Current Studies

Self-Study, Academics, and General Interests

Recent Interests

Apr 2026

Combustion Simulation

I did a bit of exploring in STANJAN and Cantera combustion simulation platforms. I found it very interesting adjusting the reaction conditions and seeing what different chemical species resulted. It reminded me how much I enjoy studying and applying chemistry. Also, I thought it was pretty cool using a local emulation of MS DOS to run STANJAN.

Combustion Simulation Diagram
Feb 2026

Game Theory & Mixed Equilibria

I got really interested in Game Theory after taking a class on it. I've been looking at mixed strategies and how they apply to aerospace control. Conditioning disturbances as adversarial game problems is a really interesting way to frame stability. Whether that's in a combustion engine, navigational system, game driver, etc. Glad I could dive into the subject.

Game Theory Diagram
Jan 2026

Aerodynamics

Coded up my own Hess-Smith panel method 2d aerodynamic solver. I then carried on and created a Trefftz Plane 3d aerodynamic solver using my Hess Smith framework.

Aero Diagram

Established Areas of Study

Design

Creating New Stuff

  • Iteration and Being OK with Version 1 Not Being Perfect
  • Persevering Through the Challenges that Come With Improving Something
  • Collaborative Design & (Proactive!) Communication
  • Taking Risks when Given The Opportunity

Manufacturing & Testing

Elbow-Grease to Take Things Off-The-Page

  • CNC & Manual Machining
  • Big Picture Design for Manufacturability
  • Welding, Waterjetting, Lasercutting, & Sheet-Metal Mfg

Computational Engineering

Using Software to Better Design, Exploring Software as a Medium

  • Automation, simulation, modeling
  • Programming Different Things (this website included)
  • Surveying the Constantly Evolving Software/Hardware Interface
  • Modiying and Creating Digital Sandboxes

Recent Reads

May 2026

More Human

A book on how AI affects leadership. Got it from a leadersip course I'm taking. Interesting perspective on the shifting corporate landscape.

More HUman Book Cover
May 2026

Ignition!

The different chemical species I encountered when doing combustion simulations got me wondering more about rocket propellant chemistry. So I wanted to read this to learn a little more about the history of rocket chemistry.

Ignition Book Cover
April 2026

The Advantage

A leadership book that I was given as a part of a leadership course. Honestly a pretty interesting read. I thought that the author's points on vulnerability were pretty valuable. There were also a couple interesting points on how to make sure you are leading according to your values, keeping yourself accountable.

the Advantage Cover
Jan-Mar 2026

The Expanse Books 1-6

Awesome sci-fi series. Really enjoyed the first 6 books. Planning to take a little break and then finish up the last three soon. Really great story though, I would highly reccomend. The fifth one (Nemesis Games) in particular is pretty good, I enjoyed that one a lot.

Expanse Book Cover