Dale E. Karas is a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D student, specializing in energy-efficient materials science fabrication and testing for the Energy & Environmental Materials Laboratory at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). His research efforts encompass optical analyses methods for energy-efficient nanomaterials characterization, computer-aided engineering, and advanced materials manufacturing. Prior to his graduate research position in Fall 2015, he obtained his B.S. in Optical Sciences & Engineering and a B.M. in Music Composition from The University of Arizona, where his work experiences involved integrated sensing technologies and optoelectronics, machine vision, nanophotonic materials fabrication, and illumination engineering/design.