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Technologist

Programming (1983)

As a junior in high school, I took a BASIC programming class from educator Wayne Cruzan at Monterey High School, using a teletype machine connected to a mainframe computer at the Naval Postgraduate School.

I did my homework, however, on a Timex Sinclair ZX81 and didn't need to wait until the next day to see if my program would work via the teletype.

Word Processing

My uncle, Austin Prindle, exposed me to his Commodore64, which he used for creating financial spreadsheets and printing menus for his gourmet meals.

I used both Macintosh and Windows machines in the basement of Tolman Hall on the U.C. Berkeley campus to write many of my papers.

I used a Macintosh as part of my employment as a lab assistant in the Berkeley Geochronology Lab from 1987-1988.

Graphics and Word Processing (graduate school)

I used the Mac for desktop publishing my master thesis (Word), including my geochemical data (Excel), graphs (Cricket Graph, Canvas), and maps (Canvas).

My advisor wanted my data in Lotus 123, however, and it forced me find a way to transfer data from MacOS to DOS before that was easy to do.

Packet Radio (1991)

While in Hawaii as a geologist, I used my amateur radio license (WH6DT) to build and use a packet radio station, essentially creating a system to send email to my father back in California. Although it would take two days to make all the jumps (including a satellite link from Oahu to California), it was years before we had a commercial alternative.

My First Computer (1993)

I bought my first computer, a Mac Classic II, as an intermediate school teacher in Hawaii. I used it to develop lessons and keep track of attendance and grades.

World Wide Web (1994)

Lt. Steve Bible, then a student at the Naval Postgraduate School, showed me the World Wide Web by dialing up to the school on a 14.4 kbps modem, something civilians wouldn't be able to do for many months.

We went on to develop a website for the NPS Amateur Radio Club and publish what we learned in QST, a national magazine for amateur radio (June and July 1995).

California Teaching Network (1994-1995)

I started a business to build a database of California teaching positions, using Paradox. Although I stopped the business after a year, it was a chance to develop simple business computing skills.

Adjunct Professor, CSU Monterey Bay (1995-1996)

CST 101 Technology Tools - Tech Tools brings basic technology skills to students, who are required to meet those outcomes as part of a university learning requirement. I had developed all the skills using Microsoft Office and Internet at home, and I was asked to specifically develop lessons having to do with the Internet and the Web.

Adjunct Professor, CSU Monterey Bay (1997-2000)

CST 351 Web Design - I developed this class after I became a full-time staff in charge of Web Services. With graphic design as the prerequisite, I taught design as it applies to the Web and included a semester project with on-campus clients. I taught it for six semesters before turning more attention to my full-time position at CSUMB.

CST 251 Basic Web Design - In contrast with CST 351, I helped create another class but with no prerequisites and the intent of creating publishers, not designers. With the support of then director Dr. Chris Hasegawa (former public school teacher), I was able to mentor teach one of my students, Dana Lookadoo-Ilari, as she student taught the class. After graduation, she took over as full instructor for the course.

Web Services, CSU Monterey Bay (1996-current)

I was hired to perform the webmaster role for the university, as a Web Services Specialist. Below are the skills I have developed and manage on a daily basis:

  • Web Design - Working with Marketing to developing template-based sites for departments across campus using a content management system (XML and XSL).
  • Web Programming - Building applications using PHP and JSP.
  • Web Databases - Building and administrating databases in MySQL and Oracle.
  • Search Engine - Optimzing our Goolge search appliance
  • Marketing Communications - Working with University Advancement and the Web Planning & Advisory team to create a unified marketing message for all our media, including Web.