TEACHING SUMMARY
AND PHILOSOPHY
Currently,
I hold a full-time Lecturer position with the Computer Information Systems
department at Buffalo State College. I
have taught Computer Organization, E-Commerce Systems and Technologies, Programming
For The Internet Environment, Operating Systems and Data Communications. I have also designed and taught a new course
titled Enterprise Systems Design and Administration. Prior to this, I taught
Programming in Application Software and Data Communications as an Adjunct
Lecturer for the Computer Science department at SUNY Geneseo. This experience has allowed me to express my
belief in the combination of theory and applied learning across multiple
subject matters as a means for preparing the student for designing, implementing
and supporting integrated IT infrastructures.
SUMMARY OF CREATIVE ACTIVITY AND SCHOLARSHIP
While with Buffalo State
College I have developed a course management system, built a computer lab,
implemented an applied research network, produced commercial and public
awareness web pages and designed an e-commerce software system prototype. A summary of these efforts are as
follows:
·
I have written a
web based computer software system for managing student-instructor interaction. It is an
alternative
to commercial products such as Angel, Blackboard and WebCT. It provides the student with an interface for
accessing course descriptions, lecture material, assignments, project sheets,
announcements and grades. Students are
also able to submit sample test questions, hand in electronic copies of course
work and complete course surveys. An instructor administrative interface is
also included. This supports tasks such
as: Adding a lecture file for download; Showing completed projects and
assignments; Archiving projects and
assignments; Record, view and modify a
student grade set; Update class grades
via a CSV formatted file; View student rosters.
I have used this product to support all my on-campus courses since the
Spring 2004 term, an on-line section of Data Communications in the Fall 2007
term and three hybrid sections of Computer Fundamentals between Fall 2008 and
Fall 2009.
Currently,
I am in the process of securing a Copyright for this original work of
authorship, analyzing evaluation survey data that I have collected and
implementing several enhancements. The
student interface for this product can be referenced at: www.sunyonline.org/mrb
·
With two SCAP
grant awards, several computer donations from Computer Services, Microsoft MSDN
software
and various public domain software products, I built an integrated Linux,
Microsoft Windows 2003 server and Microsoft XP Professional computer lab. This consists of two primary servers used to
support web, application and database services.
Also included are two special purpose wireless firewall devices and five
general purpose servers for running virtual machine software. The lab resources are used by students
taking the Enterprise Systems Design and Administration course. Additional course applications include:
Operating Systems, Data Communications and Programming For The Internet
Environment. The primary servers and
associated services are also available for use by other CIS faculty for both
instructional and research purposes. An
illustration of this infrastructure can be viewed
at: http://mrbvarn.dyndns.org/Bscvarn-net-design4-jpeg.jpg
·
I have designed
and implemented an applied research network.
This utilizes virtual private network
technologies
as a means to integrate computing resources located in various academic
computer labs and home networks. It
consists of VPN-Firewall devices for each network and a one Terabyte shared
network storage array. This allows
students and faculty to leverage computing resources and access research data
that may not be available on their local networks. Currently this connects computer networks
from my home basement (mrbvarn.dyndns.org), the Enterprise Systems Design and
Administration lab (bscvarn1.buffalostate.edu) and Linux lab used by the
Mathematics department (stern.buffalostate.edu). This network model is referenced in a
Computational Science Training for Undergraduates in the Mathematical Sciences
grant proposal by Dr. Joaquin Carbonara.
Illustrations
of this network can be referenced at: http://mrbvarn.dyndns.org/
this web site
that include a management interface, on-line ordering system and mobile device
view option. I have also
COURSES TAUGHT
CIS-315 Computer Organization: A comprehensive look at the principles associated with
computer organization or architecture. A
hierarchical approach is taken to learn the overall design and functionality of
multilevel computers. Levels such as
Digital Logic; Micro architecture; Instruction Set; and Operating System are
studied in depth. Hardware components
such as CPU, I/O, Memory and Disk are also presented to provide an overview of
system architecture. Pentium II and
SPARC-II architecture examples provide a means to understand how these
principles can be, and are, applied to commercially available computers.
CIS-375 Programming For The Internet Environment: A comprehensive introduction to client-based web
programming languages. We begin with
HTML as an introduction to Internet programming and continue with JAVASCRIPT
and PERL. A hands-on approach is taken
to teach these languages. Various
programming lab exercises are completed as a means to learn the individual
aspects of each language. Projects are
used to master the complete fundaments of all languages combined. We assume an
extensive scholastic programming background with languages such as C and PERL
within a UNIX environment.
