Daniel Garcia
Tinley Park
Summary
Motivated data scientist with foundation in planetary science, dedicated to enhancing mission-driven, data-informed projects that tackle real-world issues, while pursuing continuous development through collaborative technical efforts and applied research.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Lead Opening Server
Butler National Golf Club
Oak Brook
05.2024 - Current
- Opened clubhouse daily and supported team setup and operations
Researcher & Student Practitioner
Purdue University
West Lafayette
08.2022 - 05.2025
- Built a basic climate prediction model using historical temperature data; Visualized forecasting prediction differences across states and observed that northern regions generally show faster warming trends
- Used matplotlib and pandas to create animations and plots to communicate trends
- Participated in a group project through The Data Mine analyzing home-field advantage across NBA, NHL, and MLS games
- Helped clean, filter, and merge multiple sports datasets by using python; created visualizations and boxplots to compare home win rates across leagues, and interpreted trends such as variability and consistency
- Gained brief exposure to machine learning library TensorFlow through collaborative tasks
Sales Associate
Dick's Sporting Goods
West Lafayette
05.2020 - 05.2025
- Completed day-to-day tasks as assigned by management in a general retail role
Research Student
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
West Lafayette
05.2022 - 08.2023
- Analyzed carbonaceous chondrite meteorite samples to identify signs of aqueous alteration
- Assisted in identifying and labeling calcite and dolomite in meteorite samples using SEM and EDS
- Presented findings at the Purdue Summer Research Conference, explaining early-stage methods for detecting water alteration in meteorites
Planetary Science Intern
Purdue University
West Lafayette
05.2022 - 08.2022
- Helped identify solar flare track damage in lunar mineral grains under the guidance of graduate researchers
- Operated SEM and TEM to collect and review high-resolution images of space-weathered grain surfaces
- Identified correlations between track density, grain depth, rim length, and optical changes in space-weathered samples
- Used DigitalMicrograph software for basic imaging tasks and participated in early data interpretation for Artemis mission-relevant samples
Education
Bachelor of Science - Planetary Science
Purdue University
other05.2025
Certificate - Applications in Data Science
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN05-2025
Skills
- Programming languages (Python)
- Data manipulation (Pandas, Excel)
- Graphing and visualization (Matplotlib)
- Interactive notebooks (Jupyter, Google Colab)
- Version control (GitHub)
- Data preprocessing techniques
- Visualization strategies
- Lab techniques (SEM, TEM, EDS)
- Research writing in science
- Analytics in sports and statistics
Accomplishments
- Emerging Leader Scholar – Four year merit-based scholarship awarded for academic achievement and leadership
- Alpha Alpha Alpha Honor Society – Inducted as a first-generation college student with strong academic standing
- LSAMP Conference Presentation Winner – Recognized for introductory-level research presentation on meteorite samples
Certification
- Applications in Data Science
Affiliations
- Data Mine Learning Community - Program combining data science with real-world team projects
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Lead Opening Server
Butler National Golf Club
05.2024 - Current
Researcher & Student Practitioner
Purdue University
08.2022 - 05.2025
Research Student
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
05.2022 - 08.2023
Planetary Science Intern
Purdue University
05.2022 - 08.2022
Sales Associate
Dick's Sporting Goods
05.2020 - 05.2025
Bachelor of Science - Planetary Science
Purdue University
Certificate - Applications in Data Science
Purdue University
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