STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

Academics and Career

linkedin.com/in/lilykdonaldson
github.com/lilykdonaldson

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from American University in Washington, DC, and a Master of Science in Lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. I’m currently a third-year Ph.D. student studying Ecology at RPI where my research focuses on software for sensor systems and lighting technology for horticultural lighting applications. I’ve worked as a software developer for the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, and under a NASA Space Grant. I’m passionate about educational equity, and I direct a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Art Technically that provides STEM and Arts education for K-12 students. As director, I manage volunteers and programming; interface with school, nonprofit, media, and government partners; write curricula, teach workshops and at events, and lead organizational mission-development with the board.

Work Experience

Director, Art Technically | December 2017 – Current
Art Technically is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes a well-rounded education for all students through STEM and Arts educational programming.
Research Assistant, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | August 2020 – Current
Conducts plant physiology research and develops software for lighting and agriculture projects.
Student Trainee, Department of Homeland Security | July 2019 – July 2020
Worked in a team of data scientists to build software tools to support the Intelligence and Analysis mission; developed technical lesson plans for intelligence analysts in Biometrics and Digital Hygiene
Software Developer, NASA DC Space Grant Consortium | June 2019 – May 2020
Developed a software library for the ThinSat (thin low earth orbit satellite) program to aid Virginia Space’s K-12 educational program under grant from NASA Space Grant. Served as an ambassador for space science to K-12 students and as a representative of the District of Columbia at national NASA space grant events.
Database Engineer, Department of Energy/AU | August 2019 – May 2020
(for-credit) Served as the Client Liaison and Database Engineer for a partnership project between the DOE’s Office of Building Technologies and American University’s Computer Science Department.
Assistant News Editor, Fredericksburg Today | June 2018 – August 2019
Managed and filtered incoming press releases and updated the website (Fredericksburg.today) daily with exciting and relevant content for the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Program Leader and Teaching Assistant, American University | August 2018 – May 2019
Assisted professor in class, held office hours, review sessions, lab hours, and co-curricular activities, and gave general support to students in and out of class.

Education

Ph.D. in Built Ecologies (in progress)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
May 2021 – May 2025
Troy, NY

M.S. in Lighting
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
August 2020 – May 2021
Troy, NY

B.S. in Computer Science
American University
August 2017 – May 2020
Washington, DC

High School and International Baccalaureate Diploma
Bolton High School
August 2013 – May 2017
Memphis, TN

Skills

Computer Science
– Python
– Javascript/Web Design
– Java
– C++, C#
– Unity
– Processing and P5.js
– SQL

Lighting
– Horticultural lighting design
– Lighting design and installation (theatre)
– Lighting Design (architectural)
– Lighting for circadian health
– LED specification

Miscellaneous
– Curriculum writing
– Teaching (all ages)
– Journalism/Marketing (press releases, SEO, interviewing)

Lily holds a copy of Chasing Space and a grow light

Lily presenting her poster at the DOE Lighting Conference

STEM Education Advocacy

Despite coming from a school system that struggled to fund and teach the arts and STEM and being a first-generation college student, I am now working on my third STEM degree, and I have earned professional accolades as a designer and performer. Through all of my experiences, I’ve found that both the arts and sciences are incredibly important components of a well-rounded education that are historically underserved, especially for disadvantaged students. This inspired me to found Art Technically, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes STEM and Arts education through free workshops and lesson plans, special projects, and advocacy.

Projects and Work Examples

Campus Movie Festival – Circadian Lighting

A short video on Circadian Lighting submitted to the Campus Movie Festival STEAM Life Hacks short film contest sponsored by Goldman Sachs. The video won first place in the contest, with a prize of $5,000.

The 21st Century Greenhouse

Use the web tool below to see the different components of a 21st-century greenhouse, including advanced sensors, a data analytics dashboard, LED grow lights, and how the greenhouse fits into the community. Read the full whitepaper at the button at the bottom of the web tool.

LED Swirling Soft Serve

What do compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and soft serve have in common? Their iconic swirls! This project combines these iconic swirls together to create a light-up, color-changing ice cream cone using RGBW LED strip lights, a microcontroller, a button, a ‘cone,’ and a CFL-style bulb.

Master’s Project 2021 – Estimate Pupil Size

Using predefined models of human response to light, this web tool aims to allow users to easily calculate pupil size and estimate the amount and quality of light reaching the retina of a subject based on illuminance at the eye, spectral power distribution at the eye, and the age of the subject.

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.

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.

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).