INTRODUCTION
I'm Eric, a Computer Science Student
"I am a returning student working towards my master's in computer science having just finished my 2nd bachelor's degree with cum laude distinction at Colorado State University. Throughout my studies, I have been focusing on machine learning, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and software development. I am currently involve in cybersecurity research working with Dr. Indrakshi Ray and have published two papers so far."
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COMPUTER SCIENCE:YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
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PROJECTSCOMPLETED
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CHEMISTRY:YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Biography
Graduating from Colorado State University with a chemistry degree in 2013, I landed an opportunity to work at the forefront of analytical quantification methodologies for cannabis at Nordic Analytic. Being in the first state to legalize cannabis in the U.S., I was among the pioneering chemists in the cannabis testing industry, helping shape the methodologies we use today. I'm honored that my potency testing methodology was chosen by the state of Colorado as the industry standard. Later on, I joined Cannasafe in Los Angeles as the potency team lead. There, I built the potency department from the ground up and eventually managed a team of 8. During my tenure, we were ranked the 13th fastest-growing start-up in the U.S. by Inc., with our revenue skyrocketing by 12,143 percent. Throughout this journey, I recognized the vital role of the laboratory information management system (LIMS) in a scientific lab. Collaborating with software engineers responsible for LIMS at both Nordic Analytic and Cannasafe, I discovered my aptitude and enthusiasm for software development and product design. I started with coding courses on Codecademy, and when COVID hit, I contemplated a career shift to computer science. Embracing the challenge, I returned to Colorado State University for their revamped computer science program. In just 2.5 years, I earned my second bachelor's degree with magna cum laude honors and began pursuing my master's. Who knows? Maybe a master's will be the new bachelor's someday. I'm eager to find a role that either taps into my scientific background or lets me dive deep into computer science. I interned at Charles Schwab, getting a taste of a computer scientist's life, and I loved it. With the rise of generative AI, I'm excited to see where technology takes us. I pride myself on staying updated with the latest innovations and believe I can harness these advancements effectively.
Education
M.S. in Computer Science
Reasearch Assistant with Dr. Indrakshi Ray
Colorado State University
Expected Graduation Date: May 2024B.S. in Computer Science (GPA 3.951)
Magna Cum Laude Distinction
Colorado State University
Dec 2022B.S. in Chemistry (GPA 3.34)
Concentration in Analytical Chemistry
Colorado State University
May 2013Experience - Computer Science
Graduate Teaching Assistant
CS 414 - Object Oriented Design
Dave Matthews - Colorado State University
Aug 2023 - PresentGuest Instructor
CSU Cyber Camp 2023
Colorado State University
June 2023Graduate Research Assistant
Rays Cyber Research Lab
Dr. Indrakshi Ray - Colorado State University
Jan 2023 - PresentInternship at Charles Schwab
Database Team
Lone Tree, CO
May 2022 - Aug 2022Cybersecurity and Privacy Internship
Threat and Vulnerability Team
Colorado State University
Aug 2021 — PresentSofware Design Consultant
LabFlow LIMS, UK
Sept 2020 — Aug 2022Undergraduate Research
Visualization of Covid-19 Data
Dr. Ghosh - Colorado State University
May 2021 — Aug 2021Undergraduate Research
Visualization of Covid-19 Data
Dr. Ghosh - Colorado State University
May 2021 — Aug 2021Duo Mobile Help Desk
2FA Rollout IT TEAM
Colorado State University
Oct 2021 — Nov 2021Experience - Chemistry
Sr. R&D Chemist / Quality Control Chemist
CannaSafe Analytics
Van Nuys, CA
Feb 2020 — Aug 2020Sr. Chemist / Potency Department Lead
CannaSafe Analytics
Van Nuys, CA
Sept 2018 — Feb 2020Analytical Chemist / Workflow Manager
Nordic Analytical Laboratories
Denver, CO
Sept 2016 — Aug 2018Science Instructor
MadScience of Colorado
Denver, CO
Feb 2016 — Aug 2016Food Chemist
IEH - Warren Analytical Laboratory
Greeley, CO
Aug 2014 — Jan 2016Research and Product Development Chemist
Advanced MicroLabs LLC
Fort Collins, CO
Jul 2013 — Jul 2014 (Aquired)QC Chemist, Internship
Tolmar Pharmaceuticals
Fort Collins, CO
JMay 2012 — Aug 2012Competencies
Technical Competencies
These are technical skills that I have aquired thus far in my computer science career.
