About

Professional Version

I have been living in State College, PA since 2001, and completed my undergraduate degree in 2006 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.

If I’ve learned anything as an undergrad it is that I don’t particularly like Electrical Engineering; it’s far to impersonal, and lacks the human touch. After realizing, this after graduation, I stayed in State College and continued to work as a computer support consultant. Eventually I discovered the interdisciplinary medley that is Information Sciences, particularly human-computer interaction (HCI) and decided that it was the perfect coalescence of technology and people. So, after some deliberation, I applied to graduate school at the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).

At this moment I am a graduate student towards a Master’s degree in human-computer interaction (HCI) (actually just an M.S., but I’m studying HCI). My advisor is Dr. Mary Beth Rosson, a fantastic mentor who has taken me under wing and has taught me what it means to really “do” research. Also, as a part of supporting myself, I continue to maintain a position supervising the general IT help desk at Penn State.

Personal Version

Besides all this work, I’m an avid reader, although I haven’t had very much time recently. I also enjoy listening to music of many varieties including the usual indie stuff, jazz, classical, rock, alternative, native music from the pygmy tribe of south Guam, and folk/bluegrass (okay maybe not that pygmy one; not to say the music is bad, but just not my pint of beer). Speaking of beer, my friend Misha and I have brewed numerous batches, all of which have been unbelievably good.

About a year ago, I decided to pick up photography, which is a nice way to say I bought a camera (Canon 350D) and it’s been sitting under my desk for the past 3 months. However, I’m hoping that finally getting this site up will encourage me to take more pictures.

Another activity I enjoy is the lost art of coffee drinking. I participate in it frequently and even with the recent decrease of intake, I still drink the equivalent of at least 2 cups a day, 5 days a week. Personally I’m not a big fan of the sweet stuff, and the most I’ll do is add skim milk. There are 4 places in town I love to get coffee from, and depending on what I’m hankering, I’ll go to a different place. First is Saint’s Cafe where they make amazingly good chai (not coffee, but still really good) and espresso. Next up, Herwig’s Austrian Bistro where the coffee is just as good as the wienerschnitzel. Then there’s Webster’s Bookstore Cafe with their fair trade beverages and amazing selection of books. Finally, there’s Irving’s where if you just want a nice cup-0-joe, there’s no better place.

Once I have all those things out of the way and if I still have extra time, I occasionally do some freelance web development. Most recently I developed a community portal for the Communication and Information Technology section of the American Sociological Association (CITASA).

A professor and fellow students have commented on how I’m never at the office during the day. This is, in part, due to the weird tasting coffee from the cafe in the building, and the fact that I am afraid of large shiny objects and the IST Building happens to match that description.