sasharies

I am Alexander (Sasha) Ries,
A computer Engineering
and Physics student
at Dartmouth College

RECENT PROJECTS

Final Project

Dialed: AI Mindset Boosts​

Final Project

Qubit design​

Final Project

Klister Spreader

Final Project

PID controller​

Final Project

Image Analysis

Final Project

AM Radio Frequency Receiver:​

Final Project

FPGA Morse Code Translator​

Dartmouth College - Thayer School of Engineering

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering

June 2025

Colby College

Bachelor of Arts in Physics + Russian Language and Culture

May 2024

Experience

Dialed AI Pep Talks

Backend Software Developer and Co-Founder

February 2024 - Current

Dialed AI Pep Talks is an AI-powered app which generates personalized and customizable pep talks to help improve your mindset when you’re feeling down or struggling, improving motivation, confidence, and performance. 

my work includes:

  1. Optimizing content streaming using Websocket endpoints, reducing speech delivery wait time by 75%
  2. Designing ephemeral motivational content links with configurable 72-hour TTL (Time To Live)
  3. Implementing concurrent HTTPS requests with multi-threading and coroutines using Celery, Flask, and AsyncIO to handle high-volume speech processing
  4. Configuring multi-core processing through Redis server communication, drastically improving system performance and scalability

Dartmouth College

Quantum Computing Research Assistant

August 2022 - September 2023

I drove a design project modeling and machining optical resonator cavities for
superconducting circuits.
My work included:

  1. Designing and 3D modeling Optical Resonator Cavities
  2. Collaborating with Machine shop workers to design machinable prototypes
  3. Simulating Electromagnetic properties of cavities using Ansys HFSS, streamlining the prototyping process
  4. Collaborating with team members to integrate different component designs into 3D
    optical Qubits.
  5. Mathematically demonstrating that a solenoid could not produce a magnetic field strong enough to induce non linear resonator behavior, steering us towards a
    different medium for magnetic fields.

Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc

Computer Engineering Intern

June 2024 - September 2024

I assisted with the development of nuclear reactor instrumentation and control systems,
electric power distribution systems, and related devices.

My work included:

  1. Designing a PCB to interface a microprocessor with external components and
    control a custom PTZ camera
  2. Creating a preliminary circuit design based on requirements in the statement of
    work document
  3. Leading team meetings and discussions on project milestones and design choices
  4. Writing a design report detailing part functionality, justification for design choices,
    and bill of materials list

Dartmouth Biomedical Engineering Center

Computational Research Assistant

September 2022 - June 2023

I led a project automating image analysis in Python for images taken during a Polymer Fatigue Crack Propagation Test. This decreased the time needed for researchers to analyze
Polymer fatigue characteristics by over 60%.

My work included:

  1. Setting up an image to data pipeline using Pandas and OpenCV
  2. Programming a reference point detection algorithm for different parts of the polymer
  3. Implementing a visual user interface to quickly adjust reference points and update
    errors

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth Emerging Engineers Teaching Assistant

September 2022 - June 2023

As a DEE ta, I mentored students new to topics in math, physics, and programming, encouraging their resolve in pursuing engineering.

Alexander_Ries_Resume

About

I am an engineering student at Dartmouth College, where I am currently completing my Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Engineering. I will be taking courses for the Master of Engineering in the fall of 2025, with the goal of completing the ME by November 2025.

I’m currently exploring summer internship opportunities in the tech industry, hoping to contribute meaningful work to Backend, Frontend and Embedded Software Engineering teams, while also gaining valuable experience.

Download CV
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Dialed

Dialed is a pocket-sized mindset boosting tool, a mobile app that delivers quick, personalized mood boosting audio messages right when you need them most, backed by scientific studies demonstrating that pep talks have a significant impact on performance and mood. I am one of 3 co-founders on this startup, myself, Marlon Grandy, and James Lau.

Link

3D Optical Resonator Qubit Design

A monolithic aluminum electromagnetic resonator, used to house a sapphire substrate transmon, which when coupled together functions as a Qubit usable in quantum computing. I used SolidWorks to design the EM resonator based on designs I found reading physics papers, and simulated it in Ansys HFSS to determine the resonant frequency. I iteratively update the dimensions of design based on my simulations, ensuring the
resonant frequency was correct, and ensured the dimensions were machinable in the Dartmouth Machine Shop.

klister spreader

A 2-part product that makes applying klister wax to Nordic skis easier, cleaner, and faster. A 3D printable and castable cap designed using SolidWorks that screws onto a tube of klister that distributes and evenly spreads klister. And a wraparound heating pad that with a temperature feedback system programmed in C++ to maintain klister at an optimum
temperature.

Pendulum Stabilizing PID Controller

A Proportional Integral Derivative analog controller that stabilizes a wooden rod hinging on a small electric DC car. I was the project lead on this and mathematically modeled the pendulum, sensor, and DC motor as a lumped system model. I then used MATLAB Siso Tool to simulate and design an analog controller that had the most stable response to different input signals.

Automated PFCP Image Analysis

An automated Python program that can be ran from the command prompt, or through a text editor, that takes in a set of images of polymers undergoing a Polymer Fatigue Crack Propagation test and outputs an excel sheet of crack length estimates. In addition, the program marks important reference points on each image for error checking and includes a user interface to quickly and manually fix any errors. Source code can be found on my Github.

AM Radio Frequency Receiver:

An Amplitude Modulating RF signal processor, that converts AM radio signals into audible sound. I mathematically determined components values and based on their data sheets picked out parts to make each signal filter.

FPGA Morse Code Translator

A Field Programmable Gate Array programmed in Verilog Hardware Description Language (VHDL) that takes in keyboard inputs, sets them in a queue, and processes each input in the queue by buzzing and blinking a light in corresponding morse code sequence.