Hello! I'm Daniel!
I'm a software engineer, writer, and artist. My background is in electronic music. My masters degree, at Dartmouth College, focused on algorithmic music (music which uses computer algorithms to either construct or analyze musical structures). As a professional writer, I'm a contributing writer for the Perfect Circuit Signal blog, an industry blog focusing on art and technology, and my research has been published in the proceeding of the International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation. In my work as a researcher, I have also been the recipient of two prestigious research grants—a Watson Fellowship and a Fulbright Fellowship—which allowed me to conduct academic research in eight countries. I lived in Mysore, India for nine months as a Fulbright scholar studying algorithmic music structures and music cognition in the Carnatic (South Indian) music tradition. More recently I worked as a software engineer at Zipline, a robotics company which is seeking to expand access to pharmaceuticals and blood products in remote areas using autonomous drone technology.
This context means that I have a wealth of experiences to share with students. I've tutored middle school and high school students in writing for over a decade, and I draw on my experience working in academia and as a software engineer to help students plan their future in STEM and related fields.
About Me.
Since 2014 I've collaborated with Sophia Chung as a writing tutor and STEM college applications coach; we've taught hundreds of students together and helped middle school and high school students learn to write and to tell their story in a way that is both personally meaningful and effective. Our students have won several writing awards and gained admissions to top colleges and universities in the United States, including Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon, but we believe strongly that the best school is the school that a great fit for each student as a person and individual.
I have a masters degree in Digital Musics from Dartmouth College and have worked in the robotics industry as a software engineer. I'm also a professional writer and my writing on the subjects of art and technology is published on Perfect Circuit's Signal Blog.
This mix of experiences lets me show students that there's more than one way to view their future. For students leaning towards math, science, and engineering fields, I talk about how important it is to be more than just smart. The tech world changes fast, but being able to dive deep into something you love, share your journey, and work well with others are skills that will always make you stand out. It's important for students to know how to fail and how to come back from a failure. And it's important for students to recognizing the human context in which technology operates. I try to help students understand how emotional intelligence and communication will be indispensable skills in navigating the future of innovation.
As collaborators, Sophia and I have found that students benefit from working with both of us. We each bring our strengths to the table, allowing us to offer students a well-rounded support system. I particularly love helping students to find the perfect wording for their stories or essays, fine-tuning every detail to capture the essence of their message precisely. My enthusiasm doesn't stop at writing; I also help our students develop a college application strategy. From organizing their search to identifying colleges that align with their passions and interests, I'm committed to helping students navigate the path to a school where they will not just learn, but truly feel a sense of belonging.
Education
2015-2017
Master of Arts in Digital Musics
Dartmouth College
My research for my masters degree at Dartmouth College focused on algorithmic music composition, animated music scores, and the philosophy of maps, graphs, cartography, which I studied as a way to better understand the design of music score, especially in cases where the music uses computer algorithms or live sensor data to generate realtime audio or images
2007-2013
Bachelor of Music, Music Theory/Composition
Minor in philosophy
Lawrence University
Studying music and philosophy at Lawrence University introduced me to many new paths that I was able to pursue in unexpected ways later in life. I became interested in software engineering through my electronic music classes at Lawrence. Studying philosophy unexpectedly became an important part of my thesis research at Dartmouth. And a liberal arts education that taught me to write an authentic and compelling personal narrative helped me to land a research fellowship (the Watson Fellowship) after graduation.