I am not claiming to be a master in all of these skills, that would be amazing, but it is simply not true.
With that said, I am confident that I can hold a position that utilizes any of the following competencies and increase my mastery in any of these skills if needed.
Languages
Python, Solidity, C++, Java, C, JavaScript, Bash, MySQL, Oracle PL/SQL, Assembly, HTML, CSS, JSON, YAML, MATLAB
Coding Methodologies
Test-Driven-Development, OWASP security knowledge, Agile, Clean Code, Useful Comments, Ability to adhere to ISO and other standards
Project Management
SCRUM, Maven, GitHub, Jupyter Notebooks, Kanban, Presentation Skills, Team Leadership/Management, Cross-Team Communication, Great Sense of Humor
Interests
Software Engineering, Software Development, Cyber-Security, Machine Learning, Data Visualization, Buisiness Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Ideation, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency
Relevant Courses
Data Structures
Software Engineering in C++
Java (I,II)
Object Oriented Design
Operating Systems
Computer Organization
Systems Security
Machine Learning (I,II,III)
Artificial Intelligence
Algorithms
Project Management for CIS
Creating Things that Think
Ethics in Computer Science
Calculus I - III
Linear Algebra for Data Science
Discrete Structures
Data Mining
Blockchain
Software Metrics
Development
Linux, Windows, Virtual Machines, Kubernetes, Docker, React, Bootstrap, MariaDB, JSON, Anaconda, Numpy, MatPlotLib, Pandas, Junit, JEST, PyTorch, Tensorflow, GPT, Generative AI Tools
Highlights
Featured Highlights
Here are some awards, articles, documents, certificates, and whatever else I am proud of.
Graduation Photo, December 2022
I did it! I got my second bachelor's degree in computer science, somehow with Magna Cum Laude latin distiction too!
Cyber Camp 2023
I had the opportunity to teach a hands-on class about phishing, run a cybersecurity competition (Capture The Flag) through CyberStart, and demonstrate the power of the Hak5 Rubber Ducky, a hacker tool that is a keyboard disguised as a USB at the one week Cyber Camp hosted by CSU.
I have never had more fun making a presenting a presentation before. It involved fishing (I pretended I thought they meant actual fishing), then after a couple slides, there was some strange glitching, the slide show eventually got hacked and my screen was displaying a ransomware note from Anonymous. They then 'took over' the presentation (I ducked and put on the Guy Fawks mask) and cool hacker music began playing. I then went on to teach phishing prevention and show just how easily phishing emails can be make using some Kali tools.
This camp not only focused on practical skills but also introduced the students to the basics of network security, data encryption and protection, and diverse career paths in cybersecurity. The collaboration with the brilliant minds at CSU and fellow industry representatives made for a variety of unique and engaging learning experiences.
Learn More Here <---------
Poster showing the cybersecurity internship team at Colorado State University
Thanks to the great team at Colorado State University I have been able to further my skills in ways school alone would not have taught.
Placed 3rd at the Bio-Cybersecurity Hackathon
Blake Davis, Tyson O'Leary and I placed third at the annual Biocybersecurity competition. It was an fun and challenging event that involved problems that bordered the intersection of biochemistry and computer science. Check out this article about the challenge ->> Article
Towards a Comprehensive Dataset for Discrimination between Warranted and Unwarranted Emails
Read Paper Here <---------
In this research, the prevailing issue we address is the over-generalized perspective of spam/ham (non-spam) classification. Despite the intricacies of spam classification, reliance on user feedback may inadvertently skew filters to misclassify legitimate and malicious email, as users are prone to flag innocuous commercial mail as spam rather than unsubscribing. Current spam datasets have a propensity to include such user-flagged spam which can lead to further misclassification, leading to filters biased against warranted commercial correspondence. Motivated to address this concern, we introduce two new classification categories that delve deeper into the nuances of spam. ‘Warranted spam’, refers to consensual communications, from a credible source with transparent and safe opt-out mechanisms, and ‘unwarranted spam’ describes unsolicited messages, often of a malicious nature. Utilizing these classifications, we propose an innovative and dynamic ‘warranted spam’ dataset that seeks to pave the way for researchers to develop more sophisticated spam filtering techniques. Furthermore, our study delves into pioneering machine learning and natural language processing approaches, harnessing our dataset’s potential. The overarching aspiration of our work is to augment online safety, preserve brand integrity, and optimize both the user experience and the efficacy of email marketing campaigns.