CIS-410 Operating Systems: A comprehensive overview of the concepts, design
principles,
structures and mechanisms of Operating Systems. Fundamentals such as PROCESSES, MEMORY,
SCHEDULING and I/O will be studied. Open source UNIX and proprietary Windows 2000
will be
used as case
studies. UNIX based projects will be
used as a means of illustrating key Operating
System issues.
CIS-470 Data Communications: A comprehensive overview of the core concepts and
technologies
of data communications.
Communication protocols and network design principles are studied
relative
to the seven-layer OSI
reference model. Programming projects
will emphasize how network software
is implemented and assist
in explaining the over-all end-to-end behavior of networks. We assume an
extensive scholastic programming background in C, PERL and UNIX.
CIS-473
responsibilities, policies, procedures and ethical issues associated with maintaining enterprise IT
infrastructures. System administration tasks, design issues, implementation plans and performance
monitoring strategies are also investigated in a hands-on laboratory setting. Applied projects using
Linux, Windows and Solaris/Intel operating systems are implemented as a means to simulate various
scenarios and challenges faced by the system
administrator.
CIS-427 E-Commerce Systems and Technologies: Examines technological advancements along
with business and organizational issues of electronic commerce. The technological context includes
an understanding of tools and concepts such as web servers, client/servers, communication networks,
and e-commerce software. The business context includes components such as payment methods,
fulfillment policies, privacy, security, and international issues.
SUNY GENESEO
CSCI-204 Programming in Application Software: In-depth coverage of programming techniques used in commercially available data handling packages such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access. Programming projects will help develop an understanding of relational database management concepts and modeling techniques.
M. S. in Computer Science Nova Southeastern University, 1994
B.A. in Computer Science and
Statistics
Solaris 2.6 Administration SkillDrill
Certification Program
2001
SkillSoft e-learning certificate: Fundamental Supervisory Skills Buffalo State College 2003
SkillSoft e-learning certificate: Fundamental IT Networking Skills Buffalo
State College 2003
Milestones in 21st
Century Science, Lecture and Workshop
Digital
Rochester Knowledge Upgrade, Roundtable discussion
Introduction to Computational Science Education, Seminar
SUNY COCID Conference
Association for Computing
Machinery, Member 2008
- Present
ACADEMIC SERVICES AND AWARDS
CIS Department Bylaws Committee,
2003 – 2005.
Primary contact for CIS WEB page
administration, 2002
– 2008.
Buffalo State College Hero Award
from Students with Disabilities, 2002-2003
academic year
School of The Professions Teaching Effectiveness Committee, Fall 2006 – Spring 2007
A member of the HIPERC Advisory Board, Fall 2006 – present
CIS Department SWAT Committee, Fall 2008 – present
Oakfield Alabama Central School Technology Plan consulting, Spring 2009
TECHNICAL AND RESEARCH INTERESTS
· Systems Analysis
·
Programming · Networking · Business Applications
·
Database Concepts
· Operating Systems · Operational and Decision Support Systems · Reasoning Engines
· Information Flow Models · Application and Database Integration Strategies
PLATFORMS: Sun Sparc and
IBM
RS-6000 and SP2; HP
3000, 7000 and 9000 Servers; Intel-PC’s;
DELL PowerEdge Servers; Cisco
Routers and Switches; Netgear Router, Firewall
and VPN servers.
OPERATING SYSTEMS: Solaris 2.5.1-2.8; Solaris8/Intel; Red Hat Linux 7.2; HP-UX 10.20,11; AIX 4.3.3;
LANGUAGES: Perl
(CGI, DBI, SNMP), PHP, SQL, C, C++, Assembly, Pascal, Visual Basic,
SH, CSH, KSH,
BSH, HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, ASP, XML, PowerShell.
DATABASES: Access, Oracle, MY-SQL, Sybase, Postgres, Ingres, Excel.
NETWORKS: TCP/IP, OSPF, EIGRP, RIP, Ethernet, FDDI, ATM, WiFi,
Token Ring
SERVICES: SMTP, SNMP, POP3, LDAP, DHCP, FTP, NTP, SMB/SAMBA,
DNS,
SENDMAIL, AUTOMOUNT, NFS, WINS, and AD.
APPLICATIONS: Word, Powerpoint,
Project, Frontpage, Visio, Excel, Exchange, IE,
Netscape,
Adobe,
Acrobat, Exceed, Clarify, Netcool, CiscoWorks,
HP-Openview, Vertas
Volume Manager,Clearcase,
Solstice DiskSuite, Legato Networker,
Jumpstart,
VX-works, Peoplesoft, Powerbuilder, MRTG, BIGBROTHER, NETIQ,
APACHE, G2, Tavve, Trend,
PROFESSIONAL
SUMMARY
I
have comprehensive engineering and business management experience in the
Information Technology industry. I have leveraged leading edge hardware and
software technologies to address a variety of business processes and produce
Internet based solutions designed to support the needs of small business
computing infrastructures. As an
Infrastructure Specialist, I completed roles such as: Systems Analysis and Administration; Database
Administration and Modeling; Network Support; Project Management; Technical
Training and Programming. Deliverables
and accomplishments include:
·
Designed an
application, systems and database integration model for an Enterprise Network
Management solution.
