Academic History

Formerly San Le's Resume Page

Updated 3/6/06

Education

MS Mechanical Engineering, University of California, San Diego UCSD .
BS Mechanical Engineering, UCSD

1998-present
Wrote(and continue to write) SLFFEA, a complete Finite Element Analysis package with graphical user interface for GNU/Linux and released it under the GNU License.

2009-present
Finished SLFCEM, a computational electromagnetics code using the Finite Element Method with graphical user interfaces for GNU/Linux and released under the GNU License.

2006-present
Wrote(and continue to write) SLFCFD, a computational fluid dynamics code using the Finite Difference Method with graphical user interface for GNU/Linux and released under the GNU License.

April to May 2005
Contract work for Phasespace , working on splines and filtering code for motion tracking equipment.

2003 - 2004
Worked on CFD projects:

November 2002 to August 2003
Contract work for ES3 , working on FEA software.

March to June, 2001
Contract work for NETEIT helping them develop in house visualization software.

1995-1997
RESEARCH: Wrote programs to test numerical algorithms, implementing several linear and two non-linear FEA codes, and wrote graphics software for visual presentations of scientific data. Programs were written in C . Specifically:

Used journal papers, engineering/math texts, and equations derived in house to build codes.
Implemented all the basic linear element types including trusses, beams, plane stress and strain quads, plates, shells, and bricks. Implemented large deformation (non-linear) brick and beam elements. Validated programs using analytical solutions.
Simulated incompressible low Renoyld's number flow around an obstruction to observe onset of vortex shedding.
Wrote graphics software to show, as predicted by FEA, the shape of a body under applied loads. Wrote animations showing deformation process. For CFD problem, translated velocity field data into pathlines and streaklines to visually illustrate flow.

TEACHING ASSISTANT: Lectured to an audience of more than 100 as well as tutored students individually. Created tests, prepared lecture notes, and helped students learn new software. T.A. for the classes:

Introduction to FORTRAN and C Programming - taught freshman the basics of computer programming, fundamental algorithms, debugging techniques, etc..

Computer Aided Design - helped seniors with programs, CAD software, and report writing.

Finite Element course - helped juniors and seniors learn calculus of variations, numerical integration, shape functions, MENTAT.

1985
Austrian Rocksinger Falco records, Rock Me, Amadeus

Programming
Basic, C, C++, FORTRAN, and Perl.

Wrote graphics utilities for scientific visualization using SGI's Open GL library as well as Open Inventor. Current FEA package is written on OpenGL compatible Mesa You should visit the SLFFEA Image Gallery to see my work.

Used Perl to write scripts to take product orders through a company web page.

HTML, the extent of which can be seen on my pages.

OS
Fourteen years of experience in the UNIX environment(on Sun and Silicon Graphics workstations) using the software it supports (e.g. C and FORTRAN compilers, dbx, vi editor, eqn equation writer, troff for postscript, etc.).

GNU/Linux with Xfree86, fvwm, Afterstep

Windows 95, MS-DOS

System Administration
For GNU/Linux box, installed software, configured Xfree86 and hardware, built kernels, etc.

Software Background
Finite Element: MENTAT/MARC

Drafting: AutoCAD, Hewlett Packard's ME10, and Alias

Math: Mathematica, Matlab, and RS1

Other: MS-Word, Wordperfect, MS-Excel

General
Extensive background in applied mathematics and physics.

Writing engineering reports for both laboratory and design work.

Using standard lab equipment(i.e. oscilloscope, multimeter, accelerometer, etc.).

Conducting experiments.

Curriculum Vitae
After receiving my BS and MS in mechanical engineering from the University of California, San Diego , I began work on a PhD. In 1997, I decided to leave school. For my graduate education, I took classes relating to computational mechanics as well as focused on the following topics:

Applied Mathematics(Non-linear Partial Differential Equations, Perturbation Methods, Potential Theory, Statistics, etc.).
Numerical Methods(Solving Linear/Nonlinear Systems, Shock Tube Problems, Finite Element Analysis(FEA) , Finite Differencing Methods for Differential Equations, Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD), etc.).
Both Solid and Fluid Mechanics.

I have completed the entire course series in almost all of these topics as well as various other single quarter classes.
As an undergraduate, I have hands-on design experience in building a specimen holder for a cutting device and a video turret for Nomadic Research Labs.

Other Talents

I am also an artist .