Andrew Rodriguez
Thanks for visiting,
About me 💻
I am a computer science graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. My objective is to build intelligent systems that can enable autonomous beings, to interpret our world and behaviors with greater accuracy through visual input. In my free time I like to water my plants, and play my nylon string guitar. My email is arodriguez394(at)gatech(dot)edu, feel free to reach out!
Work History ✍️
Variant3D: C++ Developer for Geometry Analysis 🧶
I worked on the development of a texture mapping algorithm for generating 2D surface representations of 3D triangular meshes using C++, in order improve the existing knit map generation method. I also developed a shape generation, and local zone re-meshing algorithm which allowed users to draw their desired shapes on to their mesh in real time through a web interface using Emscripten to compile to WebAssembly. On my final set of projects I developed translation and rotation methods that gave fluid control over how users move their designs on their objects. This all came together nicely at the end, with the result from this work helped the company leverage deals for future projects with other companies.
🌍 Massachusetts Institute of Technology: SGI Research Fellow
3D-LDM: I worked with a team of fellows on a project aimed at characterizing the latent geometry of neural implicit for shape representation operating on the latent space of an auto-decoder. To achieve this, I worked extensively with Python, utilizing PyTorch, Pyvista, and Libigl. I was involved in the development of our data processing, architecture, and 3D visualization pipeline. During the span of 6 months that we worked on this project we were able to write a pre-print describing our results. This was my first taste in what it was like to do geometry processing research, and it solidified my resolve in continuing to pursue a research career. This work was possible due to the tremendous efforts, collaboration, and guidance from fellows Gimin Nam, and Mariem Khlifi, Alberto Tono, Linqi ZhouandDr. Paul Guerrero .
Georgia Institute of Technology: REU Participant 🐝
Toric Varieties: I focused on understanding and uncovering new properties of toric varieties and principal 2-minor Ideals. This work was done under the guidance of Dr. Ashley K. Wheeler. Their guidance was crucial in getting us familiar with the material and in driving the direction of our work in constructive ways. All in all I was able to help curate the following poster presentation for the math department. I came out of this experience with unique insights on the subtle but powerful role that algebraic geometry plays in convex optimization problems.
🗽 Research Foundation for the City University of New York: Summer Combinatorics Seminar
In this program we engaged in discussions on the practical applications of linear algebra to solve combinatorial problem. Specifically, we focused on how to utilize abstract vector spaces, eigenvectors, and spectral theorems to analyze the the number of cycles possible in Klein graphs and later Petersen graphs. This naturally led to me undertaking a Python project that involved implementing algorithms to construct and analyze the different number of possible cycles induced by the construction of these graphs. During the tail end of the summer this seminar led me to the question : "Is it possible to count the total number of non intersecting paths on a lattice graph", only after spending hours simulating randomized non intersecting paths over millions of lattice points, did I quickly find out why this question has not been answered. It was still a fun experience, and I am thankful for Dr. Pablo Soberón for giving me this opportunity to learn under his guidance.
If enlightenment does not assimilate reflection at this regressive moment, it seals its fate.
-Theordor Adorno
Some food for thought 🍎
Summer Geometry Initiative Funding
In the summer I enjoy supporting ongoing undergraduate research through volunteering for the Summer Geometry Initiative at MIT. It is always wonderful to interact with new student projects and the opportunities, and research that has come out of the initiative has been amazing. It is an international group of students, and professors, working together to learn and conduct cutting edge research. If you have the means, please consider donating to support us in that mission, please contact professor Justin Solomon for more information on how to go about this.
Professor Keenan Cranes Discrete Differential Geometry course
Much of this course has been largely influential in shaping my understanding of three-dimensional geometry processing, while providing a concrete introduction to differential geometry.
Silvia Selláns Blog
I would be remiss not to recommend watching Silvias course in Blender for understanding how to integrate it into your work in a effective manner. They have also provided great insights into the implications that come with how we communicate scientific information. Additionally, their blog was an invaluable resource in helping me understand how to adequately structure my application for graduate school.
Prison Math Project (PMP)
There is no way around the fact that the United States holds the highest prison population per capita. Though not much is spoken about the fact that students who are incarcerated and complete their GEDs see an approximate 70% reduction in their likely hood of returning. There exists a responsibility to rehabilitate and provide the opportunity for any dedicated and budding researchers to contribute to their respective field in a meaningful way regardless of their past. The prison math project aspires to this and they have been largely successful as one of their first students, Christopher Hayes was able to get a publication accepted in the Annals of Mathematics. If this is a cause that you care about, I strongly encourage you to reach out to them.
Thanks once again,
lively regards!