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Yakira M

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

Expertise

product design; human-computer interaction; team dynamics; design behavior; design education

Bio

Hi! I'm Yakira, an engineer, designer, and researcher focused on decision-making and bias in engineering design. I'm a current graduate student at UC Berkeley in mechanical engineering and previously studied materials science and engineering at Northwestern University (NU). I've participated in various research projects involving nanoparticles (NU), aircraft composites (ETH Zurich), smart apparel, and ski equipment design (Technical University of Munich). I also have work experience at large (GE Aviation, United Airlines) and small (wearables startup) companies. When I'm not in class or lab, I'm on the snow training for freeskiing events. Skiing is a large part of my life that had a significant impact on my growth as an engineer and researcher. Because of skiing, I independently designed my own skis, conducted snowboard and ski research abroad, and laid the foundation for my current PhD work!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Product Design - 3D print your own part

In this project, we'll go over the main aspects of the design process (1. planning, 2. brainstorming, 3. prototyping, 4. testing and iterating, and 5. creating a finished product). The goal will be to create a part or any other product of your choosing. Not only will we discuss the different tools and techniques for each stage, but you'll have a finished product that you'll feel proud of!

Research on design communication with computational linguistics/NLP

In this project, you have the option to explore how to use computational linguistics to evaluate language in the damian of engineering. For example you can focus on a specific algorithm. Or you can play around with how rationale is structured to understand it's impact on communication effectiveness. Or rather you might want to focus on collecting rationale from designers in real life. Or perhaps a combination. Before getting started, we'll cover what research is and isn't along with common research approaches to be familiar with. Then we'll chose a specific question or goal. Define the approach and then it's up to you to set things in motion and get results. The deliverable would be to create a research poster or presentation.

Research on team based decision making

For example you may want to explore the interactions between participants. Or background expertise. Or the language of the feedback they provide. Outcome variables to evaluate might include team satisfaction, or quality of decisions made. The deliverable would be to create a research poster or presentation. Before getting started, we'll cover what research is and isn't along with common research approaches to be familiar with. Then we'll chose a specific question or goal. Define the approach and then it's up to you to set things in motion and get results.

Coding skills

python, R, matlab

Languages I know

Spanish, German

Teaching experience

I have a great deal of mentoring experiences. The mentoring I provide is highly dependent on the mentee and their needs, including but not limited to independent engineering projects, undergraduate research programs, learning about and applying to college, or more career-focused mentoring.

Credentials

Work experience

GE Aviation (2015 - 2015)
Engineering intern
United Airlines (2016 - 2016)
Data Analytics Intern
United Airlines (2016 - 2018)
New business representative intern
Material+ (2019 - 2019)
Research Associate

Education

Northwestern University
BS Bachelor of Science (2018)
Materials Science and Engineering
University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
MS Master of Science (2021)
Mechanical Engineering - Design
University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Mechanical Engineering - Design

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