real hardware and results, not just another meeting on their schedule