GitHub Copilot: A Threat to High School Security? Exploring GitHub Copilot’s Proficiency in Generating Malware from Simple User Prompts
Read Paper Here <---------
Abstract—This paper examines the potential implications of script kiddies and novice programmers with malicious intent having access to GitHub Copilot, an artificial intelligence tool developed by GitHub and OpenAI. The study assesses how easily one can utilize this tool to generate various common types of malware ranging from ransomware to spyware, and attempts to quantify the functionality of the produced code. Results show that with a single user prompt, malicious software such as DoS programs, spyware, ransomware, trojans, and wiperware can be created with ease. Furthermore, uploading the generated executables to VirusTotal revealed an average of 7/72 security vendors flagging the programs as malicious. This study has shown that novice programmers and script kiddies with access to Copilot can readily create functioning malicious software with very little coding experience. This paper discusses how this could potentially lead to an increase in internal attacks on schools due to the average age demographic of the target group. However, if used correctly this technology could potentially help this same demographic gain the skills needed for ethical hacking practices utilized in the cybersecurity space.
Raspberry Pi Cluster Running Kubernetes
Read Paper Here <---------
View Presentation Here <---------
Utilizing Kubernetes as a framework to manage and cluster together multiple Raspberry Pi
microcontrollers we have created a mini ‘supercomputer’ that can run load balanced
containerized deployments simultaneously across all nodes in the cluster. The device also contains a sensor
that monitors for physical tampering of the device.
Medium Article: Part 1 of my Cannabis Lab 101 Series
Read my Article Here <---------
So, how does one go about performing a validation? I will quickly outline the steps that most cannabis labs must include in the validation of each testing assay. For the sake of this article, I will be showing the steps needed (on average) for a Potency Determination Method.
Medium article: Part 2 of Cannabis Lab 101
Read my Article Here <---------
The world of cannabis science is often shrouded in mystery and unlike other scientific industries where knowledge is shared — knowledge in the cannabis testing industry is protected — not shared. Well, I am here to help inform aspiring scientists around the world of this one fact — everything you need to know to set up and run a cannabinoids separation method for potency determination is within the public domain!
Medium article: Part 3 of Cannabis Lab 101
Read my Article Here <---------
Over in the Potency department, it is the cannabis chemist's job to accurately determine the cannabinoid profile of any sample that enters the laboratory. Let’s break down how cannabis laboratories do this from beginning to end to help you understand the process.
Portfolio
My latest projects
See my GitHub> for actual details on the following projects. This is also most likely not up to date like most personal websites.
ethr/place: A Decentralized, Collaborative Pixel Art Platform on Ethereum
Ethr/place is a decentralized, collaborative pixel art platform built on the Ethereum blockchain, inspired by Reddit's r/place project. Ethr/place leverages the benefits of blockchain technology, such as decentralization, immutability, and smart contract capabilities, to create a transparent, secure, and engaging platform for users to collaborate on digital art. We hope to address the challenges encountered in the original r/place project, such as bot interference by implementing additional logic and measures to ensure fairness and genuine user participation. Furthermore, Ethr/place introduces novel incentive mechanisms and potential monetization strategies, including a referral program and revenue-sharing model, to reward users for their contributions and foster active community engagement. This paper outlines the design, implementation, and key features of Ethr/place, highlighting its advantages over the traditional r/place collaborative art platform and discussing potential challenges and future developments. Through the integration of blockchain technology and community-driven governance, Ethr/place seeks to establish itself as a fun reimagination of the original r/place success.
