Biography
Hello, my name is Pablo, and I am currently in my fourth year of a dual-degree program in Mathematics at Dominican University and Mechanical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, with an expected graduation in May 2027. I am enthusiastic about human spaceflight engineering systems, operations, and engineering in extreme environments. I am currently an intern at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the Instrument Operations Engineering branch working on software for the Sentinel-6 series mission and SWOT. I am working towards scuba diving certifications and continue to improve my strength, endurance, and academic skills, with the goal of participating in scientific and engineering fieldwork.
Background
Academics (I): B.S Mathematics, Dominican University
Academics (II): B.S Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Institute of
Technology
Current Position: (398D) Instrument Operations Engineering Team, NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Email: pbedollaortiz@my.dom.edu
GPA (DU): 3.8/4.0
GPA (IIT): TBD
Github: link
Internships and Positions Held
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Maximizing
Student Potential Fellowship
Funded through NASA’s Minority
University Research and Education Project (MUREP)
Date: September 3rd — December 20th, 2024, Remote
- Designing Python-based algorithms for telemetry data extraction and analysis to monitor the health of the Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate (AMR-C) External Supplemental Calibration System (SCS) instrument aboard the Sentinel-6 satellite, supporting operations and engineering teams.
- Extended year-round offer funded through NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), working with (398D) Instrument Operations Engineering to optimize flight operation procedures for Sentinel-6 instrument systems using real operational data.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Maximizing
Student Potential Fellowship
Date: June 10th — August 16th, 2024, Pasadena, CA
- Worked in the 398D Instrument Operations Engineering branch as an intern.
- Migrated and extensively refactored a Sentinel-6 test-telemetry analysis tool, optimizing directory walks to effectively derive quantities from telemetry documents and streamline data ingestion processes.
- Conducted operational data analysis and visualization for Sentinel-6 instrument operation systems using real operational data to optimize flight operation procedures.
- Modular statistical and graphical tool and in-house framework built using Python, NumPy, and Pandas to analyze and sort binary telemetry data, enabling efficient troubleshooting and monitoring processes.
Intuit Credit Karma, Software Engineer
Intern
Date: May 23rd — August 16th, 2023, Ballantyne, NC
- Worked as Software Engineer Intern on the Core Product Experimentation Team.
- Backend Engineer leveraging Node.JS, TypeScript, JavaScript, and YAML. Utilized Mocha, Jest, and Sinon for unit testing and migrating existing testing frameworks.
- Improved testing efficiency, enhanced revenue through data optimization, and contributed to a major app iteration through research and testing.
Columbia
College Chicago, Computer Programming Tutor
Date: September 11th — December 15th, 2023, Chicago, IL
- Mentored students in C#, C++, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and Python.
- Engineered a Python web scraper with Selenium to unveil vulnerabilities in the institution’s social networking system and collaborating with vendors for resolutions.
- Assisted in departmental hardware migrations and oversaw equipment maintenance.
Projects
NASA L’SPACE Academy, Mission Concept
Academy, Chief Scientist
Ran through January 2024 — May 2024, Virtual
- Lead the science development of mission milestones for MDR, MCR, PDR, and SRR mission papers.
- Lead mock-simulated scientific research for Mars rover instrumentation and command data handling concept, specializing in science instrumentation.
- Earned certifications for teaming skills, requirements analysis, project
NASA MUREP MINDS, NASA MINDS 2024
Challenge,
Ran through Fall 2023 — Spring 2024, Dominican University
- Lead “Science and Technology Applications for Research in Space” at home institution, a private 10-student, 3-faculty research team for NASA’s Artemis mission.
- Conceptualized fixed LIDAR data collection device prototype for the NASA Artemis mission challenge for slope computation, elevation modeling, and autonomy, emphasizing field-of-view perspective data.
- Secured $1,500 in funding from NASA to support research initiative following a research proposal. Second place in Technical Paper Award.
- Paper - Presentation - Winners - NASA Feedback
DCGAN Network, Personal Project
Worked on in Spring 2023, Dominican University
- Implemented DCGAN for dementia simulation with neuroscience professor using Python and TensorFlow.
- Optimized ML model with scientific precision, incorporating diverse training data through web scraping.
UA Safety,
Open-Source Project
Participation in Spring 2022, Virtual
- Assistedin in programming and logistics for a website containing vital information for Ukrainian refugees.
- Built by a vast community of developers online.
Mentions & Appearances
Dominican Students Receive Research Funding From NASA
Authentic Health Care Through Artificial Intelligence
Files and Documents
Awards
Dean’s List — Dominican University, Spring 2024
Distinction for attaining a grade point average of 3.80 on 12 or more graded hours.
Dean’s List — Columbia College Chicago, Fall 2022
Distinction for attaining a grade point average of 3.75 on 12 or more graded hours.
Dean’s List — Columbia College Chicago, Fall 2021
Distinction for attaining a grade point average of 3.75 on 12 or more graded hours.
Keep Moving Forward Scholarship Recipient — Keep Moving Forward, Fall
2021
Distinction for attaining a grade point average of 3.75 on 12 or more graded hours.
Skills
Technologies:
- Python
- C#
- C/C++
- Shell Scripting
- TypeScript
- SQL
- JavaScript
- Git
- Unix
- Linux
- Jupyter
Libraries:
- NumPy
- Pandas
- Plotly
- Matplotlib
- H5PY
- TensorFlow
- Scikit-Image
- Mocha
- Jest
- Sinon
- Dask
Languages:
- English (Fluent)
- Spanish (Fluent)
- Russian (A1)
Personal & Recreational Activites
- Scuba Diving (NAUI 60ft Open Water 4/5 Sessions)
- Weightlifting
- Endruance training
- Strength training
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Rucking
- Photography