Experience

Sections: Work Experience , Education, Technical Skills, Awards

Work Experience

2004 - Present
Knowledge Discovery Lab
University of Massachusetts at Amherst Amherst, MA
Senior Research Software Engineer

Responsible for the design and development of software systems used in the laboratory's research program. Mentoring students and staff in good programming practice, and overseeing other lab programmers and consultants. Guiding programming practice by inventing and/or applying methodologies specific to research software development. Implementing design of flexible architectures to support frequent major code changes. Technical liaison to other research labs, departments, and industrial partners.

Overhauling lab's software development process to be more agile:

Coaching implementation of all Extreme Programming practices in academic research group.

Leading technical effort to produce version three of software product (Proximity):

Orders-of-magnitude performance improvements.
Significantly cleaner code and APIs.
Simpler and more powerful UI.
Full unit and acceptance tests.

Leading first open-source release of system to academic, commercial, government, and private users.
Created and lead hands-on developer workshops. Topics:

Learning Test Driven Development and unit testing using JUnit.
Using Proximity APIs to write knowledge discovery applications.
Utilizing underlying Monet database, and MIL (Monet Implementation Language).
Applying IntelliJ IDEA (a Java IDE) to refactoring and high-performance coding.

Developed custom driver and API layers for specialized back-end database.

Technology: Java for middle and upper layers with special vertical database (MonetDB) for back-end. Entire system scriptable via Python (Jython). UI: Multi-threaded Swing application. Unit testing: JUnit. XML: Created languages for graphical queries (qGraph), classification models, etc.

1999 - 2003
Knowledge Discovery Lab
University of Massachusetts at Amherst Amherst, MA
Senior Developer

Architect of the Proximity system for relational knowledge discovery (data mining).
Set up and managed CVS source control system for group.
Trained and supervised graduate and undergraduate students in Java, JDBC/SQL, CVS, and Linux.
Investigating other technologies, including SOAP and complex visualization.

Technology: Front end: Java Swing GUI. Back end: Scriptable (Jython/Python) JDBC-based framework for SQL database (Informix, PostgreSQL, Cloudscape). XML-based graphical query processor.

July 1997 - 1999
Center for Knowledge Discovery
University of Massachusetts at Amherst Amherst, MA
Senior Developer

Managed, designed, and implemented three-tier client/server web-based tutor in Java for teaching Lewis structures (chemistry). Client: Complex applet supporting interactive creation of structures and knowledge-based evaluation of them. Middle: Servlets that show tutorials, assignment status, communicate with applet, and handle bug reporting. Back end: JDBC/ODBC interface to MS SQL Server. Successfully used by 100s of students.

Managed and implemented over thirty award-winning web-based interactive Java modules (applets) for discovery-based teaching of chemistry concepts.

Designed and managed entire proof-of-concept tutoring system project to teach "chip shooter" (integrated circuit placement machine) concepts and operation.

1994 - 1999
Independent Contractor Amherst, MA
Consultant

Apple Computer Inc, Advanced Technology Group: Lead architect and programmer of large authoring tool for intelligent tutors. Responsible for nearly all aspects of code design, development, & delivery. Modules included knowledge representation tools, robust graphical programming environment, and Java player program. Praised for code quality.

Archipelago, Inc: Wrote interactive science applets for large publisher’s use in new educational distance learning project.

Woolf & Company: Developed real-time multimedia cardiac arrest tutor for teaching medical school students ACLS procedures (won phase II funding).

1994
CDT Micrographics, Inc. Westfield, MA
Senior Programmer

Lead developer of commercial interactive computer based training applications for customers including NYNEX and Bell Atlantic. Wrote and documented training engine in IconAuthor for large interactive multimedia system.

1984 - 1989
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Kennedy Space Center, FL
Systems Engineer, Programmer

Developed real-time telemetry analysis project to assist test, checkout, and in-flight monitoring of Shuttle experiments. Helped program a knowledge-based expert system shell for process control, monitor, and diagnosis of Shuttle systems. Solved booster electrical system problems during processing, test, and launch. Improved launch procedure documentation. Managed application of expert system to other programs via NASA technology transfer SBIR program.

Education

University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Department of Computer Science
M.S. Computer Science (1992)

Bradley University
Department of Electrical Engineering
B.S. Electrical Engineering (1984)

Technical Skills

Over fifteen years experience designing and implementing complex object-oriented programs with advanced multimedia GUIs.
Extreme Programming practices and coaching, including week-long XP immersion class.
Languages: Java (applications, applets, servlets, JDBC, JFC/Swing, AWT, etc), some Python, others.
Platforms: Linux, Windows, MacOS.
Internet: HTML, Java servlets (CGI, forms), Java applets, Java networking.
Other: SQL, XML, some SOAP, IconAuthor, some CORBA, some AuthorWare.

Awards

Multiple Merit awards, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding contributions, Advanced Technology Group, Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA.
Sustained Superior Performance Award, NASA/Kennedy Space Center, FL.
Employee Suggestion Program award for suggesting money-saving Shuttle processing improvements, NASA/Kennedy Space Center, FL.

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