Year in program: 2018
UCLA Mentors: Dr. Nanthia Suthana
HBCU Mentors: Dr. Amol Kulkarni
Current Institution: Fitbit
Nathanael earned his Associates Degree in Petro Chemical Engineering from the University of Trinidad and Tobago in 2014. The mix of hands on laboratory work and programming data analysis tools paved his path forward for a successful entrance into advanced STEM. A traumatic brain injury from a car crash, inspired Nathanael to engage with neuroscience, specifically the field of Human Computer Interfacing. As a representative of Howard University in the UCLA-HBCU Neuroscience Pathways Program, Nathanael worked on improving the quality of brain wave recordings and began work on translating EEGs to human and computer speech. His fluency with Python and C, and his eagerness to be a test subject for LONN https://www.semel.ucla.edu/initiatives/laboratory-of-neuromodulation-and-neuroimaging, lead to significant progress in translational neuromodulation. He has since returned to the chemical sciences, earning his BSc. in Chemistry and MS in Chemical Engineering from Howard University.