Arnav Shah

Since January 2009, I've officially instructed karate (Kyokushin style) in Sunnyside, Queens. Most of my students are younger folks (ages 5 to 16) but I also train a few adults. In this full-contact "hard-style" martial art, we especially focus on stamina and conditioning. I've trained continuously in this art since 2005 and received my black belt in December 2008. I continue to train and learn new things here.

I also train in the art of capoeira, an afro-brazilian martial art originally practiced by slaves in Brazil. This martial art is extremely unique in its use of minimal contact (if done properly), cultural heritage, and mix of stand-up, ground, and acrobatic movements. Since 2007, I've trained with Motumbaxé Capoeira in Midtown, Manhattan. I began capoeira training in 2006, at the Stony Brook University Capoeira Club, as a way to augment my karate training, but quickly embraced this martial art as its own.

I'm a staff member of Wednesday Night Skate, NY's largest group skate. From April to October, we skate about 10 miles of NYC streets weekly. I joined the staff in 2009 and really enjoy the opportunity to help out other skaters and keep them skating safely on the city streets.

I'm a regular on Empire Skate Club's Tuesday Night Skate, which runs year-round. This smaller group of advanced skaters typically covers 20 miles in the night. To give a sense of that distance, we always start by Central Park on the West Side and we'll often go to Prospect Park [in Brooklyn] and back, or to the north end of Manhattan and back, or to Flushing Meadow Park and back, or to New Jersey [across the GWB] and back.

I'm familiar with object-oriented programming, web development, databases, media creation and editing (image, audio, video), usability design, and computing theory. I've developed using Java, C++, JavaScript, [X]HTML, CSS, PHP, jQuery, AJAX, SQL, WordPress, Google Maps, and Objective-C.

I'm knowledgeable in human social and institutional behavior. My background on the natural sciences, especially evolution, extends into this domain and touches in-group/out-group behavior, exchange systems, industry dynamics, and governments.

I'm well read on health and well-being and am particularly experienced in lifestyle factors such as eating well and physical activity.

I attended Stony Brook University from 2004 to 2008 and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science. I also did considerable work in the natural sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, organic chemistry, with labwork in each, microbiology) and the social sciences (psychology, human social behavior/history, political psychology, game theory). I graduated with 156 credits and a 3.76 GPA.

I attended Stuyvesant High School from 2000 to 2004 and was privileged to do so much hands on work. I enjoyed courses in drafting (making technical drawings of spacecrafts, designing an airplane in CAD), shop classes (making jewelery from pieces of metal, building a ratchet/pawl mechanism from wood), computer science (building a multiplayer game in C++, using C and matrix math to create animated graphics), advanced biology (looking at daphnia under a microscope, phenotyping fruit flies, dissecting a cat), and acting (playing theater games, performing short scenes).

In 2007, Bingham, Souza, and I began a project to provide a scientifically grounded explanation for the origins, purpose, and history of religion by building upon the Human Uniqueness Theory. We've completed the theoretical framework and we're presently selecting and exploring empirical data to support our theory. We intend on publishing a paper in an academic journal.

Over Summer 2009 and Spring 2010, I was a graduate level TA for Bingham and Souza's online version of their course on human uniqueness. I primarily encourage critical thinking and guide conversations on the discussion boards. It's always an incredible experience because of the insights presented by students.

I built and maintain Bingham and Souza's book website. I also advise them on technology matters.

Recent posts from http://blog.sonicans.net/