🚧 WORK IN PROGRESS: Some items may not be fully functional, or accurate • Updated regularly with new projects and improvements • 🚧 WORK IN PROGRESS: Some items may not be fully functional, or accurate • Updated regularly with new projects and improvements •
Hello I am, Erika Sy
LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF
About me
I'm a dreamer — the kind who dreams big and chases those dreams with relentless dedication. My journey into tech began in digital sandboxes, where I found freedom in creativity and the thrill of building worlds from scratch. But it wasn't until my first high school Java class that I realized just how powerful programming could be — not just as a tool, but as a language for solving problems, expressing ideas, and shaping the future.
Since then, I've been driven by the belief that technology, when used intentionally, can create deep, lasting impact. I'm passionate about developing tools and systems that help people, uplift communities, and move society forward. Whether it's through AI, robotics, or thoughtful user experiences, I'm always searching for ways to turn bold ideas into real-world change.
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." — Walt Disney
MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY
Experience
2023
2024
2025
Present
Chief Scientist
NASA L-Space — MCA
Leading scientific strategy and experiment design for the MCA program within NASA's L‑Space initiative, coordinating cross-disciplinary teams to align mission objectives and data analysis.
Direct scientific planning and design of MCA experiments and validation frameworks
Coordinate with engineering and software teams to integrate experiment pipelines
Develop data analysis workflows and prototype visualization tools for mission telemetry
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Wisconsin, Madison (Dr. Gleicher)
Modernizing and extending a Python backend for interactive visualization and exploration of large text corpora; improving interpretability and analytic tooling for embeddings.
Modernized Python backend and improved APIs for large-corpus interactive exploration
Implemented and evaluated dimensionality-reduction and clustering methods to improve document-embedding interpretability
Analyzed linguistic and regional patterns across datasets to improve corpus understanding
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Wisconsin - Madison (Dr. Hanna)
Accelerated RL agent training by automating reward function optimization and used parallel computing resources to scale experiments. Built synthetic datasets for real-time CV model training.
Automated reward-function optimization using evolutionary algorithms and CHTC parallel compute
Discovered novel robotic gait patterns in simulation improving stability and traversal speed vs. baselines
Built a synthetic data pipeline in Unreal Engine 4, generating 10,000+ labeled images to train and benchmark CV models
Business Technology Solutions Intern
AbbVie
Automated mapping and streamlined access to institutional knowledge while prototyping AI-enabled onboarding tools to reduce new-hire ramp time.
Automated mapping of 200+ document workflows with a Neo4j graph database to create a single source of truth
Architected an AI-powered onboarding prototype to centralize tribal knowledge and shorten ramp-up time
Developed a Python script to parse keywords from a decentralized archive of spreadsheets, reducing data retrieval time from hours to minutes
Lead Software Engineer
NASA - NPWEE
Led technical direction for GMAPS, a mission scheduling tool enhancing NASA Gateway's autonomy with AI-driven planning and fault prediction. Managed cross-functional team development.
Designed tech stack (React, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Docker, OR-Tools)
Managed team of 4 across frontend, backend, and ML components
Co-authored 15+ page technical proposal for system architecture
Created 12-month roadmap with Agile sprints and Gantt milestones
Augmented Reality Development Extern
Snap Inc.
Developed interactive AR lenses including multi-user experiences with synchronized 3D animations, custom scripts, and spatial tracking. Presented technical solutions to Snap engineers.
Developed 4 interactive lenses with multi-user capabilities
Created Halloween costume lens with synchronized 3D animations
Presented technical design and creative vision to Snap engineers
AR DevelopmentLens Studio3D AnimationSpatial Tracking
Business Technology Solutions Intern
AbbVie
Implemented automation solutions in ServiceNow platform and conducted comprehensive AI model testing. Led workshops and built robust prompt engineering libraries.
Led 8 employee workshops and documented 12 processes
Conducted 3 smoke tests using Postman
Compared Claude, Iliad, Gemini, Llama 4, and GPT-4 for prompt engineering
Rebuilt AI landing page and presented MVP to VP
ServiceNowPostmanAI TestingPrompt Engineering
Seasonal Advisory Intern
KPMG
Designed sustainability solutions to help KPMG achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Created data visualizations and prototyped reward systems for green initiatives.
Designed sustainability rewards app prototype in Figma
Built stakeholder-facing dashboards in Power BI and Excel
Visualized travel mode trends and COâ‚‚ savings for green incentive planning
FigmaPower BIExcelSustainability
SOME OF MY RECENT WORK
Projects
AI Personal Planner
In Progress
AI Personal Planner
Full-stack AI scheduler that integrates Canvas and Google Calendar APIs to synthesize deadlines and generate optimized daily plans.
Designed FastAPI backend with SQLModel and an NLP parser to interpret user constraints
Built a constraint-based optimizer to resolve scheduling conflicts and prioritize tasks
Integrated calendar APIs for live synchronization and reminders
FastAPISQLModelNext.jsReactTailwind CSS
Path-Mind
In Progress
Autonomous Navigation System
Built a robot with ultrasonic and IR sensors to autonomously solve mazes using wall-following and Q-Learning agents with C++ firmware and Python AI.
Developed Q-Learning agent with PyTorch reducing completion time by 23%
Implemented sensor fusion and serial communication in C++
Visualized agent trajectories in Matplotlib for performance analysis
ArduinoC++PythonPyTorchQ-Learning
PlantDocNet
Completed
Machine Learning Project
Trained a deep learning classifier using MobileNetV2 on 20K+ leaf images, achieving 89.1% validation accuracy across 16 disease classes.
Achieved 89.1% validation accuracy across 16 disease classes
Designed full ML pipeline with image augmentation and transfer learning
Assessed performance using scikit-learn metrics and confusion matrix
TensorFlowKerasMobileNetV2scikit-learnPython
Digital Hand Pen Whiteboard
Completed
Gesture Recognition System
Created a gesture recognition whiteboard using MediaPipe, OpenCV, and PyCharm that enabled real-time interactions with 90% accuracy rate.
Achieved 90% gesture recognition accuracy in real-time
Presented at comprehensive poster session and ERSP national conference
Participated in solution-oriented team discussions for UX refinement
PythonMediaPipeOpenCVPyCharm
AI-Powered Support Assistant
Completed
AI Support Assistant
Developed an AI Support Assistant using Next.js, Material-UI, and OpenAI API to enhance user interaction with real-time support capabilities.
Integrated error handling and UX features with loading states and auto-scrolling
Added multi-language support for improved global usability
Set up development environment and deployment pipeline with Vercel
Next.jsMaterial-UIOpenAI APIVercel
Harry Potter Sorting Hat
Completed
Interactive Full-Stack Game
Created an interactive full-stack game using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to simulate the Sorting Hat's house selection process with algorithmic decision-making.
Developed algorithm that analyzes and weighs user responses
Implemented full-stack architecture with responsive design
Created engaging user interface with interactive elements
HTMLCSSJavaScriptAlgorithm Design
Stride
In Progress
Full-Stack Social Platform
Developed a Space Invaders clone using Python and Turtle graphics with progressive difficulty levels, high scoreboard feature, and enhanced UI design.
Built a responsive Next.js frontend with TailwindCSS focused on daily accomplishments and streaks
Implemented realtime features using WebSocket + Redis and JWT authentication for sessions
Designed FastAPI backend with PostgreSQL; currently building a React Native mobile app