Courses taught and big changes

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I started at the University of Maryland in 2010 as a web developer and then spent some time as a student in a doctoral progam that I did not complete, but where started teaching in 2017 as a graduate student instructor. In 2018, I was hired as a Lecturer, which is professional track faculty (non-tenured, full-time faculty) at the College of Information, University of Maryland. In 2024, I was promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecture. However, today I start a new opportunity outside the university as a data engineer at a non-profit. I continue to teach as an adjunct instructor.

At INFO, I taught courses on data cleaning, programming, and information systems. I attempted to weave ethics and social justice throughout the material to emphasize the social impacts of technology and encourage intentional, critical design.

Highlighted Courses

I taught a variety of courses because of my professional experience and research interests Here are a few that I’ve chosen to highlight.

INST346 Technologies, Infrastructure and Architecture

This is required course within the Information Science major. It has a very confusing name because it is an attempt to create a common technical language for students with a wide range of backgrounds. The course explores computer hardware, software, networks, and modern information systems emerge from those components. I have often described it as “from bits to the cloud.”

INST447 Data Sources and Manipulation

Data science courses usually focus on the “fun” part of analysis where we answer questions from the data. This course focuses on the preparation and exploration of data before analysis starts. It specifically addresses identyfing and handling data quality issues, combining datasets to answer more interesting questions, and documenting and managing datasets so that they are reusable and trustworthy.

Additional Courses

I have tought these courses in the past. I particular enjoy teaching the introduction to programming course because there are so many opportunities for students to have “aha” moments.

INST126 Introduction to Programming for Information Professionals
INST327 Database Design and Modeling
INST377 Dynamic Web Applications
INFM700 Information Architectures

K3CUU and Amateur Radio

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Among my hobbies, I am an amateur radio operator. I have the callsign, K3CUU. This is a vanity call that I chose when I upgraded to General from Technical (where I was KB3NDF). I chose K3CUU because I spent my formative years listening to my dad’s station chirping out morse code. The sound of “CQ CQ CQ DE N1CUU N1CUU N1CUU” is permanently burned into my head from the days of the photo below. You can’t see it in the picture, but on that desk there is a similar picture sitting at his dad’s station.

My dad, N1CUU, is still operating and we’ve been known to make it to FDIM and the Hamvention together.

We both tend to operate QRP when the bands cooperate. I am usually operating an Elecraft KX2, but I also have a TenTec Argonaut V. I also have thing for building kits, so there are various random transceivers, transmitters, and receivers that make it onto my desk.

I finally live on a property where I can have a real antenna. I have a Carolina Windom that runs north/south on my property and seems to do fine business.