Engineer · Speaker · Educator

Walk the Line—the Johnny Cash movie—takes its name from the song: "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine / I find it very, very easy to be true." It's about staying true to something when the world pulls you sideways. iwalkdaline is a nod to that. My line is the space between science and art—constraints on one side, creativity on the other. I keep a close watch on that line. I hold the line between rigor and possibility—so others can walk it too. People call me a robot. I answer to A(ye)I(van).

When I was told I was receiving this award, the first question I got was: "What did you innovate?" At first, I didn't have a clean answer. Then I realized—I've been innovating all along. People think innovation is creating something new. But it's really seeing what already exists in a way other people don't. My innovation isn't a single breakthrough. It's the ability to see the light at the end of almost any tunnel—and when that isn't enough, to destroy the tunnel altogether.