Double Dueling Deep Q Reinforcement Based Trading Agent: A Sentiment, Search Trends, Financial Data, and Blockchain Information based Approach
This paper presents a reinforcement learning-based trading agent designed to navigate the volatile cryptocurrency market, with a focus on the Ethereum market. Building upon the foundation laid by David Gallo's thesis [1], which utilized Double Deep Q-Networks (DDQN) and Dueling Deep Q-Networks, the proposed trading agent incorporates several improvements to enhance its performance and adaptability. Key upgrades to the architecture include the implementation of LeakyReLU activation functions and batch normalization, which contribute to the stability and generalization performance of the underlying neural networks. The agent is also equipped with a more diverse set of features, such as sentiment data, search trends, financial indicators, and blockchain data, which allow it to make more informed decisions in the face of market volatility. To further improve the agent's decision-making capabilities, a curriculum learning approach is employed, progressively exposing the agent to increasingly complex market scenarios and fostering better adaptability. The results of the experiments show the promise of the trading agent in generating profitable trading strategies and adapting to prevailing market trends. By building upon and enhancing the original agent proposed in Gallo's thesis, this research demonstrates the potential of reinforcement learning and artificial intelligence in developing robust and adaptive trading strategies in the ever-changing cryptocurrency market.
Deploying Containerized FTP and NGINX™ Servers Across a Raspberry Pi Cluster Kubernetes Framework with Built in Physical Tamper Detection Sensing
Utilizing Kubernetes as a framework to manage and cluster together multiple Raspberry Pi microcontrollers we have created a mini ‘supercomputer’ that can run load balanced containerized deployments simultaneously across all nodes in the cluster. The device also contains a sensor that monitors for physical tampering of the device.
Algorithmic Stochastic, RSI, and MACD Trading Strategy
Backtesting the Stochastic, Slow RSI, MACD Trading Strategy presented by Data Trader. It seems to look good on Forex markets and Cryptos (Bitcoin, Ethereum).
Algorithmic Moving Average Trading Strategy
Backtesting the tried and true moving average methodology using the 20DMA and 50DMA
Learning How to Run Docker Containers
In this project I created a simple python client/server application within a docker container to learn more about Docker.
Arduino 'Safe-Cracking' game I designed
Arduino 'Safe-Cracking' game where you try to crack into a BTC safe. Failure is not an option! You are attempting to crack into a device that contains sensitive cryptocurrency data. Use the rotary encoder and listen for a variation in the sound of the clicks to identify the correct combination.
Arduino Project
Utilizing the X Y Axis potentiometers within an analog joystick, I have created a simple Arduino device that allows the user to manually change the color of an RGB LED depending on the position of the joystick. When the joystick is depressed, depending on the position when depressed, a unique song will play as well.
News Scrape with Sentiment Analysis
In this project I am utilizing Python to scrape financial cryptocurrency news from the web and utilizing the natural language processing capabilities via 'Hugging Face' to automatically summarize that news while accessing the sentiment related to each asset.
Peer to Peer Encrypted Messaging System
This was a project for my Java course at Colorado State University where we had to make a peer to peer message system that uses a Caesar Cipher, Shifting Caesar Cipher, and Substitution Cipher.
Text-based game based on DnD
Final project for a Java course at Colorado State University. This is a text based game involving luck of the draw (tarot card based status alterations), luck of the dice (damage based on random dice rolls), and random encounters with various foes. Pick 1 to 4 knights and set off on your text-based ACSII art adventure!
Research project at CSU
Manipulate tabular data programmatically to extract geonames and create location-based data. Convert tabular data into a meaningful geographic data structure.
Pictures
Pictures to Verify I am a Weirdo
Here is a collage of photos that help eludidate my eceletic personality.
Proposal at the Colorado Renaissance Faire
In August 2021 I proposed to Brena Adams at the Colorado Renaissance Faire!
Stunner photo where I was feeling like James Bond
This photo was taken in Japan and in this specific photo I was walking away from the camera and then turned back and said, "Bond, James Bond"
Hillarious CyberFuturism Photograph
Messing around at Brena's Uncle-in-law's photography studio we found the items needed to put together these amazing outfits.
Looking all model-like off the coast of Japan
So, I was fortunate enought to live in Japan for 3 months and this photo was taken off the coast of Monkey Island in Japan.
Homemade Satyr Outfit
This fantastical picture is of my homemade satyr outfit I made for halloween in 2017
Totally serious cybersec hacker man
Ok, so I could not get enough of these 'no frame' matrix glasses so when I saw this trench coat I absolutely couldn't resist taking this photo. And no, sadly I don't look like this all the time.
Cyberhero (or probably villain)
We found this spandex suit in the photo lab and it just so happened that it fit. I was holding a bundle of wires in my back hand.
Fun picture taken at Connor's Wedding
Back when I had a fantastic goatee, this picture was taken at my friend Connor's wedding.
