Kai Murakami Morales
Data Science & Economics Student
Pittsburgh, PA | Email | LinkedIn | Photography | GitHub
Data Science & Economics Student
Pittsburgh, PA | Email | LinkedIn | Photography | GitHub
I’m Kai, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a double major in Data Science and Economics. I’m passionate about motorsports, photography, and tech. After living in Japan for six years, I discovered my love for cars—currently working on my e210 hatchback 6mt. When I’m not behind the wheel, I’m tinkering with Arch Linux on old ThinkPads, weightlifting, or diving into a good book. I’m a big fan of Formula One, soccer, and football, and I enjoy the endless pursuit of self-improvement through learning and digital minimalism.
I help to Facilitate real-time access to telemetry data from the Swanson School of Engineering's Panther Racing Formula SAE car by managing a multi-script server system for seamless data flow. The system receives raw sensor data, translates it via CAN protocols, and routes the processed data to a live dashboard for subteam analysis during competitions and R&D. By using asynchronous queues and custom Python functions, the system efficiently handles large data volumes, prevents latency, and restarts smoothly when the car reboots, ensuring reliable, low-latency telemetry access.
Since August 2021, I have worked as a freelance photographer and videographer, capturing high-profile events, including President Biden’s 2022 visit to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. My portfolio also includes weddings, family portraits, and sports at high school, collegiate, and professional levels. My work has been recognized with awards, including in the Fujifilm Roppongi (Tokyo) Photo Contest for my photos of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic celebrations and the Scholastic Art Award for Photography for my street photography. I was also offered a position as a photographer at The Pitt News, though I ultimately decided not to accept the offer.
Bachelor of Science - BS, Data Science
Bachelor of Science - BS, Economics
Minor: Computer Science