About Me

I'm Romain. I graduated from Park City High in Utah in June 2015, then took a gap year before moving on to college at Northeastern University. During my gap year, I spent some time working as an intern at a startup, OtoSense, in Cambridge MA (now in Palo Alto, CA).

OtoSense's goal is to give machines the sense of sound. Using arrays of microphones, algorithms are able to detect events in real-time. The result is a machine which can, for instance, tell a door slamming from a gunshot, and take action on what it hears. Working as a product engineering intern, I was responsible for the software-hardware integration of the IATIS smart device. In this role, I collaborated daily with software engineers in eastern Europe to test software builds, and writing my own code to promote seamless system integration and user experience. As a culminating project, I built, deployed, and managed a building-wide cluster of devices operating on three different floors; Otosense's first deployment of IATIS at any significant scale.

I entered college at Northeastern University in Fall 2016. I expect to graduate in May 2021, completing a traditional 5-year program with three co-ops. In June 2018, I completed my first co-op at Abbott Labs, working in medical device R&D. Over six months, I was responsible for various electromechanical aspects of the HeartMate 3 program, and on research and development of next-generation prototypes. Focus was placed on research and development, materials analysis, and MATLAB/Simulink development and data analysis. 

My second co-op experience was at Sonos in Boston. As the undisputed leader in wireless home audio systems, Sonos provides more than just speakers ⁠— the focus is on the experience. Everything from the design and audio to the small things like the exact shape and form of a button is carefully considered to make the experience of enjoying music that much richer. As a mechanical engineering co-op, I was inserted into this design process, and worked with cross-functional product development teams to make the Sonos products of tomorrow a reality. Collaboration was extremely important - to create a product which must sound good, look good, and provide a superior user experience, daily collaboration between mechanical, electrical, radio, design, and acoustics team was necessary and encouraged.  Focus was on placed leading my own workstreams, being solely accountable for my own work, and becoming independent as an engineer, while still working closely with mentors and people across functions.

I spent my third co-op at Black Diamond Equipment - developing the next generation of mountain and running headlamps. Working with industrial design, manufacturing, and electronics engineers, I helped develop and brought to full maturity the CAD for the newest re-imagining of Black Diamond's best-selling product: the Spot headlamp. Keep your eyes peeled for Spring 2022, when this new version will hit the shelves.

I am currently searching for a full-time work opportunity, hoping to work somewhere that allows creativity and engineering innovation to flourish. I'm specifically looking for opportunities and places which promote joy in others' lives, and make products that promote happiness and passion in the consumer. Whether that be wireless speakers, bicycles, or recreational equipment - if it helps someone follow their passion, it's bound to be interesting. If you have an opening you believe I may be qualified for, please reach out. I'd love to hear from you.

I've spent some time learning to code in standard languages such as C and C++; over my gap year, I enrolled in and completed Harvard's online CS50x course, and continue to use skills learned there in other programming projects. Recently, I have programmed a utility to solve mazes using Djikstra's algorithm, and another to solve sudoku puzzles with brute force and constraint propagation, using the Qt GUI toolkit. This is my first web project. Have any feedback? Let me know!

In my spare time, I enjoy going outdoors and enjoying everything the planet has to offer. I'm an avid ski racer and skier, backpacker, mountain biker, and sailor. I also particularly enjoy photography, as it meshes three things that are special to me: the outdoors, technology, and a creative urge to constantly create new and interesting things. Backpacking and astrophotography are especially interesting, as the art of taking my camera into the wildnerness and capturing the experience of solitude and silence under the stars.  See some of my work in my portfolio, if you are interested.