DaVante C
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of California Irvine (UCI)
Expertise
Condensed Matter Physics (Nanofluidics), Electromagnistm, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, Machine Learning
Bio
Hello, I hold a B.S. in both Mathematics and Physics and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics with a focus on Condensed Matter at UC Irvine. My research is largely inspired by the biology of the brain. I am particularly interested in how signals are transmitted between axons, as well as the underlying mechanisms of memory and learning. I use COMSOL Multiphysics—a finite element analysis software—to simulate local ionic concentrations under nanoconfinement. Additionally, I am passionate about machine learning and its potential role in advancing quantum algorithms. Throughout my graduate studies, I have taught five lower-division physics courses and have been tutoring K–12 and college students in mathematics and physics for the past six years. Outside of academics, I enjoy fishing, working on cars, and spending time with my family. I have two sons, ages six and one, and a fiancée with whom I love to go on adventures—usually hiking or enjoying a BBQ at the beach.Project ideas
Arduino Project
We can build a small mechanical device that is controlled by an Arduino and DAQ card that we programed using LabVIEW or MATLAB. There are many mechanical devices that we can build using basic circuit elements and small motors. We can use a machine learning algorithm to manage input and output to the device.
Machine Learning Project
We can choose a publicly available dataset and use machine learning algorithms to better analyze and make predictions on the data; regression models, neural networks, random forest, etc. This dataset can be from science, stock, or if the student has a particular area of interest, then we can choose a dataset that the student is interested in.
Local Concentration at the Nanoscale
We can examine how local concentrations at the nanoscale influence the collective behavior of various systems and mimic how an axon fires a signal.