There might be many different ways to describe me, depending on how you know me. Let me explain...Maybe you know me professionally. I have been working in the IT field for the last 15 years, mostly in and out of the Penn State Community. I work in the field of computer networking, Windows servers, desktops, TCP/IP and a lot of other related stuff. I'm a facilitator of IT systems for the people I work for.
Currently, I work for the Department of Kinesiology at Penn State, but I have also worked in the Office of Telecommunications - which is now TNS - also at Penn State. I was one of many people who ran the Penn State Backbone, or the routers and switches that connected all of the networks at Penn State together and provided high speed (10-100-155 Mbps) connections across campus, and aggregate them for high-speed internet access (45+Mbps).
I have also been a pre-sales network design engineer for a company that worked with cable companies and other multi-service operators (MSOs) to provide high-speed metropolitan area networks (MANs) for school districts and government entities all over the country. This company also developed its own H.323 video conferencing systems. In my last year at this company, I was the product manager for the H.323 product line. This job gave me the real-world experience of working the customers, understanding their requirements as well as working with our hardware and software engineers to develop the products that our customers needed.
I have always worked best as being the intermediary between technology-focused and non-technology focused people. A number of years ago, I worked installing computerized billing and note-taking systems for chiropractors' offices. Working with clinicians helped me to understand that even though these people are very technical in their own fields, doesn't mean that they are "computer-savvy". There is always some translation, training or other other intermediate facilitation that needs to be done to work between the two groups.
In my current professional capacity, I continue to work the life sciences/IT relationship. My end-users are researchers in biomechanics, motor control, motor behavior, physiology, sport psychology and athletic training. All of these life scientists are very competent and technical in their own fields, but it seems like information technology helps some, hinders some, and stymies yet others.
That's because these kinds of end-users are not involved in the system design process. It is my position to facilitate the implementation of the technology on my end-users' behalf. I enjoy most my ability to communicate with my end-user, figure out their needs and devise a solution that delivers. So, if you know me professionally, I can only hope that you see me in the same way that I see myself.
Maybe you know me from my volunteer work. I am involved in a variety of volunteer activities ... well, maybe not as many right now as I start graduate school, but I am still involved as much as I can be.
I am a volunteer firefighter and ambulance attendant. I think that this is a great balance to what I do professionally and academically. Firefighting is a very aggressive and physical activity. It's kinda fun, too, especially when you get to rip open the walls of a house to find hidden fire inside the walls or use hydraulic tools to rip the doors off of a car. However, the most reward I feel is when I am working in my EMS role. I'm not an Emergency Medical Technician, but I do get very hands-on with my patient, whenever I can. I have worked a number of different kinds of incidents - anything from minor cuts and scrapes, to medical calls, major trauma calls and a number of cardiac arrests. I am very happy to have helped on a CPR call that saved the life of a Penn State student. However, most of my calls, all I get to do is just "drive the bus". If you ever look at my belt and wonder what the "batman effect" is all about - feel free to ask me sometime. I'll be glad to tell you of the silliness of our county radio system and how the Motorola pager bands separate our "fire" and "med" frequencies just enough to require those of us who do both to have to carry TWO PAGERS.
Maybe you know be because of my family life. My wife, Lisa, and I have been married for almost 13 years now. We have three children, Stephen (10 year old boy), and Elizabeth and Natalie (7 year old twin girls). We live in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, just outside of State College and near Bellefonte.
I am involved in a number of activities around my kids. Ask me sometime about Scouting, swimming or monoamniotic twins.
