Howdy! I was born and raised in the city of Allen, Texas. From a young age I quickly realized that I wanted to work in a field that relied strongly on the use of mathematics. In school I was always fascinated by the beauty and order of mathematics and so I began searching for the applications of it. This passion for exploring the use of mathematics led me to the great college of Texas A&M. Here, I began expanding my knowledge in my pursuit of a BS in Applied Mathematics.

I am nearly done with my coursework and am scheduled to graduate in May of 2019. WHOOP! After graduation, I plan on going to graduate school. During my time at A&M, I also took some classes in computer science to learn how math could be applied in the computer world. This is where I discovered another interest of mine; I found I loved to code as well because it was a useful application of problem solving. This interest in coding opened the door to the incredible opportunity to work for, and learn from, the great people at Pointwise.

• Location: Fort Worth, Texas
• Current Position: Intern, Product Development
• Current Computer: Windows 10, Intel i7 860 @ 2.8 GHz, 8 GB DDR3 RAM @ 1333 MHz, NVIDIA GT 220
• One word that best describes how you work: Learning

What software or tools do you use every day?

• Visual Studio for debugging and compiling code
• Outlook for email
• Spark for chat
• Pointwise for mesh generation

What does your workspace look like?

My workspace is typically quite cluttered with notes and thoughts on the code I am currently working on.

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now I am working on a grid import plugin for Gmsh file types and helping to develop and test a set of wrappers that will allow users to access Glyph command from Python scripts.

What has become your meshing specialty?

Admittedly, meshing has not come easy for me. That doesn’t mean I haven’t learned and become more proficient in the art of meshing though, and believe me it is an art. I mostly work on the “under the hood” parts of the software, but I would say I have learned most about how the different elements need to be put together to create usable grids.

Do you have any tips or tricks to share with our users?

Learning the art of meshing can be quite challenging at first, but the most helpful resource for me has been working through the tutorials included with the software. These tutorials walk a user through how to use the software and allow them to get a feel for it. Another tip would be to learn how to script using Glyph as early as possible. Glyph is a powerful tool in a user’s tool belt for Pointwise mesh generation and the sooner one can learn to wield it the better they will be at creating meshes in Pointwise.

What project are you most proud of and why?

The project I am most proud of is the Gmsh import plugin. This project taught me about how Pointwise constructs elements to create a mesh and improved my coding knowledge and skills. I am proud of this project because of how much I was able to learn in the process of creating something useful so that users can make better meshes.

Are you reading any interesting technical papers we should know about?

This isn’t really technical, but I occasionally enjoy reading proofs for mathematical theorems in my free time. One such theorem I have been reading about is a theorem by Euler dealing with graph theory.

What are your plans after you complete your internship?

I have one year left for my undergraduate degree and then I plan to pursue graduate school. Currently I am working on the applications for graduate school to study more in mathematics.

What do you do when you’re not generating meshes?

In my free time I love to run and lift weights. I’m also somewhat of an adrenaline junkie so I enjoy going cliff jumping at the lake with my friends. Every now and then I do enjoy relaxing and playing video games as well.

What is some of the best engineering advice you’ve ever received?

This wasn’t intended to be engineering advice but it is something I live my life by and it really applies to everything. “There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline.” –Jocko Willink. It means that there is no shortcut for making something great. To be able to engineer something great demands hard work and discipline.

If you had to pick a place to have dinner, where would you go?

As the saying goes, nothing beats a home cooked meal. My Granny’s kitchen is where I would choose, but if a restaurant answer is demanded then I would have to say Texas Roadhouse. Love me some steak.