In case this is our first time meeting, Hi! my name is Ali Steele. I'm a Computer Science major at Elon University (graduating May 2027) with minors in Data Science and Geographic Information Systems.

Home for me is the Northern Neck of Virginia, a quiet stretch of the Chesapeake Bay where I spent most of my life before landing at Elon.

Research
My undergraduate research engages me in more complex Computer Science topics and techniques such as machine learning and Artificial Intelligence development. I built a Python-based model that classifies drone imagery of winter wheat to detect mycotoxin infection, essentially training a computer to identify diseased crops from aerial imagery. Prior to my research and even my time at Elon, I earned my FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate in December of 2022 and have since recertified to keep it current. This work sits right at the intersection of my interests: drones, data, and geospatial analysis solving a real agricultural problem.

Geographic Information Systems
I work primarily in ArcGIS Pro, building maps and spatial analyses that turn raw data into something people can actually read and act on. My projects have ranged from conservation parcel analysis and cartographic modeling to a StoryMap on the Northern Neck region of Virginia examining poverty, K-12 enrollment, and digital access. I like the problems where the geography and the data have to work together to reach an answer.

Football Photo and Video
As a Video Coordinator Assistant with Elon University Football, I'm part of the crew that captures the team on and off the field. I shoot and edit photo and video content from practices and game day, working under tight turnarounds to get material ready for the team's social media and recruiting use. The role has taught me how to anticipate the moment before it happens, manage large volumes of footage, and cut it all down into content that's clean, fast, and built to grab attention.

Elon Technology Service Desk
As a Student Lead, I'm a first point of contact for students and faculty dealing with hardware, software, and network problems. I diagnose and resolve issues ranging from quick fixes to more involved troubleshooting, and I help train and support other student technicians on the team. Beyond the technical side, the job has sharpened how I communicate. I've gotten good at explaining complicated things in plain language and staying calm and patient with people who are frustrated or in a hurry, which has turned out to matter just as much as the fix itself.

Across all of it, I'm drawn to the same kind of work: taking complex information, whether it's a spatial dataset, a machine learning pipeline, or two hours of game footage, and turning it into something useful and clear.