Other Notable Projects
Sabermetrics
I learned how to query and analyze massive (millions of lines) datasets by using PANDAS with python to group the data and speculate on trends. We focused on baseball statistics because the wealth of data collected is unlike that seen in any other sport.
As the culminating project of the course. We developed a baseball statistic that considered several past years of batters careers to project future value of a player.
This required querying hundreds of thousands of lines of player data to identify trends in players and what aspects of play were most indicative of future success. We determined that important statistics were age, speed, OPS, and wRC+. These values were then given a specific weight and this allowed us to give each active player a rating to compare him to other players.
Construction
Worked part-time for many years as a Construction Apprentice. Learned how to work with my hands and built a framework to generating quick solutions to an array of problems. I've used these skills in my professional career in early prototyping phases of projects to put together a quick proof of concept, saving time, money, and valuable resources.
Sustainable Energy
Developed models for a variety of green energy sources. Looked at economic viability, environmental benefit, and energy output/storage. Energy sources included solar, biomass, and wind.
Data Analysis
Camp Fuels
In an attempt to become a more efficient backpacker, I compared the effectiveness of different camping canister fuel types at different flow rates. Canister fuels contain different isobutane/propane ratios and are sold at a variety of price points. Each brand claims to have the 'ideal mixture', which I put to the test.
The test involved 3 fuel types with the following isobutane/propane mixtures and prices.
- MSR: 85/15 at $0.06/gram
- SnowPeak: 80/20 at $0.04/gram
- Jetboil: 75/25 at $0.09/gram
The theorhetical data (caluclated using Lower Heating Values of fuels involved) suggests that the fuel brands should all preform equally. Boiling 1/2 liter of water (in Boulder, CO) should require 3.47 grams of fuel.
Findings
The different fuel brands all perform similarly, as shown in the figure below. Figure was generated by running three tests of each fuel, bringing it from room temperature to a complete boil and measuring the mass lost in the canister after each test. To solidify the belief that there is no difference, we performed an ANOVA1 on the dataset, which yielded a 0.94.
In conclusion, when searching out camp fuels for a backpacking trip, purchase the cheapest one because they will all perform equally.