My portfolio is available at this link https://paigekobz.github.io/portfolio/
If you have any difficulties accessing the site, I have attached information about a few relevant projects here:
I’m a 3rd year engineering student at the University of Waterloo studying Systems Design Engineering. I am passionate about the environment, and I want to do work to make the world a more equitable, and sustainable place. I am interested in computer vision and machine learning, and I am currently seeking a co-op position for January 2024.
I have experience in computer vision software development from a previous co-op position, and from my university classes. In Systems Design Engineering at UW, I learn how to solve problems using a holistic systems perspective, and how to design solutions through an iterative design process. Computer Vision My interest in computer vision was initially sparked during a co-op term at an automotive manufacturing plant. I was working as a UI/UX designer on a team of students developing automation devices for the factory. I got to work alongside students developing an autonomous vehicle for material movement, and vision applications to automate quality inspection processes. I found an immediate interest and decided to take a second co-op term at the same plant; this time to work on the development side. I got to work on an individual project to automate detection of fasteners. After this experience, I have gone out of my way to learn as much as I can about computer vision, image processing, and machine learning. This has included taking classes such as: Image Processing, Data Structures and Algorithms, and pursuing individual research.
Being born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, I spent much of my childhood outdoors, hiking, camping, and exploring. After learning about climate change, I was quickly inspired to take action, joining the meatless Mondays club, and the district student sustainability council, as well as marketing for multiple climate strikes in high school. Since getting to university, I have taken the time to learn how different systems, including energy, transportation, and technology impact the environment in various ways. This has been achieved by taking classes such as Design, Systems, and Society, and Sustainability: The Future We Want, as well as doing self-initiated research. Additionally, I have taken on projects that have demonstrated this interest including: designing a user interface for an eco-friendly travel app.
After acquiring an interest in feminism as a teen, I applied to take a social justice program in high school where I got the opportunity to learn about various social issues, and present ideas to municipal, provincial, and federal government representatives. I additionally got the opportunity to travel to Ecuador with this class where I learned firsthand the impacts of Canadian mining companies on local communities. Since coming to university I have pursued additional education on these topics through studying Economics of Design, and Intro to Transnational Feminism in the Global South. Additionally, during my exchange at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, I have been provided with an opportunity to develop a global perspective. Learning about new technology popularized on the other side of the planet has inspired me even further to design equitable tech. I have also taken on projects to promote social causes I care about such as: designing a social media user interface to connect people with charities and nonprofit organizations that match their goals, and designing a self-adjusting solar powered sun shade for wheelchair users.
At my most recent co-op at Martinrea International, I got the opportunity to champion a computer vision project for a very specific purpose- Identifying Fasteners. Through this journey I learned the fundamentals of object detection, computer vision, machine learning, data collection, and implementing a product in an industrial setting. Embedded below is my end-of-term presentation which I presented to several managers at the Alfield plant I worked at, as well as Martinrea executives from across Ontario. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to contact me! https://www.canva.com/design/DAFdXFKw-a0/4foZitdnlDY3dJxpNqM4XQ/view
This solar shade was designed as part of a team for a third-year design project. We were prompted to create a device powered by a solar panel that would optimize its usage based on the position of the sun. We decided to look beyond just optimizing power production of the solar panel, and we came up with an idea to use the knowledge of the sun's location for another purpose: to keep people out of the shade. We considered designing a product for able-bodied users that would shade them from the sun while working outside but felt it would not provide a great amount of benefit to the users, as many people could easily move the shade with their hands as the sun moved. Instead, we thought about how wheelchair users may not have the same level of access as they would need to use their hands to propel themselves, or may have decreased mobility levels in their arms.
This solar sunshade gathers data from photoresistors as well as pre-defined sun-tracking software to make an estimate of the sun's position. I developed a program that uses this data to provide instructions to a stepper motor which rotates the sunshade according to the position of the sun in order to provide maximal coverage from the sun, without obstructing the user's view.
Over the course of this project, our team overcame a variety of obstacles. From gathering materials to build our shade, to wiring up the extensive circuitry, and finding times in our busy schedules to test our product while the sun was out. This project helped me to develop my skills in Arduino programming, electrical circuit design, mechanical design, and project management. Below are some pictures documenting our progress as well as an attachment to view a pdf of some final conclusions I made. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to contact me!
Movgreen is an app I designed as part of a team for a hackathon. We wanted to design a social media app that encourages people to travel in more eco-friendly ways. The app allows you to post about your journeys with your friends, and earn points the more you move without contributing a carbon footprint.
UI/UX Designer is a position I had at two of my co-op placements as well. From learning UI/UX design as well as UX research I feel I have developed many transferable skills that I can carry with me in other positions. Anytime I work on a product, I have learned to put myself in the shoes of the final user. I have learned to conduct thorough research and develop a list of requirements and constraints. In UI/UX, I have learned the importance of clearly communicating my ideas and motivations. As UX design is a very iterative process, I have lots of practice immediately applying feedback to new iterations. Below is a link to the prototype of the app designed by my team and I. https://www.figma.com/proto/jKv3FbadApUCeqnFaKk1Nq/HackAttack-2020?type=design&node-id=1-4&t=hL5eVX6vEUqxlteb-1&scaling=scale-down&page-id=0%3A1 If you have any questions about this project, feel free to contact me!