Abstract
This thesis portfolio includes two distinct projects: a technical capstone project focused on developing an educational satellite visualization application, and a Science and Technology Studies (STS) research paper analyzing abstraction, labor, and accountability in Amazon Web Services (AWS). While both projects engage with complex technological systems, they were developed with different goals, methodologies, and disciplinary perspectives. The technical project emphasizes software design, computational modeling, and user interaction, while the STS research focuses on critical analysis of large-scale infrastructure and its social implications. Together, they represent two complementary but independent approaches to understanding technology, one through construction and implementation, and the other through analysis and critique.
The technical component of this portfolio is a full-stack web application designed to support the exploration of satellite motion through an interactive 3D interface. The system uses a Python FastAPI backend and a React-based frontend built with React Three Fiber and Three.js. It processes real-world satellite data in the form of Two-Line Element (TLE) sets and applies orbital propagation models, including SGP4, to compute satellite positions over time. The application allows users to visualize satellites in a geocentric orbit view as well as from a ground-based observatory perspective, providing multiple ways to understand spatial relationships and motion.
The backend is responsible for calculating both geocentric and topocentric satellite states, exposing this information through RESTful API endpoints that support real-time queries and time-based projections. To improve performance, the system optionally incorporates MongoDB caching for repeated computations over short time windows. The frontend renders Earth and satellite objects in an interactive 3D scene, accompanied by a user interface that includes location selection tools, satellite filtering, and information panels displaying telemetry such as altitude, velocity, and elevation. The application also includes a guided tutorial and structured lesson modules designed to support classroom use. Overall, the project prioritizes clarity and usability, aiming to make complex orbital mechanics concepts accessible through visualization and interaction.
The STS research paper examines how AWS constructs the appearance of seamless and reliable cloud infrastructure while obscuring the underlying labor and organizational complexity that sustain it. The analysis draws on previous research in infrastructure studies and critical transparency studies to argue that AWS’s apparent simplicity is not an inherent feature of cloud computing, but rather the result of deliberate design and communication strategies. Through abstraction, AWS presents users with stable and easy-to-use interfaces while concealing the physical infrastructure, human labor, and decision-making processes that enable those services.
The paper focuses primarily on moments of system failure, such as major outages, as opportunities to examine what is typically hidden during normal operation. It argues that while AWS provides post-incident reports that describe technical causes, these disclosures tend to minimize or omit the role of human actors and organizational conditions. Additionally, governance frameworks such as the Shared Responsibility Model are analyzed as mechanisms that define and distribute responsibility between AWS and its customers. While these frameworks present a clear division of responsibilities, they also reinforce asymmetries in information access and control. The paper concludes that AWS’s use of abstraction and transparency mechanisms serves to maintain the appearance of accountability while limiting meaningful insight into how the system operates.
Completing both projects provided experience working with both technical development and critical analysis. The capstone project involved designing and implementing a complex software system, requiring attention to performance, usability, and accuracy. It emphasized problem-solving, system architecture, and the translation of mathematical models into interactive visualizations. In contrast, the STS research paper required engaging with academic literature, developing theoretical arguments, and analyzing real-world systems through a critical lens. This work focused on interpreting existing technologies rather than building new ones.
Working on both projects during the same period required balancing different types of thinking and methodologies. The technical project demanded iterative development and testing, while the STS research involved sustained reading, writing, and argumentation. Each project contributed to a broader understanding of how complex systems can be approached from different perspectives. Together, they demonstrate the range of skills I have developed throughout my degree.
