John Rathgeber

About Me

Hi! I'm John, a rising junior at Brown University, originally from Madison, Wisconsin, pursuing a double concentration in Mathematics-Computer Science and Music. I'm passionate about how logic, creativity, and innovation come together to solve problems in Computer Science.

My primary languages are C++ and Python, but I also have extensive experience with languages like Javascript, Typescript, Java, and SQL. I specialize in algorithmic problem solving, math-heavy systems, and backend engineering. This summer, I got hands-on experience building backend systems at Electronic Theatre Controls, and I’m currently looking for Summer 2026 software engineering internships where I can continue building impactful projects and growing as an engineer.

When I'm not coding, I'm usually at the piano practicing repertoire or composing my own music. This summer, I also accompanied for a voice recital and played keyboard in the Sauk Prairie Theatre Guild's production of The SpongeBob Musical. My favorite composers are Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Joplin. Outside of music and tech, I enjoy going to the gym, playing tennis or golf, and reading.

If you'd like to connect, collaborate, or chat, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you for visiting my website!

me in front of Orwigheadshot
me playing pianolittle me winning piano award
me doing a funny poseme playing tennis

Projects

Brown Opinion Project Website

Brown Opinion Project Website

Collaborated with a small team of Full Stack at Brown members to create a website for the Brown Opinion Project at Brown. Used Next.JS, Typescript, and Tailwind to implement the Question Submissions page and create a cross-tab data visualization tool (pictured above). View the full website.

Tumor Detection

Tumor Detection

Led a team in developing a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to detect brain tumors in MRI scans, achieving a 90% accuracy rate on publicly available Kaggle datasets. Directed all stages of the project, including data preprocessing, model design, and performance evaluation, utilizing Python along with deep learning frameworks such as Keras and TensorFlow. Read the full report.

Causality and Mind Lab Website

Causality and Mind Lab Website

Collaborated with a small team of Full Stack at Brown members to create a website for the Causality and Mind Lab at Brown. Used Next.js, TypeScript, and Tailwind to build the homepage and integrate Firebase for backend functionality. View the full website.

Wisconsin DOT Position Estimation

Wisconsin DOT Position Estimation

Developed an algorithm that recognizes and maps street signs from a dataset of over 3 million images. This algorithm uses advanced computer vision methods such as monocular depth estimation and YOLO-based sign detection to compute real-world distances using exponential depth fitting and trigonometric projection. See the details.

Caching I/O

Caching I/O

Built a custom C-based I/O caching library to wrap read, write, and seek operations, reducing system call frequency and cutting disk access latency by 100x–1000x through buffered memory caching. Handled overlapping reads/writes, eviction via LRU, and correctness edge cases to closely match stdio behavior.

Contact

Feel free to reach out!

Resume