Hockey with Dad
I grew up playing ice hockey and my dad and I occassionally will still hit up the ice every once in awhile.
Celebration picture at CannaSafe
This crazy photo was taken at CannaSafe to highlight that we successfully obtained all of our Emerald Scientific Badges for testing accuracy.
Me in my new suit of armor
This suit of armor was a crazy find. I found this whole suit of armor on Craigslist for way too cheap.
Brena and I lounging like Jarls in fur
Jarl - noun - a Norse or Danish chief. When we found these furs and swords, we just had to do this. This photo was inspired by Skyrim.
Me rocking out in my handmade face warmer
I made myself a dwarven beard with yarn and use it as an epic face warmer when I hit the slopes. I ski and snowboard.
Jumping kick holding nunchucks
I have done martial arts for a decent chunk of my life and my buddy snagged this perfect timed photo of me doing a jump kick.
References
References
Here are some of the amazing people who I have worked with in the past that I could reach out to for a reference if needed.
I really need to update this to add all my amazing computer science references! But that will be for another day.
For my future reference: Dr. Indrakshi Ray, Dr. Sudipto Ghosh, Dave Matthews, Elisa Cundiff, Dr. Joe Gersh, Dr. Amani Altarawneh, Kelly Poto, Victor Berggren, Tyson O'Leary, Audrey Dorin, Charles Shwabbies, Luke Fisher, Enzo Barrett, Federico Larrieu, Matt Young, Kassidy Barram, and many more amazing people
Dave Butterfield
Operations & Project Management@ CannaSafe Analytics
Dave was my direct report supervisor at CannaSafe Analytics while I was a quality control chemist. We worked together on a variety of projects in regards to visualization of data trends, client complaints, and other buisiness analyical information.
Ini Afia, MSc.
Chief Science Officer@ CannaSafe Analytics
Ini Afia was the chief laboratory director at CannaSafe and was one of the best bosses I have worked with. We worked together to develop the potency department at CannaSafe and also worked on various side projects to better the company and its services.
Donald Biedenkapp
Assistant Laboratory Director@ Pride Analytics
Donald Biedenkapp was a brilliant chemist of whom I had the honor of being a part of my team. We worked together on an abundant amount of projects in order to constantly improve the analytical accuracy and precision of the cannabinoid department at CannaSafe.
Jennifer Feaster
Chief Operations Officer@ CeresLabs
Jennifer Feaster was an amazing Director of Operations at CannaSafe and was always working to improve the company. We worked together on developing the in-house laboratory information management system to improve the overall efficiency of the lab as a whole.
Zheng Wang
Laboratory Supervisor@ River Supply CO
Zheng and I both oversaw different departments at CannaSafe and collaborated on various projects including method validation and SOP development. I always looked forward to working alongside him.
Neya Jourabchian
Laboratory Director@ CannaSafe
Neya and I both led departments at CannaSafe until she became the analytical laboratory manager. She then worked with me to develop new procedures and methodologies to improve the potency department. She was a pleasure to work with and always had a positive attitude.
Esa Oittinen
Head of Product Development@ Tikun Olam USA
Esa was a supurb analytical chemist who worked on my team at CannaSafe. He was always a great asset to the team and always had a positive attitude. Alongside that he was always looking for ways to improve the department and pitched great ideas regularly.
Alexandra Harris
Field Application Scientist@ IsoPlexis
Alexandra was a technician on my team at CannaSafe whom I had the pleasure to mentor. Alexandra was a constant learner who brought a ton of educational skills to the team. With her lead, we worked together to develop new and innovative training materials for the potency department.
Alec Mouradkhanyan
Laboratory Production Manager@ CannaSafe
Alec was an amazing member of my team at CannaSafe. He was the definition of a hard worker who always was looking for ways to save the department money, improve efficiency, and increase throughput. I am proud of the progress he has made since we have worked together.
Saro Kanaan
Medical Device Sales Representative@ DJO
Saro was a great analytical chemist who worked on my team at CannaSafe. He was a very fast learner and was always seeking critical feedback during meetings in order to better himself. He was one of the most enjoyable people to work with and always knew how to boost team moral.
Jacquelyn Lam
Environmental Scientist@ California Department of Health
Jacquelyn was one of the first members on my team at CannaSafe. She was an invaluable asset to the team and helped bring it from its early stages to its current state. Her propensity towards research was a huge benefit for the team.