Power in Government: A comparison of the American & German political systems

Categories Project, Working Paper

Paper for course about Germany and the European Union: Germany and the United States are both wealthy, powerful, democratic states that operate in the upper-echelon of global superpowers. However, despite the apparent similarities between these two nations, they have different political concerns and divergent beliefs about the proper function of government. This disparity has manifested itself in differences of governmental structure between Germany and the United States. These differences begin at the constitutional level and persist throughout the entirety of the two political systems. Read…Continue Reading “Power in Government: A comparison of the American & German political systems” →

Relentless Reckoning: Why Germany’s past must decide its future

Categories Project, Working Paper

Paper for course about Germany and the European Union: Last year [2017], the German military police discovered a stockpile of Nazi military memorabilia when they searched a Bundeswehr barrack. Since then, the German government implemented more stringent security screening processes for Bundeswehr applicants, but this is only one facet of a much larger issue (Eddy). This is not the sign of a nation that has fully dealt with its dark past. Germany must continue to reckon with its Nazi past, but the nation should view…Continue Reading “Relentless Reckoning: Why Germany’s past must decide its future” →

Amazon HQ2 and Pittsburgh’s Climate Action Plan

Categories Project, Working Paper

Group report for Intro to Engineering and Public Policy: If Amazon’s HQ2 were to come to Pittsburgh, it would bring in an influx of 50,000 new full-time employees and promises $5 billion in investment in the community.​ Amazon is seeking a headquarters space of over 8 million square feet and Pittsburgh has two prospective locations that fit their requirements: ​Hazelwood Green and Pittsburgh’s former State Correctional Institution (SCI)​ ​(Amazon, 2017). Amazon’s potential HQ2 employees, Pittsburgh city officials, and the current residents of Pittsburgh will all…Continue Reading “Amazon HQ2 and Pittsburgh’s Climate Action Plan” →

The Balancing Act: Continuity and change in contemporary German foreign policy

Categories Project, Working Paper

Paper for course about Germany and the European Union: Germany is indisputably one of the most important nations on the modern world stage. Germany is not only an economic juggernaught that supports the Euro with its financial might, but also a political powerhouse in every relevant international body. In order to fully understand the contours of contemporary German foreign policy, it is necessary to first explore the basic tenants of pre-reunification German foreign policy. This will provide a framework through which I will analyze the…Continue Reading “The Balancing Act: Continuity and change in contemporary German foreign policy” →

ThermalDrone

Categories Project, Tool

This research project is conducted through the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics’ Grossman Group. The questions fundamental to this project are as follows: How can we automate indoor thermal imaging? How can we predict thermodynamic changes to an enclosed space resulting from changes made to a building? The ultimate purpose of this project is to create an UAV capable capable of collecting and analyzing large data sets. Specifically, the drone should be able to take distance measurements in various directions for navigation and localization. Also,…Continue Reading “ThermalDrone” →