👋Hi! I’m Sasha :)
My goal is to understand how the world works, so that I can build something to change it.
Currently doing this by experimenting with electronics & making an electric remote-control from scratch!
More about what I’m up to right now :)
What I’ve worked on over the past few years
<aside> 🔋 Building a 24V battery pack August 2024 - September 2024
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I built a 24V battery pack to learn how they were manufacrutred. I used a 7s4p configuration, teaching myself how to spot weld and solder.
https://youtu.be/YhJW69A_1-M?si=VmeHP4-mgGZDlQIj
<aside> 🚲 Transportation in Tanzania March 2023 - June 2024
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Along with 2 team members, I realized that a lack of transportation was a major contributing factor to poverty in Tanzania. We identified an economically viable way to bring motorcycles to rural Tanzania, helping accelerate people out of poverty.
We managed to speak to people on-ground in Tanzania, which helped us thoroughly understand the problem. We ended up tying for first in this hackathon!
<aside> 🔋 Battery Longevity September 2023 - May 2024
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I received a $1000 USD grant from Emergent Ventures to work on battery management systems to increase the lifespan of lithium ion batteries. This would help to decrease both the cost, and the amount of battery waste we have!
Batteries age mainly because they are operated in harsh conditions (extreme temperatures, overcharged, overdischarged). By avoiding these harsh conditions, we can make the battery last longer. To avoid the harsh conditions, we need accurate information about the battery- things like state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). These can’t be directly measured, and so have to be estimated.
I estimated battery state of charge (SOC) using a machine learning algorithm called an Extended Kalman filter (EKF). This project taught me a ton about circuitry, programming, and systems thinking, and gave me deep technical knowledge in battery management systems.
https://youtu.be/EO3NNHc-09Y?si=Yx-b5Q1KPoJwcOtB
<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/f8ef5fd8-5d43-465c-95fe-db781bbe283d/5f3592d1-eba4-4c78-9bcd-3a98a2b4b61d/Screenshot_2024-01-17_at_2.03.10_PM.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/f8ef5fd8-5d43-465c-95fe-db781bbe283d/5f3592d1-eba4-4c78-9bcd-3a98a2b4b61d/Screenshot_2024-01-17_at_2.03.10_PM.png" width="40px" /> World Summit AI April 2024
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I was invited to speak at World Summit AI about how AI can be leveraged to improve battery technology!!
I explained how we can use AI to get the most out of our existing batteries, helping to drive the costs down (and then scale up renewables).
I learned a lot about engaging delivery, and how to deliver a compelling story.
<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/f8ef5fd8-5d43-465c-95fe-db781bbe283d/4323be25-9a46-47ba-822f-77e0004d4640/Shell_logo.svg.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/f8ef5fd8-5d43-465c-95fe-db781bbe283d/4323be25-9a46-47ba-822f-77e0004d4640/Shell_logo.svg.png" width="40px" /> Shell February - March 2024
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Along with 3 teammates, I worked alongside Shell to identify and propose an economically incentivized solution to reduce Shell’s carbon emissions.
We proposed a solution to automate supplier data collection, which we calculated would have resulted in $10 billion in savings, along with 6 million employee hours and 46.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions abated. Shell ultimately decided not to move forward with implementing this project.
While creating this deck, I learned a lot about aligning incentives, economic analysis, and creating shareholder value.
<aside> 💻 Battery Simulations October 2023
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Along with 3 other teammates, I participated in and won a 24 hour hackathon. We pitched a platform to simulate non-lithium ion batteries to accelerate R&D in the battery industry.
Pre-made simulation software to test batteries exists only for lithium-based chemistries, which means non-lithium based batteries are being held back. Simulation software can accelerate research, taking only 1/20th of the time and costing 25% less.
I learned how to understand a technical solution, very quickly, and how to work effectively under pressure.
<aside> 🌑 Coulomb March 2023 - August 2023
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When astronauts go to the moon, they must wear a space suit. Space suits cost upwards of $15M apiece.
Lunar dust is sticky, tiny, and sharp. It can clog joints and sensors, rip the space suit, and even cause suit failure (🤯)! After talking to people in the space, it was clear there was a need for a solution to mitigate this problem.
My partner and I designed a coating that would help prevent lunar dust abrasion.
Our coating was made of ATSP-PTFE with embedded carbon nanotubes. We even worked in a lab at York University last summer to build a prototype! However, we ran into issues with the health hazards of working with simulated lunar dust and carbon nanotubes so this project was discontinued.
I gained experience in trying to scale something from theory to reality. I also got experience working in a real lab!
Coulomb Experimental Proposal .pdf
If you’re curious to learn more about the week-over-week progress, here’s the links to my LinkedIn, X, and Substack :)
