People

Fall 2023 HiPE Group

Faculty

  • Dr. Damian Valles

Bio: Dr. Damian Valles is in his sixth year as an Assistant Professor at the Ingram School of Engineering. He’s been working on HPC research since 2005, Embedded research projects since 2012, and Machine Learning research since 2014.  Triple graduate from the ECE Department at UTEP.  IEEE, Supercomputing, & AI believer. Faculty Fellow for the Translational Health Research Center (THRC) and Faculty Member for the Texas State Center for Analytics and Data Science (TXST CADS) Research Center.

Damian’s Page

Graduate Research Students

    • Dhadkan Shrestha
      Fall 2023 – Present
    Bio: Dhadkan Shrestha is a graduate student from Nepal who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at Texas State University. His research focuses on machine learning, AI, and the data sector. Alongside his academic pursuits, he enjoys playing games, immersing himself in music, exploring new destinations, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
    Project: Reinforcement Learning for Rover Units |

     

    • Shafiqul Alam Khan
      Fall 2023 – present

    Bio: I am an Electrical Engineering (EE) graduate from Texas State University. I am interested in using reinforcement learning & deep learning to solve real-world problems. I enjoy listening to music, reading books, and updating myself about Linux, open-source software, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) techniques in my free time.
    Project: Reinforcement Learning for Drone Navigation |

Thesis Students

    • Kaavya Sri Ramarapu
      Spring 2023 – present

    Bio: Kaavya Sri is a graduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering (EE) at Texas State University. She is passionate about staying up to date with industry trends, particularly in machine learning. She aims to enhance her problem-solving and management skills. She aims to earn her Master’s degree by the Spring of 2024. In her free time, she enjoys being introspective, listening to music of all genres, expanding her linguistic knowledge, reading books, and spending time alone.
    Project: Environmental emotion classification |

Undergraduate Research Assistants

    • Saad Rafiq, H-LSAMP Scholar
      Summer 2022 – Present

    Bio: I am a sophomore double majoring in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Texas State University. I researched motion detection using machine learning during the semester, so I am excited to tackle this REU project. After I graduate, I plan to get my master’s or enter the industry as a machine learning engineer. My free time mainly consists of playing video games with friends or working out. During the summer I like to go to the river and spend most of the afternoon there and on the weekends.
    Project: Drone design, configuration, and programming |
    • Gavin Jackson, ASPIRE Fellow
      Fall 2022 – present

    Bio: Gavin Jackson is a sophomore at Texas State University majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Applied Mathematics. His interests are in-game engine development and machine learning. He enjoys reading and playing video games with friends in his free time.
    Project: Face emotion generative AI |
    • Dylan Hall
      Fall 2022 – present

Bio: Dylan Hall is a sophomore at Texas State University majoring in Computer Science. He is excited to be on his first research project and hopes to learn as much as possible from everyone involved. He enjoys meeting new people outside the classroom, riding his longboard, and working out.
Project: iOS multi-modal AI support |

linkin-logo Dylans’s Page

  • Daniyar Boztayev
    Spring 2023 – present

Bio: Daniyar is an international Kazakhstan student majoring in electrical engineering. Back home, he used to do archery and was a Kazakhstan’s youth national team member. He wants to learn much about embedded systems through research and hopes to work in this industry after graduation.
Project: Drone design, configuration, and programming |

linkin-logo Daniyar’s Page

  • Alyssa Lopez
    Fall 2023 – present

Bio: Alyssa Lopez is an undergraduate in Animal Science with a pre-veterinary concentration at Texas State University. Her previous research focused on increasing sustainability in the agriculture industry. She is beginning another project involving technology to identify animal behaviors. In her leisure time, she enjoys going on long walks, trying new things, and spending time with her friends and family.
Project: Animal Detection AI |

linkin-logo Alyssa’s Page

  • Kevin Castaneda Guerra
    Spring 2024 – present

Bio: Kevin Castañeda is a Texas State University sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He enjoys dissecting and comprehending objects’ structural and functional components to gain a deeper insight into their design and functionality. As he embarks on his first research project, he is excited about the learning journey ahead, eager to absorb the intricacies of the research procedures and contribute his creative perspective to the team’s collaborative efforts.
Project: A mobile robot with sensors for animal tracking |

linkin-logo Kevin’s Page

  • Rose Ochoa
    Spring 2024 – present

Bio: Rose Ochoa is a Texas State University junior majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Applied Mathematics. She is the Vice President of Girls Who Code and a Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) member. She enjoys learning new techniques and algorithms for coding and is excited to implement that knowledge for this research. This marks her first research project, and she is enthusiastic about acquiring hands-on experience and exchanging ideas and insights with fellow researchers.
Project: A mobile robot with sensors for animal tracking |

linkin-logo Rose’s Page

  • Jamal A. Close
    Spring 2024 – present

Bio: Jamal Close is a junior at Texas State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He is part of the IEEE program at Texas State and enjoys working with robotics. Through research, he intends to grow his coding skills and valuable knowledge of hardware design. With this knowledge, he hopes to pursue more projects in the future through the collaboration of different ideas.
Project: A mobile robot with sensors for animal tracking |

linkin-logo Jamal’s Page

  • Bryce Raybon
    Spring 2024 – present

Bio: I am a fourth-year manufacturing engineering undergraduate with an interest in composite materials and experience in hands-on manufacturing, including 3D modeling software and CNC machining.
Project: Thermo-resistant materials for drones and rover |

Senior Design HiPEsters

funded by:

  • Erich Ellsworth, Project Manager
    Summer 2022 – Present

Bio: Erich is an undergraduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Computer Engineering. He wishes to enroll in graduate school after completing his degree. His interests include embedded systems, Digital Signal Processing, and Software Defined Radio. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, amateur radio, and tinkering with classic cars with his dad.

 

  • Jaxon Castillo, H-LSAMP Scholar
    Fall 2023 – present

Bio: Jaxon is an undergraduate in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Networks and Communications. He aims to graduate in May and move on to a radio frequency or acoustic engineering career, preferably in space. His interests include communication system design, digital signal processing, and control systems. He enjoys swimming, listening to music, and watching classic movies with friends in his free time.

linkin-logo Jaxon’s Page

  • Aidan J. McSpadden
    Fall 2023 – present

Bio: Aidan is an undergraduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Computer Engineering. He aims to graduate in 2024 and move into a career involving circuit design. His interests include Digital Signal Processing, Microcontroller systems, and Device Interfacing. He enjoys running a car club, automotive performance modding and tuning, DJing/producing electronic music, and participating in IEEE.

linkin-logo Aidan’s Page