Picture of Mark Van Selous

Mark
Van Selous

About Me

Welcome to my website! I am a rising senior pursuing a dual degree in physics and mathematics at the University of Maryland, College Park. I am proficient in programming with python, MATLAB, and C++. I am also familiar with using GIT from the command line, Unix shells, the windows PowerShell, and Anaconda. I created this website myself via html, css, and javascript (with help from Bootstrap). Additionally, I am comfortable with using Latex for the majority of my written assignments.

Current Experiences

I am currently working on NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission where we are demonstrating the ability of utilizing the kinetic impactor technique to redirect an asteroid in space.

My role in this mission is to model will be to model the plume of dust which results from the collision of the DART spacecraft with the target asteroid. I hope to do so via computing a radiative transfer model on my universities high performance computing cluster DeepThought2.

Completed Upper Level Coursework
  • Applied Machine Learning
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries
  • Introduction to Abstract Algebra
  • Quantum Physics I
  • Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics
  • Introduction to Quantum Technology
  • Theory and Methods of Statistics
  • Convex Optimization
  • Complex Variables
  • Transform Methods
  • Introduction to Probability Theory
  • Electricity and Magnetism Lab
  • Modern Physics

Please take a look at my resume linked below. The second link is to a github repository containing a few of the smaller standalone projects I have completed. Finally, below are twelve of more notable projects I completed for research groups at UMD, my classes, and for my Boy Scout eagle project.

Click Here For My Resume!

Completed Projects

Cosmi Dust Website
Astronomy Models and Webtools

     I have developed a set of web-tools to help astronomers quickly complete a number of types of calculations which are frequently needed for their research. The first of these tools pulls data about the polarization and brightness of cosmic dust from a lookup table. This information can then be used to deduce which combinations of materials will recreate the given observations.

     The second of these tools I created was for NASA's Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node. It calculates the rate of sublimation of ices in the rapid rotator model. Along with creating the web-tool to quickly access this model, I was also responsible for recreating the model itself using python.

cosmicdust.astro.umd.edu This project will be available soon!
Experimental Geometry
Experimental Geometry

     I developed an algorithm to explicitly solve for any element in the family of Kenyon translational aperiodic tilings. The mathematics of tilings is directly applicable to the study of material science. My code is also capable of computing the “collared tiles” within a patch of Kenyon tiles and describe each set of them algebraically via an Anderson Putnam complex.

Visit my Tiling Photo Gallary (coming soon)
Machine Learning
Machine Learning

    I have enjoyed using machine learning for a variety of personal projects and professional assignments. I am now comfortable enough with the advantages it provides to make it a regular component of my work flow when working with a new dataset. In the project illustrated above, I used PyTorch to classify galaxies based off of the images provided by the Galaxy10 dataset. In this project, I implemented a custom data loader I developed to effectively scale up the size of my dataset and prevent the model from overfitting.

View in Google Colab!
2D Ising Model
2D Ising Model

    For this report and programming assignment, I recreated the 2D Ising Model from thermodynamics and used the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm to solve for the system's average energy and magnetization after thermalization.

Download This Project!
StatusBoard GUI
Wavelet Analysis

     In the fall of 2020, I briefly assisted the Britton Lab in the Joint Quantum Institute to help them learn about and predict the thermal drift in their prototype quantum computer. I did so by performing wavelet analysis with a complex morlet wavelet. In particular, I made use of the PyWavelets and Scaleogram packages for python.

View in Google Colab!
StatusBoard GUI
Reactor Status Board

    Using python, I created an interactive status board to be used in the University of Maryland's nuclear reactor. Through the GUI, it is possible to communicate with the facility’s experimental ports directly from the control room. Additionally, the status board is capable of tracking and recording fuel movement between the core and the neighboring storage containers.

Download This Project!
StatusBoard GUI
Reactivity Simulations

    I wrote a number of simulations for our nuclear reactor which were useful in calculating reactor specific parameters and in satisfying a question asked by the Nuclear Regulatory Committee in a Safety Analysis Report.

Download This Project!
StatusBoard GUI
Rod Worth Curve Generator

    For this project I wrote an algorithm, and created an accompanying interface, to calculate "control rod reactivity worth curves" with just six or seven data points or the rods' worth at different withdrawal percentages.

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Realignment Magnet
LINAC Realignment Magnet

    I've designed and modeled a realignment magnet for one of the University of Maryland's linear accelerators. The magnet consists of a pair of aluminum clamps and four aluminum plates wrapped with several meters of copper wires.

Download This Project!
Realignment Magnet
Quantum Computing (Qiskit)

    Thanks to the "IBM Q Experience", I have had the opportunity to teach myself the basics the basics of quantum computing. Beyond learning the quantum logic gates I have been successful in using qiskit to write my own algorithms. The attached example is my implementation of the Bernstein-Vazirani Algorithm to solve an arbitrarily long bit string based off the parameters of IBM's 15 qubit quantum computer in Melbourne.

Download This Project!
StatusBoard GUI
Quantum Optics

    In this paper I discuss the application of quantum optics to encode information into a qubit through gaussian pulses. I then demonstrated how we can use Fourier analysis to predict the net result from applying a composite wavefunction of multiple pulses.

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Eagle Projet Rabies Tables
Eagle Scout, Boy Scout Troop 1776 Titusville NJ

    For my eagle project, I designed and built three "rabies tables" to help my local communities with their rabies clinics. The steps themselves were made out of Type 2 PVC with waterproof stained plywood and an astroturf cover. I had my design approved by a local civil engineer to verify the design's integrity and longevity. The picture above is of one of the rabies tables about to be used at a spring 2020 rabies clinic four years after the project's completion.

Thanks for visting my website!

Email: vanselousmark@gmail.com

Phone Number: 609-613-7338