Bryan Nakasone

Research Assistant · LAVA Lab, UH Mānoa

I'm a Computer Science student at UH Mānoa on the Data Science track, graduating in 2027. I like working on projects that connect software to something you can see or use, from tools for HAVEN’s island models to small simulations.

Outside of class and the lab, I play video games, go hiking, and eat lots of food.

Bryan Nakasone
01 · LAVA Lab

Experience

Research Assistant, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Aug 2025 – Present

HAVEN brings Hawaiʻi’s energy and land-use data onto a physical model of the islands for policymakers and communities to explore. It’s the lab’s project with the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office; I work on the GIS tools, satellite imagery, and printed terrain that support it.

Fig. 01: HAVEN, the lab's projection system
GeoHaven layer conversion tool
Fig. 02: GeoHaven's layer conversion tool

GeoHaven

LAVA Lab · 2025

I built GeoHaven to replace a layer-conversion step the team used to do by hand. It takes GeoJSON and zipped shapefiles from the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office and turns them into projection-ready raster layers. Python handles the conversion, with a Next.js interface for researchers to manage their layers.

Printing the terrain

LAVA Lab · Modix Big-120X

I operate the lab’s Modix Big-120X, a large-format printer that produces HAVEN’s terrain models. I also keep it running: diagnosing failed prints, troubleshooting hardware, and replacing parts.

Energy Simulation Prototype

LAVA Lab · Godot

An energy simulation prototype I built in Godot for HAVEN.

02 · Selected Work

The class projects

Sentiment drift dashboard
Fig. 04: sentiment drift, plotted as a rolling average

Sentiment Drift & Bot-Detection Pipeline

ICS 435, Machine Learning · 2026

I took this course project from raw Bluesky posts to a dashboard showing how sentiment shifts around real-world events. An XGBoost bot detector achieved 96.25% recall on automated content, and a fine-tuned RoBERTa model classifies sentiment for the rolling-average chart.

UH Marketplace homepage

UH Marketplace

ICS 314, Software Engineering · Team project · 2025

A peer-to-peer marketplace for the UH Mānoa community, built with a team through Agile sprints and code review. I worked on authentication and the PostgreSQL schema; we deployed the app on Vercel.

03 · Skills

The stack

Languages

Python, TypeScript / JavaScript, Java, C#, SQL, MATLAB, LISP

ML & Data

PyTorch, Hugging Face, scikit-learn, XGBoost, Optuna, pandas

Geospatial & 3D

GeoJSON / shapefiles, raster & vector layer processing, Google Earth Engine, projection mapping, Unity, Godot

Infrastructure

Linux, Docker Compose, Caddy, Tailscale (WireGuard), PostgreSQL

Hardware

CAD modeling, large-format FDM 3D printing, through-hole soldering, hardware debugging, ZMK firmware

04 · Also Building

On my own time

Homelab

Personal · Dell OptiPlex 7070 SFF · Linux

I use this box for DNS, passwords, Git repositories, and search. I handle upgrades, backups, and recovery, with Tailscale for access away from home.

My hand-built split keyboards

Split Keyboards

Personal · Corne 36-key, Geist Totem

More time than is reasonable has gone into these two keyboards. I hand-soldered a Corne and a Totem, modeled parts for them in CAD, and debugged the shorts and continuity faults along the way. Both run ZMK firmware with layered keymaps I write, build, and flash myself, so the software is as much a part of the project as the hardware.