Lily K. Donaldson
I’m a Planetarian, Computer Science teacher and an advocate for STEM and Arts Education working to bridge educational gaps, especially among disadvantaged K-12 students.
As a technologist and educator that’s worked with people from all walks of life (from kindergartners in rural New Mexico to NASA scientists in New York City), I’ve developed excellent communication skills, technical aptitude, and the ability to empathetically support and empower people from highly diverse backgrounds in science and technology, and beyond.
Connect with me to learn more about my innovative STEM education work (and more)!
me @ lilykdonaldson.com | arttechnically.org
Lily K. Donaldson
I’m a Planetarian, Computer Science teacher and an advocate for STEM and Arts Education working to bridge educational gaps, especially among disadvantaged K-12 students.
As a technologist and educator that’s worked with people from all walks of life (from kindergartners in rural New Mexico to NASA scientists in New York City), I’ve developed excellent communication skills, technical aptitude, and the ability to empathetically support and empower people from highly diverse backgrounds in science and technology, and beyond.
Connect with me to learn more about my innovative STEM education work (and more)!
me @ lilykdonaldson.com | arttechnically.org
Recent Posts
I made an LED Light-Up Gown for the Holidays
I made a gown that lights up for the Holidays using LED fairy string lights!
First Semester of my M.S. in Lighting Program at RPI
I’m one semester into my Master of Science in Lighting program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dynamic Bridge Design for Troy, NY
Bridge lighting design for the Hoosick street bridge in Troy, New York. This web tool allows you to turn on and off layers of light in the design and calculate the estimated cost using chosen layers.
I Spy – Bourne Identity Photoshoot with Andy Jones
Some spy-esque and Jason Bourne inspired photos by Andrew Jones in Washington, DC.
World Space Week 2020 with Andy Jones
Happy World Space Week from Andy Jones and me at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and more!
Indiana Jones Inspired Photoshoot with Andy Jones
Some adventurous Indiana Jones inspired photography by Andrew Jones in Washington, DC.
An Alcohol-Free 21st (pandemic) Birthday
As you may know, I am straight-edge/sober, so I celebrated my 21st birthday alcohol-free! (Except for some obligatory wine poached pears with the alcohol cooked out 🙂
Feds Feed Families 2020
I collected 130 pounds of food donations for American University’s food pantry “The Market” which provides food to students in need!
I graduated!
I (technically?) graduated this month. No ceremony because of the pandemic, but I did get my B.S. diploma in the mail…
American University Cheerleading 2019-2020
American University cheerleading season 2019-2020 (cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Spectrasearch – Department of Energy’s Lighting Program
SpectraSearch is a full-stack web application that seeks to develop a database of spectral data and a searchable interface for spectral data/lights to help lighting professionals evaluate lighting products against current and future requirements.
ThinSat – NASA DC Space Grant Consortium
Lily was under grant from the NASA DC Space Grant Consortium to develop a generic particle detector Arduino library for the ThinSat program. ThinSats are small satellites capable of transmitting data from low earth orbit.
Children’s Miracle Network Week 2020
Did you know that 1 in 10 children in North America receives treatment at a CMN hospital every year? Support the CMN COVID-19 Impact fund!
NASA Space Grant 30th Anniversary Celebration
Celebrating NASA Space Grant’s 30th Anniversary with Space Grant Consortiums from all 50 states gathered in Washington, DC.
Department of Energy Lighting R&D Conference 2020
Lily was invited to present a poster on the SpectraSearch project at the 2020 DOE Lighting R&D Workshop in San Diego January 28–30, 2020.
Miss District of Columbia USA 2020
Lily competed at the Miss District of Columbia USA 2020 competition as Miss Embassy Row and placed Top 12.
Miss Embassy Row 2020
Lily represented the Embassy Row community of Washington, DC at the Miss District of Columbia USA 2020 pageant.
NASA Cereal Box Spectrometers
Visiting Bon Lin Elementary for a NASA educational workshop making Cereal Box Spectrometers and talking about the NASA Space Grant Consortium.
Progressive International Motorcycle Show with Andy Jones
Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Washington, DC with DC photographer Andrew Jones (@ageowns).
Holidays 2019
Thanksgiving and Christmas with friends and family.
Digital Stagelighting Game
This C# Unity game is an opportunity to play with stage lighting design. You can turn available lights on and off and change lights’ color filters and spot angles through the simplified CAD (Computer-Aided Design) lighting plot. Then, you can see what your edits look like on a 3D stage.
P5.js Modules
P5.js is a JavaScript client-side library for creating graphic and interactive experiences. Lily was the Teaching Assistant to Professor Arthur Shapiro for the pilot of a lower-level Computer Science course using it (CSC 121 “Creative Coding”) at American University in Fall 2018. The course has since been integrated into the Computer Science department’s regular course offerings and approved to satisfy a General Education requirement for the university (Quantitative Literacy I).
NVIDIA GTC Technology Conference 2019
GTC DC brings together more than 3000 attendees from the public and private sectors to discuss the latest developments in AI.
Prevent Cancer 5K Fundraising with AU Cheerleading 2019
Help us reach our goal of $450 to participate in the Prevent Cancer 5k with American University cheer!