Materials Engineer, ECE Researcher & Systems Experimentalist

Carol Sanders


Graduate researcher in Electrical & Computer Engineering. Former U.S. Air Force Computer & Satellite Communications Specialist. Building at the intersection of biomedical signals, RF electronics, embedded systems, and astrophotography.

UC Santa Cruz — ECE nEXO Particle Physics IEEE Computer Society SLAC National Lab OpenDaylight SDN U.S. Air Force — Veteran
01

Background

I'm a graduate researcher in Electrical & Computer Engineering working at the intersection of biomedical signals and hardware — surface electromyography, RF electronics, autonomous robotics and the embedded systems that tie them together.

Before graduate school I served as a U.S. Air Force Computer & Satellite Communications Specialist, and spent 15+ years in software engineering — full-stack web, test automation, and analytics. That systems-thinking background still shapes how I build.

2023 — now
Graduate Researcher, ECE

Surface EMG acquisition & biotechnology. sEMG biofeedback, embedded ML pipelines, RF instrumentation.

2022 — now
Full-stack Developer · Andersen Corporation

End-user application delivery with React, Vue & Node.js — external APIs, Firestore/Firebase data, and UI, in an agile scrum team.

Summer Research
ICE Lab · SF State

Summer research intern in the Intelligent Computing and Embedded Systems (ICE) Lab at San Francisco State University — a hub for hands-on student research focused on human-machine interfaces, neural-controlled artificial limbs, and embedded systems, directed by Dr. Xiaorong Zhang in the School of Engineering.

Research
nEXO · SLAC National Lab

Contributed to the nEXO neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment; prior work at SLAC.

2018 — 2022
Front-end Developer · Urban Tech Center

Front-end lead on volunteer delivery teams for a tech-education non-profit; prototyping to post-delivery support, plus technology mentoring.

Master’s · ECE
UC Santa Cruz

Electrical & Computer Engineering — mechatronics, embedded systems, signal processing.

1987 — 2006
U.S. Air Force — Veteran

Combat Computer Communications Specialist & Electronics Technician — comms systems deployment and management.

02

Projects

Electronics · RF Engineering
FM Broadcast Transmitter — Repair & Analysis

PLL-synthesized broadcast FM transmitter repair and RF analysis, with an interactive wire schematic, channel calculator, and full repair report.

View Project
Mechatronics
Cat Laser Robot

Autonomous laser entertainment robot. Servo-driven pan/tilt with motion-pattern programming.

Mechatronics
Autonomous Robot

Mobile autonomous platform with sensor fusion for obstacle avoidance and path navigation.

Biomedical · Embedded
sEMG Biofeedback Massager

Surface EMG signal acquisition with Xmega A1U Xpro MCU driving smart shiatsu timing via ML pipeline.

Software
InventoryU

Asset tracking app for home residents. Photograph items with your phone or tablet, organize by room, and export a full inventory report — before disaster strikes.

View App
Software · Maps
Dream Job Journey

Explore potential employment locations by activity and job type. A personal job-trip diary for career dreamers.

View on GitHub
Research
nEXO Particle Physics

Research intern contributing to the nEXO neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment. Prior work at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

03

Study Tools

Mathematics Self-Study 3-Week Course
ODE Launchpad — Differential Equations Prep
First-order ODEs · Second-order linear · Laplace transforms · Systems & eigenvalues — typeset with MathJax
▸ Launch ↗
Lessons
15
Quizzes
3 graded
Practice
60+ problems
Schedule
3 weeks
Devices
Phone · Tablet · Laptop

A self-paced course that runs from "what even is an ODE" to solving systems with eigenvalues and Laplace transforms — so day one of the real class feels like review. Each lesson pairs plain-language explanations with fully worked examples and practice problems that reveal solutions on demand, capped by three auto-graded checkpoint quizzes. Progress saves automatically in your browser.

▸ Launch ODE Launchpad ↗ Open full screen
Mathematics Self-Study 6-Week Course
Linear Algebra Launchpad — LA Prep Course
Vectors & geometry · Matrices · Linear systems · Determinants · Eigenvalues · Vector spaces — typeset with MathJax
▸ Launch ↗
Lessons
24
Quizzes
6 graded
Practice
96+ problems
Schedule
6 weeks
Devices
Phone · Tablet · Laptop

A six-week self-study program covering everything from vectors and matrix operations to eigenvalues and linear transformations — so day one of the real class feels like review. Each of the 24 lessons pairs concept explanations and worked examples with four practice problems that reveal solutions on demand, capped by six auto-graded weekly quizzes plus a formula Reference Sheet. Progress saves automatically in your browser.

▸ Launch Linear Algebra Launchpad ↗ Open full screen
Materials Science ENG Materials PS 5–15
Materials Science Comprehensive Prep
Phase Diagrams · TTT · Microstructures · Ceramics · Polymers · Composites · Environment · Electrical
▸ Launch ↗
Problem Sets
PS 5–11
Quiz Questions
81
Flashcard Terms
163
Concept Topics
35
Devices
Phone · Tablet · Laptop

A web-based study application for ENGG 245 / ENGR 270 Materials Science covering PS 5–11. Each problem set has four study modes: concept reviews, multiple-choice quizzes with instant scoring and explanations, vocabulary flashcards, and a full formula & Q&A reference sheet. No installation or download required — runs entirely in your browser.

▸ Launch Engr 270 Review ↗ Open full screen
04

Interests & Hobbies

🥋
Martial Arts
Choy Lai Fut
📡
Astrophotography
Gallery on Flickr
Electronics
Embedded systems & RF
IEEE
Computer Society member
🔬
Independent Research
Materials science, physics, signal processing
🛡
Privacy Consulting
Threat modeling for nonprofits
05

Technology News

IEEE Collabratec
IEEE Professional Network

Active member of the IEEE Computer Society. Engaging with the global engineering community on embedded systems, networking, and emerging technologies.

IEEE Collabratec Profile
Open Source
Open Source vs. Proprietary Software

Open source software offers low-cost licensing and significantly lower development, hosting, and maintenance costs compared to commercial CMS or Microsoft-stack alternatives.

Read More
Photonics Research
1.6 Tb/s Low-Emission Internet

European researchers using photonics to develop a 1.6 Tb/s internet backbone that cuts power consumption by 50% per Gb/s — a major step toward sustainable networking.

Read More