I'm a seasoned Wikipedia user. I joined in 2007 and have been both fascinated and contributing since the first day. I've used the site for many years now, and have made both attributed and anonymous contributions to dozens of articles, mostly in Physics, Economics, and Business. I edited and used Wikipedia anonymously from 2005 to 2007, upon which time I finally decided to create an account and userpage. I hope you find this information and any information I have contributed to the site useful. Questions and feedback are always welcome and can be posted in the bottom section or sent to me via email. Thanks for visiting!
~AK
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My name is AK and I'm from the greater Philadelphia area. I have lived in a dozen places across 5 states over the past 20 years, met over 70,000 people, worked 16 jobs in 12 different industries, started 21 companies, and started a handful of civic/nonprofit/student organizations. I'm a member of Alpha Phi Omega (Epsilon Zeta chapter), the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Intervarsity, and Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW). I'm a member of my local Rotary club and Italian community center. I believe in staying active in the communities in which I live, work, and play. Seasonal activities I enjoy are volleyball, hiking, and downhill skiing. I've hiked 3 Fourteeners of the Rocky Mountains and 13 of the Adirondack High Peaks... I plan on finishing all 46 ADK high peaks before the 10,000th person does, which I estimate will happen between 2018-19 at the current rate. My philosophy is that life is an adventure, with each day daring you to live it to the fullest.
I graduated from Newark High School (Newark, Delaware) 3rd in my class with career pathway courses in engineering design, CAD/CAM, architecture lab, environmental science, and basic web design. For my Bachelor's of Science I attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York) and as a dual major in Nuclear Engineering & Healthy Physics with a concentration in Nuclear Fusion, and with minors in Sustainable Development, Energy, and Environmental Design. I also studied for an Applied Associates of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at Hudson Valley Community College, where I took coursework in business law, accounting, marketing, and business startup and development. In 2010 I participated in a study-abroad/local program in wilderness survival, teamwork, leadership, and worldview where I received a Leadership Certificate in Objective Leadership Studies. To tie up several loose ends in the patchwork-quilt of a coursework listed above, I've taken the initiative to include a handful of independent study projects, senior thesis research, or group projects in various areas with pertinent relevance in today's energy/electricity production and small business sectors. These projects include research in: solar energy & technology, renewable energy, thermodynamic cycles & efficiencies, thermal & fluid flow, heat exchangers/heat recovery systems, water treatment & purification techniques, writing & communication, graphic design & visual communication, business plan writing, alternative business finance, accelerated debt-free startups, economics & the environment, [web-based] representation, and economic & environmental analysis of nuclear fuel cycles & systems, including breeder reactor systems analysis.
After taking a few years off from academia, I recently returned to school for a Masters in Fall 2014 to study Systems Engineering and Management to explore robustness and Reliability engineering characteristics of systems, looking to quantify the failure modes and probabilities of a given system, and analyzing its resilience patterns for application to startup business development and vital infrastructure systems.
My Philosophy about Wikipedia and Contributions
[edit]To help meet Wikipedia's quality standards for becoming a top-notch multidisciplinary encyclopedia, I only contribute after I've obtained a working understand of and adequate research on the topics and articles I edit. I speak from grounded, verifiable research and my own personal experience. I am a strong proponent of NPOV and moderate in controversial areas with which I am familiar. I also fix a lot of spelling and grammatical errors while browsing out of personal habit.
I can speak on a wide variety of topics related to where I have lived and worked, such as those relating to Philadelphia, Wilmington, Newark, West Chester, Colorado Springs, and the regions they are a part of (Capital District, Delaware valley), as well as on the schools I have attended (Newark High, Hudson Valley Community College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and the companies/organizations I have worked for (Clough, Harbour, & Associates, LLP (CHA), the National Science Foundation, among others.
My primary area of expertise is in business and engineering, with a specific emphasis on alternative energy, Startups, nuclear energy, environmental implications of energy production, the economics of power plants and related fuel industries, and sustainable energy development.
My First Major Contributions
[edit]1) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Added the Institute's first and most current mission statement(s) since nothing of the sort was listed anywhere on the main article.
2) Nuclear Science & Engineering, Radiation, & Applied Physics; random contributions, additions, corrections
3) Sustainability, Environmentalism: random articles, talk pages
...and the rest was history... I've been editing, fixing, and adding content to pages for almost 10 years and don't show any signs of stopping.
Talk to me on my discussion page...I want to hear what you think! On that note, I hope to see you around the 'pedia!
Happy wiking! (=>)
~AK
