Grace Raper

Software engineer based in Seattle, WA

👩‍💻 Engineering Experience

Chief Operating Officer / Lead Software Engineer @ Ghost Pacer (March 2021 - February 2023)

Ghost Pacer is a Techstars-backed company that ran one of the most sucessful crownfunding campaigned in history (top 1%) for custom augmented reality glasses uniquely suited for outdoor and active applications.

As COO, I set company goals and direction, engaged with investors and external partners, and oversaw the hiring and onboarding process for new employees. As Lead Software Engineer, I managed a team of developers using Agile principles to design, develop, and test multiple software releases for Ghost Pacer’s custom AR headset. Some highlights of my engineering contributions include:

Lightweight Augmented Reality Application: Implemented and optimized the app for our embedded platform with comprehensive unit testing and regular profiling analysis. Utilized 3D math and linear algebra to position and orient the user/avatar effectively in each frame.
Advanced Algorithm Development: Designed algorithms that accurately update the user’s position every frame by combining data from embedded GPS, IMU, accelerometer, NASA elevation surveys, and previous run history. Developed IMU and accelerometer-based algorithms to allow for a large subset of functionality indoors without GPS data. Analyzed data using NumPy and Pandas to inform algorithm development and assess performance.
Bluetooth Integration: Integrated Bluetooth classic and BLE peripheral devices and developed custom data protocols to communicate between the headset and iOS/watchOS applications, leveraging insights from CoreLocation and HealthKit (e.g., user heart rate, sleep statistics, walking cadence, etc.). Implemented audio functionality to connect Bluetooth headsets to receive audio workouts and verbal coaching.
UI Design: Used DCC tools (e.g., Blender, Photoshop, Illustrator) to create graphical components that were functional and visually appealing. Streamlined the UI design to enable our custom 3D graphics engine to run at a consistent 60 fps, allowing for a smooth user experience.
Repository Management: Employed Git and GitHub to promote collaborative, high-quality, and well-documented code through the implementation of shared style guides, rigorous pull request reviews, and effective branch management and code merging techniques.

Software Development Intern @ Unify Square (June 2019 — September 2019)

Worked with REST APIs to organize, interpret, and compare basic user information across multiple workplace communication platforms, including Zoom, Teams, Slack, and Facebook for Workplace.
Used popular data analysis tools, such as Python, R, and SQL databases, to clean and analyze data, uncovering key insights that informed strategic decision-making.
Developed Power BI dashboards and presented findings to C-level executives, providing valuable visualizations of complex data sets.

👩‍🎓 Education

B.S. in Computer Science @ The University of Washington (September 2019 - March 2022)

Graduated in March 2022 with a B.S. in Computer Science: Data Science and a minor in Applied Mathematics.

👩‍🔧 Personal Projects

Caspir Camera - check it out on TestFlight!

CaspirCam is a ios photography app that I built to help people take better photos. Caspir Cam enables users to copy the location, posing, and composition of images from templates by pro photographers and CaspirCam influencers. Built with Swift.

RedViz - https://grace-raper.github.io/redviz/

RedViz is a data visualization framework I created that allows for the comparision of modern day census data in the context of historical HOLC maps in order to explore and communicate the lasting impacts of redlining (note: built for desktop).

💁‍♀️ Additional Experiences

Vice President I - Coordinator of Committees @ Zeta Tau Alpha (October 2020 - December 2021)

Managed a ~$50k budget for the Programs Council, distributing funds between events, negotiating vendor contracts, creating risk reduction plans, and ensuring expenses were within budget.
Oversaw development of 30 Programs Council members, providing training, support, and mentorship to foster leadership skills and personal growth.
Served as the liaison between the Executive Council and Programs Council, delivering regular updates and ensuring a diverse and engaging calendar of events that aligned with the chapter and organization goals, while targeting the needs and desires of our 100+ members. As a result, we achieved a 95% member retention rate.

Math and Computer Science Tutor @ GoPeer (March 2020 - March 2021)

Delivered one-on-one math and computer science tutoring to over 20 high school students, resulting in an average increase of 2 letter grades in their coursework.
Developed personalized project-based curriculums for each student, tailored to their individual learning needs, resulting in a 98% client satisfaction rating.

👩‍🎨 Hobbies & Interest

In my free time you can find me:

🚣‍♀️ Rowing across Lake Union
✈️ Flying over Seattle practicing for my pilots license
📸 Snapping photos towards my goal of taking 100k pictures in 2023