About
Hey there, my name is Alex Tan and I'm currently a software engineering student at the University Of Waterloo. I've worked on projects in my spare time such as a neural network framework, as well as a fluid particle simulator. I also love team sports, especially soccer, volleyball, basketball, and baseball.
Work Experience
Skills
Check out my latest work
I've worked on a variety of projects, from simple websites to complex web applications. Here are a few of my favorites.
LlamaNet NN Framework
I built a neural network deep learning framework, using only standard libraries and no external dependencies. It features customizability for different applications using various topologies, activation functions, and training parameters. It achieved 98.10% accuracy over 10,000 test cases on the MNIST Handwritten Digits Classification Test (50,000 training cases). Achieved a 96.3% accuracy after only a single epoch of running.
Artemis Physics Engine
High accuracy graphical fluid particle physics simulation engine built from scratch focused on low-level NVIDIA architecture-based GPU access and native Windows C++ rendering operations. Uses CUDA Toolkit to optimize particle position updating and DirectX API for hardware-accelerated rendering. Optimized to handle over 100000 particles at 60FPS at real-time simulation for improved user experience.
Spotifly
A cross-platform overlay that provides real-time updates and control on your Spotify playback. Offers a seamless and dynamic display of your music.
securED
AI-powered course management system built with Flask, SQLAlchemy, and OpenAI API, featuring secure file handling, dynamic assignments, and automated essay feedback.
DripFlip
Implemented AI-based recommendation algorithms using user ratings on web-scraped clothing images to deliver personalized style suggestions similar to platforms like Tinder and Pintrest. Built an augmented reality fitting room for instant user responses, using TensorFlow pose and gestures library.
alextan.ca v1
Developed a personal portfolio website featuring unique UI, and animation features such as a custom cursor.
Exploding Kittens
Multiplayer card game inspired by Exploding Kittens, built in Java with real-time networking, custom cards, and interactive graphics.
25K Monorepo Robotics Control Library
This project applies essential computational features—like median filtering and PID control—to streamline robotics tasks. Code is structured for easy integration and maintenance, focusing on efficient data handling and precise movement algorithms.
Tetris Battles!
Java-based Tetris game featuring dynamic graphics, multiplayer mode, and custom difficulty levels, built using Java Swing and AWT.
I love competing
From hackathons to pitch competitions here are some awards and honours I've recieved in the past few years.
- 2
2024 VEX Worlds Create Award
Dallas, Texas
Award for creative engineering design at the VEX World Championships. - W
Waterloo Engineering Scholarship and President's Scholarship of Distinction
Waterloo, Ontario
Combined $9000 Entrance Scholarship to an engineering program - N
NRG Hackathon - Finalist
Aurora, Ontario
Developed a Google Classroom assignment submission like application, with built in instant AI-feedback, plagarism checks, grammar checks etc for the student. Built a custom-trained feedback system by feeding it annotated datasets of strong and weak essays, enhancing the model's ability to generate detailed, context-aware feedback. - T
Target Alpha National Stock Pitching Competition - National Finalists
Toronto, Ontario
Prepared and presented a stock pitch of Qualcomm (QCOM). Included fundamental financial analysis. - S
SHAD Scholarship
New Brunswick, Canada
1 out of 2 recipients of a $1000 robotics scholarship to attend the SHAD Program. - C
Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest - Rank III
Waterloo, Ontario
National Mathematics Competition for Juniors and Seniors in high school. Heavy focus on combinatorics, number theory, and mathematical reasoning. - U
University of Toronto Science Unlimited Design Competition - Second
Toronto, Ontario
Designed, prototyped and pitched a potential unique lifesaving device for astronauts stranded on Mars. - C
Certificate of Recognition from MP Bob Saroya
Ottawa, Ontario
Issued by Canadian House of Commons for Excellence in Engineering. - C
Certificate of Recognition from MPP Sheref Sabawy
Toronto, Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Excellence in Engineering. - L
Letter of Recognition from PM Justin Trudeau
Ottawa, Ontario
Issued by Canadian House of Commons in Recognition for winning the 2021 VEX Robotics Skills World Championships. - 2
2021 VEX Skills World Champions
Dallas, Texas
Combined highest scoring runs in autonomous and operator-controlled VEX Robotics tournament international finals. - 2
2021 VEX Worlds Think Award
Dallas, Texas
Award for high quality robot programming at the VEX World Championships.
Get in Touch
Want to chat? Just shoot me a dm on linkedIn, or send me an email and I'll respond asap.