A collage of images showing different stages of assembling an Arduino-powered robotic vehicle with electronic components, wiring, gears, and a pinwheel on grassy terrain.A hand wrapped in a produce wreath holds a screen with Agsight's plot overview screen.A wide shot of a student outdoors in a park holding a "I matched with Cornell" sign, surrounded by oak trees and autumn leaves on a sunny day.A person wearing a beige sweatshirt, green shorts, and a white cap stands with their back to the camera in a grassy area surrounded by trees, looking out toward open farmland and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
atmosphere
agsight
college
about
A back-facing photo of me, Joon Lee!
hi! 👋 I'm a questbridge scholar at cornell from dallas, texas.
studying cs 💻 + economics 📊 to help businesses make more sustainable 🌱 decisions.
LinkedIn
Instagram
YouTube
01
small questions, big answers
research
I'm drawn to questions that involve using geospatial intelligence and environmental science to advance social justice.
A collage of images showing different stages of assembling an Arduino-powered robotic vehicle with electronic components, wiring, gears, and a pinwheel on grassy terrain.
nasa globe
I invented an AI rover for outdoor air quality monitoring to help reduce PM2.5 air pollutants in 4 Dallas schools.
A set of visuals showing PM2.5 air pollution data, including a map of Dallas neighborhoods, a bar graph comparing PM2.5 concentrations between control and experimental sites, and a mobile app displaying air quality data for a school campus.
policy advocacy
I published a paper correlating pediatric asthma with particulate matter to advocate for atmospheric safety policy to city officials.
Overlapping photo cards showing black drone with red propellers flying above the SMU Electrical Engineering building entrance with decorative blue accent shapes on light gray background.
drone lab @smu
As 1 of 35 students to receive a $2K research scholarship, engineered drones with computer vision to map urban food deserts in Dallas.
A collage featuring Dr. Karl Ho from the University of Texas at Dallas, with images of R programming code and a data visualization plot labeled "Intertopic Distance Map."
data analytics @ut dallas
Under Dr. Karl Ho, I developed machine learning models to analyze the impact of Facebook ads on environmental ballot measures in 5 states.
02
lab to land
sustainability
from bioacoustics to DNA sequencing, I love pursuing questions at the intersection of computation and environment.
Overlapping photo cards showing an academic research paper titled "Secondary DNA Barcodes (CAM, GAPDH, GS, and RpB2) to Characterize Species Complexes and Strengthen the Powdery Mildew Phylogeny" and a modern red-brick Brown University building surrounded by green trees, on a light gray background with a beige star decorative shape.
mycology @ brown
I assisted Dr. Michael Bradshaw at the Brown Herbarium by designing secondary DNA barcode primers (CAM, GAPDH, GS, RpB2) to differentiate powdery mildew species with identical ribosomal ITS sequences.
Overlapping photo cards showing two views of Brown University's historic Romanesque Revival stone buildings with red-tiled roofs, arched entryways, and lush green campus pathways lined with trees, on a light gray background with a beige star decorative shape.
summer @ brown
I was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Brown's Pre-College Engineering Program. Created a species distribution model to assess marine lichenized fungi as bioindicators of coastal water pollution in Narragansett Bay.
03
teamwork + takeoff
experiences
I enjoy helping businesses make more sustainable decisions and analyze their economic tradeoffs.
A collage of images featuring a hand holding a phone with a nutrition app, an avocado with another phone displaying avocado details, and a smiling person holding produce on a farm.
agsight
I created a geospatial machine learning app to help 50+ vineyards and orchards in 2 countries adopt regenerative agriculture.
Tilted photo card showing Napa Valley vineyard with grapevines in foreground and wildfire smoke filling the valley between hills at golden hour, displayed with decorative mint green corner accent on beige background.
napa valley wildfires
I helped 4 Napa Valley winegrowers reduce smoke taint during the 2025 California wildfires using sensor-free machine learning algorithms.
A hand uses a gold kitchen sprayer to rinse fresh vegetables including kale, tomatoes, and lemons in a marble sink.
salinization
I helped 5 citrus and avocado farmers in California overcome saltwater intrusion by using satellite imagery to increase their yield by 12%.
Three overlapping photos of a student holding a "I matched with Cornell!" poster outdoors with decorative geometric shapes.
college counseling
I've helped FGLI students get into their dream schools, using my experience getting a full-ride to the Ivy League at 16.
Joon stands alone on a stage under a spotlight in front of closed blue curtains, while an audience member watches from the darkened auditorium.
education advocacy
I was invited to Capitol Hill by Rep. Burgess to advocate for reform to national agriculture curricula and advocated for a new agribusiness course in Frisco ISD.
A city billboard displays an advertisement for the “Climate Innovators Fellowship” with smiling participants and text indicating the program is virtual and runs from 2/11 to 4/14/2024.
climate innovators
As 1 of 35 nationally recognized climate advocates, I received environmental justice training from the U.S. Department of State and presented research at Columbia University.
awards
questbridge national college match scholar
selected as 1 of 40 students nationwide to receive a full-ride, $390K+ scholarship to cornell university. previously recognized as a college prep scholar with the quest for excellence STEM award.
brown summer scholar
awarded a full-ride scholarship to brown's pre-college engineering program and conducted computational mycology research under dr. michael bradshaw at the brown herbarium.
texas science and engineering fair
Placed 2nd in earth and environmental sciences at the texas science and engineering fair, finishing in the top 40 of 20K+ students statewide.
governor's science and technology scholar
selected as 1 of 35 students to receive a $2K research scholarship at southern methodist university through the governor's science and technology academy.
