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 💻 + environmental engineering 🌱 to develop geospatial AI for wildfires, agriculture, and bioremediation.
LinkedIn
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YouTube
01
small questions, big answers
nasa
I'm drawn to questions that involve using computational sustainability and environmental engineering to protect our atmosphere and land against climate change.
Overlapping photo cards displaying a PCA scatter plot and density chart with red data points labeled "North American isolates," a photograph of a NASA Ames Research Center building, and a research figure showing global fire activity variations from 1100–2100 with MAE and RMSE formulas, arranged on a light gray background with a dark navy arrow shape and a light blue organic blob accent.
incoming @ nasa ames
I will develop a wildfire alert system that produces probabilistic fire spread forecasts and crown intensity maps for the US Forest Service.
A collage of various electronics and robotics parts featuring Arduino boards, sensors, wires, a motor assembly, and a small outdoor rover with a pinwheel mounted on top.
atmospheric tech @ nasa globe
I patented an AI-powered, robotic outdoor air quality monitoring device to 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 @ nasa globe
I published paper in a Harvard-affiliated journal correlating pediatric asthma vulnerability with particulate matter to inform an atmospheric safety bill.
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
I assisted Dr. Karl Ho by developing machine learning models to analyze the impact of Facebook ads on environmental ballot measures in 5 states.
02
lab to land
research
from atmospheric to agricultural technology, I love pursuing questions at the intersection of environmental and computational intelligence.
Overlapping photo cards displaying a hand holding a green smartphone with a crop analytics dashboard above a pile of fresh vegetables including tomatoes and mushrooms against a blue sky, a smartphone showing an avocado plant disease detection screen beside a whole avocado on a stone pedestal against a cream background, and a smiling farmer in denim overalls and a bucket hat standing in a green agricultural field, arranged on a light gray background with a dark teal organic blob shape and a mint green star-shaped accent.
agsight
I created a geospatial machine learning app used by 50+ vineyards and orchards in 4 countries to deliver predictive agricultural insights.
Overlapping photo cards displaying a Napa Valley vineyard under an orange-hued smoke-filled sky with wildfire burning on surrounding hillsides and a hand rinsing fresh vegetables including kale, tomatoes, and red cabbage under a brass faucet on a marble sink on a light gray background with mint and dark green decorative shapes.
napa valley wildfires
Helped 4 Napa Valley winegrowers retain 87% of harvest ($340K+ saved) during the 2025 California wildfires by reducing smoke taint.
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
Assisted Dr. Michael Bradshaw by engineering species distribution models to assess marine lichenized fungi as bioindicators of water pollution in Narragansett Bay.
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 for mapping urban food deserts in Dallas.
awards
questbridge national college match scholar
Selected as 1 of 40 students nationwide to receive a full-ride, $400K scholarship to Cornell University. Previously recognized as a College Prep Scholar with the Quest for Excellence STEM Award.
brown summer scholar
Selected as 1 of 30 students to receive a full-ride scholarship to Brown's Pre-College Engineering Program with a focus on computational and environmental engineering.
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.
03
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
A solitary pink wildflower nestles low in vivid green grass while bare-stemmed wildflowers reach toward a glowing hazy sun, bathing a rolling yellow wildflower meadow in warm golden light.
prairie dusk
A golden sunset casting warm light across an open field with wispy clouds streaking across a blue and yellow gradient sky.
dusk
Wooden dock pilings extend into lake at sunset with golden-orange clouds.
cornerstone
A frost-damaged prickly pear cactus in a gravel bed, silhouetted against a winding blue lake and bright morning sky in a Texas park.
cactus
A black metal railing frames a calm spring lake lined with golden reeds and lush green trees under a clear blue Texas sky.
lakeside rail
An owl butterfly with false eyespot markings rests against a mossy wooden post surrounded by layered pink granite rocks, nearly camouflaged in the dim, cave-like corner of a tropical enclosure.
butterfly
golden channel
A bare, dramatically leaning tree silhouetted against a dual-toned winter sky of blue and gold, overlooking a snow-ringed frozen pond at dusk.
winter dusk
Dark magnolia branch silhouettes arc gracefully across a deep cobalt blue sky, framing a vivid orange and yellow sunset glow bleeding up from the lower left corner with a faint airplane contrail cutting diagonally overhead.
jet stream
Purple redbud blossoms clustered on dark branches photographed from below against a cloudy gray sky.
spring ornaments
blooming Eastern redbud tree frames a brilliant golden sunburst over a rippling lakeside, with vivid pink blossoms filling the foreground against a cloudless blue sky.
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 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
A puddle reflecting orange and pink sunset clouds with bare trees silhouetted along the horizon and power lines crossing the sky.
pavement
avid museum-goer
from surrealism to romanticism, I like art that stretches 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 cozying up with a good book.
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 outdoor air quality monitoring robot impacting 2.4K+ Dallas students
nasa globe
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 wildfires and climate change using AI
agsight
2024 - present