Sydney was born in California and raised in Hilo on the Big Island. She graduated from Waiakea High School and is currently attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She values collaboration and cooperation in engineering, and aims to advance technology in a way that inspires and unifies people.

Home Island: Big Island

High School: Waiakea High School

Institution when accepted: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Akamai Project: Designing and Constructing Mounting System for Particle Counter Deployment at CFHT Dome

Project Site: Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) – Waimea, Hawai‘i Island HI

Mentor: Greg Barrick

Project Abstract:

Dust can impair a telescope by scattering incoming light and reducing the lifetime of the mirror coating. To identify the atmospheric conditions that bring dust into the telescope, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) will utilize particle counters to monitor air particle levels. However CFHT currently lacks a mounting system that will allow these counters to perform on and around the telescope. A case was designed and constructed to allow the particle counters and their corresponding Raspberry Pi computers to be mounted at various locations within the observatory without impeding their sensing function. The cases are 3D-printed using polylactic acid (PLA) plastic, providing complete access to the necessary power and wire ports, as well as allowing the particle counter and Raspberry Pi computer to be removable for maintenance. The particle sensing abilities of a cased counter and a naked counter were compared to find negligible variation, indicating no interference from the case. These cases will assist CFHT with their observations of dust presence within the dome.