About

Hi! I'm Nick, nice to meet you.

I'm passionate about applying technology to public policy and social entrepreneurship, with the goal of creating a more sustainable, equitable world.

During my time at Georgia Tech, I've worked with Dr. Brian An's Urban Research Group, using data and interactive technologies, like ArcGIS, to demonstrate the impacts of policy decisions. We have published and presented an interactive 'digital history tour' of Atlanta, focused on discriminatory planning.

Our most recent research includes analyzing large real estate transaction datasets to investigate the impact of institutional investors on the housing market— preliminary findings suggest this activity dampened homeownership among marginalized groups. I've worked with Python (pandas), SQL, OpenRefine, and other technologies to enable this investigation.

For three years, I've been an environmental advocate with Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL). I've lobbied on Capitol Hill for policy responses to climate change— specifically the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 2307), and co-authored a technical policy memo on data-driven climate policies. At Tech, I lead our chapter of Citizens' Climate which has received endorsements for HR2307 from Atlanta City Council members and local businesses.

Fun Facts

This is my cat Cleo. He loves meeting new people... as surprising as that is for a cat.

A cat in a box

Some hobbies of mine:

  • Music/dance & concerts (I like all genres, in particular KPOP. Artists include: Cavetown, TXT, The Boyz, Red Velvet, Aespa, Declan McKenna)
  • YouTube (lots of urban planning videos)
  • Reading— I mostly enjoy fantasy but have been reading more nonfiction
  • Daydreaming about the traveling I will do... eventually (soon?)
  • Taking care of & admiring my many plants (crammed in my tiny apartment)
  • Brainstorming random ideas that I'll get to one day
  • Meeting new people / learning about different cultures & places (so please feel free to reach out :D)

Experience

Data Researcher | Urban Research Group @ GT School of Public Policy

Data Extraction & Analysis

  • Disaggregated real estate amenities data from 600,000+ listings with Python Pandas to analyze the impact of institutional investors in the housing market.
  • Wrote SQL queries to extract desired data from a legacy database of 40 million real estate transactions.
  • Fuzzy matched multiple large datasets using Python and OpenRefine to identify investors with high market shares.

Digital Integrative Liberal Arts Center (DILAC) Grant

  • Created a narrative ‘digital history tour’ of discriminatory planning in Atlanta; spatial data was mapped on ArcGIS.
  • Co-authored a successful grant proposal totaling $20,000 and graduate stipends from DILAC.
  • Developed a website to display the collected textual data, presented at the 2022 Atlanta Studies Symposium.

Co-Liaison to Sen. Warnock, WI Policy Task Force | Citizens' Climate

  • Lobbied in the offices of Senator Purdue, Warnock, and Representatives Johnson, Smith, Norcross, and Massie for the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 2703 in the 116th Congress).
  • Co-authored a policy memo advising methods for the Wisconsin Climate Task Force to collect electricity consumption and emissions data; focused on the integration of data from Midcontinent ISO (MISO) and data analysis applied to environmental justice. Four recommendations from the memo were included in the final policy guidelines submitted to Governor Evers and the Wisconsin legislature.
  • Organized lobby meetings for 15+ students in Georgia; educated Congressional staff and volunteers on the impacts of various climate policies.

Projects

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to anti-cheating policies at Georgia Tech, I cannot publish projects related to class assignments (particularly to GitHub). Some have been published in an acceptable, modified format; the remaining projects can be shared privately upon request.

Current Projects | Oct 2022 - Present
Campus Discovery Service: Android app where organizers can post on-campus events; users can view events, RSVP, etc. [LINK]
(Tech: REST API with authentification (Postman, Node), MongoDB, Android Studio, Java)

Just in Time Watch: Syncs to the user's calendar and notifies them when they need to leave for an event; uses GPS and IMU (accelerometer) data to provide contextual information and continuous feedback on actions the user must take to arrive on time.
(Tech: React Native, signal/data processing)


Past Projects
Database of Simulated Travel Booking System | Oct - Dec 2021
Developed a relational database, from EERD diagram to complete SQL schema, for a travel booking system that tracks flights and properties for user accounts. [LINK]

General Search Algorithms for Pacman | Sep 2022
Programmed various searches (ex: A-star) to find the best path for different Pacman challenges.

Simple Computer Datapath | June 2021
Implemented the datapath and processor microcode of a simple functioning computer in CircuitSim (image below to the right). [LINK]

Processing Steps from Phone Sensors | Sep 2022
Recorded and cleaned data from phone gyroscope; programmed Python script to count number of steps. [LINK]

NeoPixel API | April 2022
Implemented a programming interface between NeoPixel (string of LED lights) hardware and Assembly; wrote technical documentation. [LINK]

Data Analysis of Political Social Media | Aug 2020
Created a web-scraper using Python and Reddit’s PRAW API to collect data from political subreddits.

JavaFX Startup Idea Tracker | April 2021
Created a graphical application that allows the user to input and rank a list of ideas. [LINK]

Skills

Technical: Python (Pandas, Numpy, SciPy) | Embedded & Digital System Design | SQL & Relational Databases | Git & Github | UML | Java | HTML | CSS | JavaScript | FPGA | VHDL
Communication: Presentations | Writing | Memos | Reports | Group Organizing
Misc: Policy Analysis

Selected Courses: Data Structures & Algorithms | AI & Cognitive Sci. | Database Systems | Digital Design Lab | Mobile Computing | Objects & Design | Micro / Macro Econ

Awards

Create-X Scholar | Georgia Tech (2020)

  • One of ten students admitted in 2020 to recieve unique access to Georgia Tech's entrepreneurial eco-system via a spot in Startup Launch, a start-up advisor, and a guarenteed internship with a startup company.

Top 10 International Finalist for Entrepreneurship | DECA (2019)

  • One of 10 International Finalists, out of a pool of approximately 5,000, in the Entrepreneurship Series at the 2019 DECA International Career Development Conference. Overall rankings are determined by a combination of an exam score on the topic and associated presentations. Awarded a total of 4 international awards.

National, State, and Local Speaking Awards | National Speech & Debate Association (2019)

  • NJ State Semi-Finalist in Impromptu & Oratory Speech, Semi-Finalist at Ridge (Natl.) Tournament. Wrote, memorized, and performed speeches on sustainability and social justice.

Monmouth County Caring Award | Monmouth County Guidance Directors Association (2020)

  • Recognizes students in Monmouth County who have shown exceptional compassion and care for their communities.

Links & Contact

Email: "nicholas.polimeni" at any of the following: gatech.edu, outlook.com, or click here

LinkedIn: click here

GitHub: click here

Resume: click here