My project Shelter in Space won Best Mission Concept at the Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge hosted by space agencies (NASA, CSA, CNES, ESA and JAXA) in 2020. The Space Apps Challenge is an annual hackathon that has hosted over 26,000 participants from nearly 150 countries.
In 2019, I lead the California State Water Board’s two-day dathon on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The PFAS Datathon 2019 garnered data scientists and subject matter experts from academia, public sectors, and industry alike to collaboratively develop innovative solutions to answer scientific and management questions utilizing open data. Ther results from this project prompted a peer-reviewed publication and an RShiny application useful for water agencies, among other products. A recording of the presentations is available on YouTube. Data and source code for many of these project are available on GitHub.
At the end of 2020, I, along with other State Water Board staff were tasked with gathering information on the financial impacts of COVID-19 to agencies and households throughout California. The final dataset covered a statistically significant sample of agencies throughout the state, gathering both qualitative and quantitative information on agency finances and customer debt levels. The technical report and presentation details the statistical work undertaken to design and administer the survey, and to analyze the data to make statewide extrapolations.
I developed an RShiny application that allows users to manipulate and visualize toxicity data for microplastics on humans and ecosystems. The app contains data from over 200 peer-reviewed studies. The Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer (ToMEx) app is an open-source and open-data web-based application that is scheduled to launch in Summer, 2021. While the tool was originally designed for regulatory purposes, it’s accessibility and interactive nature allows use by diverse audiences, including researchers, educators, policy makers, and advocacy groups. Follow ToMExApp on Twitter for updates.