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Campus Drone Project Biographies for Spring 2019

   

Mirra Albisures

Team Member

Christine Breckenridge

Team Leader

Christine Breckenridge is a fourth year graduating student majoring in Computer Science and Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics. She is the Team Leader for the Software/Hardware sub-team of the Campus Drone Project. Breckenridge chose the Campus Drone Project because of her previous experience with drones. She is going to be studying in the Computer Science PhD program at Oregon State University in the fall with an emphasis in Robotics and AI. Breckenridge hopes to work in a research position in the robotics industry after graduating. Currently she works at the UCM Robotics Lab on a USDA-funded robot irrigation project.

Nicholas Chin

Intellectual Property Officer

Nicholas Chin is a second-year Computer Science Engineering student interested in the field of Cybersecurity and Information Technology. Chin is a member of the Campus Drone Project Engineering Service Learning team, where he is working to provide a new perspective of the UC Merced campus to those interested in the university using drone technology. Chin is passionate about using both software and hardware to provide a new campus visiting experience for those who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. Chin hopes to eventually work in the field of cybersecurity and start his own business in the technology sector.

Sarah Goh

Team Member

Sarah Goh is a third-year student pursuing a double degree in Computer Engineering and Economics. Goh is a team member of the Campus Drone Project Engineering Service Learning team. As an exchange student from Singapore, Goh understands the situation of prospective students who are unable to go for campus tours before choosing a tertiary institution to attend. Goh would like to help other prospective students gain a more accurate perspective of the campus to help them make a more informed decision. Through this project, Goh hopes to gain more experience working with people of a different background and to learn from them.

Larry Gore

Assistant Project Manager

Sargune Kalsi

Team Member

Sargune Kalsi is a first year computer science major pursuing a career in application development. Sargune is a member of the campus drone project team where he is working to find a path and develop a system for a drone to stream the campus tour to the admissions department website at UC Merced. Sargune has a strong passion for coding and hopes to one day be able to develop an application or project that can have a meaningful impact globally. Sargune joined engineering service learning to gain hands on experience and work on an interesting project with peers.

Kevin Lopez

Team Member

Kevin Lopez is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. As a team member of the Campus Drone project, Lopez is working in the development of an alternative method towards providing visitors a virtual tour of UC Merced’s campus using UAV. Interested in implementing technology towards solving problems, and assisting those in need, Lopez hopes that the new alternative campus tour will help upcoming students and their family. Desiring to become Software Engineer, Lopez plans on continuing to develop his skill and knowledge by working on more projects.

Judith Mendoza

Project Manager

Judith Mendoza is a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student and the project manager of the Campus Drone Project Engineering Service Learning Team. Being a part of this project provides Judith with the opportunity to share her previous knowledge on drones and use her leadership skills to make the project successful. She started the first First-Person View (FPV) Drone Racing Project at UC Merced through The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics student branch on campus. She is also a certified small Unmanned Aircraft System Pilot under the FAA’s Part 107. Judith hopes to pursue her interests in aeronautics at a military defense company to manage confidential projects at a higher scale.

Darren Ng

Team Member

Giovanni Perez

Team Member

Giovanni Perez is a second-year student pursuing his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. Perez works as a student technology consultant for the UC Merced IT department. Perez’s interest for many years has been working with electronics, more specifically hardware. In his spare time, he focuses on micro soldering PCB components in addition to repairing damaged smartphones and computers for friends and family. After graduation, Perez would like to continue to pursue his interests in circuit design and programming. Perez plans to eventually work for a large tech firm or in the aerospace industry.  

Erik Perez

Procurement and Finance Officer

Erik Perez is a fifth year, who is pursuing his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering where he would like to work in the Aerospace industry as a Manufacture Engineer and help design more efficient aircrafts. He is a member of the Campus Drone Project (CDP), an Engineering Service Learning team. Erik aims to get hands on experience while working on the assigned project and develop his work ethic. By being part of this project, it will give him research experience on the technology that drones can offer to people. Although a drone is not a plane, it falls in the category of an aircraft where he can use it as a starting base to learn more about them. He also hopes to further develop his public speaking skills when communicating with his team members. Although his focus is school, he has a strong passion for music and even plays in a band as a percussionist.    

 

 

Eshant Prakash

Team Member

Eshant Prakash is a second year Computer Science and Engineering student and a member of the Campus Drone Project Engineering Service Learning team. Prakash joined the team to use his experience in computer science to help solve problems pertaining to the Campus Drone Project in order to allow the campus of UC Merced better reach out to potential students in hopes of further diversifying the university. Through this project, he hopes to improve his skills when working with teams such as communication and coordination. After graduation, Prakash plans to purse a career in software development.

Joseph Quan

Communications Officer

Joseph Quan is a fourth year Molecular and Cell Biology student and the Communications Officer of the Campus Drone Project Engineering Service Learning Team. Being a part of this project allows him to acquire another perspective of University of California, Merced that is not related to science. He values the different pathways to reach a common solution to improve the community. Quan is very interested in the helping children in the medical field and finding how to become a good pediatrician that incorporates many aspects of life to find a solution to a physical or mental problem. Quan has done laboratory research for more than three years in Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. He intends to become a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine in Pediatrics. 

Annaliza Torres

Team Leader

Annaliza Torres is a fourth year Materials Science and Engineering major with Nanotechnology emphasis and a Physics minor. Her professional interests include mechanical behavior of materials, polymer engineering, materials characterization, and nanodevice fabrication. Outside of work, her passion includes promoting STEM fields, unmanned aerial systems, and carbon neutrality initiative. Torres is the current Carbon Neutrality Initiative fellow for the University of California Office of the President and an undergraduate researcher working with Professor Christopher Viney. Through the Campus Drone Project, she wants to gain more understanding on drone mechanics, use, and applications.  After graduation, she will be pursuing her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.