04
fun stuff
nature photography
every weekend, I run a 5K before sunset. during my lakeside runs through Frisco, I've developed an unexpected habit of taking photos. here are a few!
A vibrant sunset over a lake with pink blossoms in the foreground and houses silhouetted against the golden sky.
cherry blossom
Looking up through a textured tree trunk at a bright, spring green canopy against a blue sky.
canopy
Green leaves and yellow flower clusters on branches photographed from below against a clear bright blue sky.
spring blues
A bare tree silhouetted against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds and golden sunlight streaming through its branches.
winter solstice
Two tiny snowmen sitting on top of a large weathered tree stump in a snowy winter landscape with bare trees in the background.
winter wonderland
A suburban street with brick houses and a bright yellow pickup truck parked in front, featuring a large green tree in the center foreground.
autumn nostalgia
Textured tree bark in sharp focus in the foreground with a blurred hillside and lone tree visible in the distant background.
hillside
Purple redbud blossoms clustered on dark branches photographed from below against a cloudy gray sky.
spring ornaments
Vibrant magenta redbud flowers on branches frame a serene lake view with mountains in the distance under a clear blue sky.
tangled
Delicate pink blossoms on bare branches silhouetted against a blue-to-golden sunset sky with bare trees and a lake visible below.
sakura
A scenic view of a suburban road at sunset with vibrant pink and purple clouds above, intersected by power lines and light traffic below.
the frontier
A view of telephone wires stretching vertically across a pastel-colored sky with soft clouds at sunset.
power line
A close-up view of a tall agave plant with blooming flowers silhouetted against a cloudy sky with hints of blue.
agave
A close-up of a branch with small berries silhouetted against a vibrant sunset over a body of water, with sun rays streaming through the scene.
vestige
A blue metal bench sits on a grassy hill overlooking a neighborhood at sunset, with vibrant orange and pink clouds filling the sky.
a seat for the sun
A winding sidewalk runs through a grassy park at sunset, framed by silhouetted tree branches and a glowing orange and pink sky in the background.
curves
A hanging branch frames a vibrant sunset with intense orange sun rays illuminating suburban houses on a hillside.
tree's grasp
Bare, gnarled tree branches silhouetted against a dramatic orange and red sunset sky above suburban rooftops.
golden hour
A puddle reflecting orange and pink sunset clouds with bare trees silhouetted along the horizon and power lines crossing the sky.
paved
A sunset view framed between two trees, showing golden-orange sky over a sparse landscape with scattered buildings in the distance.
lookout
A heron stands at the water's edge during sunset with dramatic golden clouds reflected in the water.
heron
Wooden dock pilings extend into lake at sunset with golden-orange clouds.
cornerstone
A golden sunset casting warm light across an open field with wispy clouds streaking across a blue and yellow gradient sky.
dusk
Dried seed pods hanging from a thin branch with a blurred autumn field in the background.
hanging pods
avid museum-goer
from surrealism to romanticism, I like paintings that stretch how I see the world.
A painting showing a solitary man in a dark coat standing on a rocky precipice with his back to the viewer, gazing over a vast expanse of misty mountain peaks.
wanderer above sea of fog
A dramatic oil painting depicting massive icebergs with towering white and blue formations rising from turquoise Arctic waters, with a small sailing vessel in the distance and shipwreck debris in the foreground against a warm, atmospheric sky.
the icebergs
A luminous landscape painting of the American West featuring a prominent red sandstone butte reflected in a calm river, framed by trees in the foreground and smaller rock formations in the hazy distance under a soft blue sky.
an indian paradise
A painting of a surreal paradise teeming with hundreds of human figures, fantastical hybrid creatures, oversized fruits, and elaborate architectural fountains in pink and blue against a verdant landscape.
the garden of earthly delights
literary sleuth
from insights about the socialism that governs fungal roots to the works of legendary myrmecologist E.O. wilson, I love learning through books.
Book cover featuring a collage of vibrant mushrooms and fungi in orange, yellow, and pink against a black background overlaid with white mycelial network patterns.
entangled life
Book cover showing a circular composition of towering redwood and sequoia trees viewed from below, creating a natural frame around a glimpse of sky.
the overstory
Book cover featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist Edward O. Wilson smiling while holding a large ant near his eye, flanked by oversized sculptural ants and tropical leaves on a beige background.
tales from the ant world
A minimalist book cover design in red and black showing two hands with connecting white thread lines forming a complex web around a central tangled sphere.
millions of little threads
more work
back to home
A collage of images showing different stages of assembling an Arduino-powered robotic vehicle with electronic components, wiring, gears, and a pinwheel on grassy terrain.
inventing an AI-rover system to make clean air accessible for 2.4K+ dallas students
atmosphere
2024 - 2026
A hand wrapped in a produce wreath holds a screen with Agsight's plot overview screen.
helping 50+ vineyards and orchards respond to environmental threats
agsight
2024 - present