·
Architected and
managed the implementation of a bi-coastal NT and UNIX development environment.
·
Engineered SOLARIS/LEGATO
based differential backup solutions.
·
Implemented an
ORACLE and SOLARIS infrastructure to support a PEOPLESOFT initiative.
·
Wrote UNIX, NETSCAPE/SMTP
and Microsoft NT/ EXCHANGE server monitoring strategy.
As President of MZB
Enterprises, Inc., an Internet technologies solutions provider, I am
responsible for the software engineering, accounting, marketing and day-to-day
operations.
Software Engineering, Accounting, Marketing and management of day-to-day operations. Software
Engineering and technical support activities include:
·
Design and testing of small business E-commerce
solutions that include components for payroll
processing, product inventory management, on-line ordering and point of sale.
·
Internet domain,
E-mail and WWW hosting and management.
·
Web page development
for community based advocacy organizations.
·
Design,
consultation and installation services for home based computer networks.
·
Web based course
management software solutions for K-12 and higher education.
Teach required and elective courses in
Computer Information Systems. Manage
student development, evaluate
academic
performance and provide academic advisement.
Participation in continued professional development,
scholarly activity
and academic services.
SR. SYSTEMS
ENGINEER Global Crossing
Technical Manager for the development and implementation of an
Enterprise Network Management “best-of-breed”
solution. Configuration included Sun Enterprise 3500 and
4500 servers (Solaris 2.7, 2.8); HP 3000, 7000 and 9000
servers (HP-UX 10.20, 11), Intel based Red Hat Linux 7.X
machines and Windows NT/95/98 clients.
Applications
included:
HPOV, NETCOOL, MY-SQL, CISCOWORKS, OPTIVITY, NETHEALTH, and SNMP based
polling and
discovery agents. Databases used include: SYBASE, ACCESS and MYSQL. The main accomplishment was the
improvement of network event processing efficiency from 90% to 98.5%.
ADJUNCT LECTURER
Part time lecturing for the Computer Science department at Geneseo
SR. CONSUL
1997 – 1999 Contracted to the XEROX
Corporation as a Systems Engineer/Project Manager for designing
and
implementing a multi-site UNIX and NT development
environment. The infrastructure included
Sun Enterprise
250 and 450 servers
(Solaris 2.6, 2.7) and Sun Ultra 5, 30 and 60 workstations. Systems analysis, design,
administration and project management tasks
where completed. Product build times
where improved from 2˝
hours to 30
minutes and overall infrastructure
integrity was achieved with the following accomplishments:
· Implementation and design of common
system,
· Installation of a a 250+ GB RAID5 disk subsystem using Solstice DiskSuite.
· Design of a UNIX and NT integration
strategy leveraging SAMBA.
· Software code control procedures using CLEARCASE.
· Design and configure a dual DLT-7000 differential
backup solution using Legato NETWORKER 5.1.1.
· The architecture, policies and support procedures where documented for SPI/CMM compliance.
1994 – 1996 Contracted to the
support. I was Team
Leader for systems (SOLARIS, AIX, ULTRIX),
application and database (INGRES, POSTGRES)
administration issues related to the support of the KODAK multi-protocol network. Accomplishments include:
· Writing Network management software (C, PERL, SH,
SNMP) for IP address management and remote monitoring of
router and
concentrator devices.
· Documentation was written to address ISO-900x certification requirements.
Implemented and supported a SOLARIS, ORACLE, SYBASE and
MAINFRAME client-server definition for
supporting
PEOPLESOFT and claims processing applications.
The infrastructure consisted of Sun SPARC-5/10
machines running SOLARIS 2.4 and 2.5.1, SYBASE and
ORACLE. System and Database Administration
tasks; SQL
and SH programming; Technical training and disaster recovery
plans where completed per 24X7 production
requirements.
Secondary work included participation in the evaluation of a parallel
processing engine for financial
transactions.
Technologies included: Pyramid Technologies
(DCOSX) and IBM SP2 (AIX) machines.
UNIX SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR Nova Southeastern University
Responsible for various
system, database, application and programming tasks. Key projects included
a VAX to RISC
system conversion and SUNOS to ULTRIX operating system migration.
PROGRAMMER ANALYST
Stein Gerontological Institute
Lead software
engineer for research project that evaluated the impact of technology on the
elderly population.
