Education
University of Oregon (UO), Eugene, Oregon
M.S. Applied Information Management (AIM), 2007
University of Oregon (UO), Eugene, Oregon
B.S. Computer Science, 1983
Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis, Oregon
1980
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), Alaska
B.B.A. Management/Marketing, 1978
Copper Valley School (CVS), Glennallen, Alaska
1970-1971
Elementary Schools: Valdez, Glennallen, Copper Center
Notes
1. During the 1964 Great Alaska (Good Friday) earthquake, it was a blessing that we were not in elementary school in Valdez.
2. The two-room elementary school I later attended in Copper Center had approximately 20 students in the first through eighth grades. My teachers, who remained lifelong friends, lived in an apartment adjoining the school with their children. The school closed in 2014 when a new school was built nearby.
3. During my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I attended Copper Valley School, a Jesuit boarding school that served rural Alaska elementary and secondary students. After CVS closed in 1971, I finished my last two years of high school at East Anchorage High School.
4. Between my savings and a modest scholarship from the Alaska Teamsters Local 959, I was able to attend Anchorage Community and later the University of Alaska (hello to my classmates in the Clan of Mac). I was the first in my family to attend college. My mom, who was the valedictorian for her class, wanted to attend college but couldn't afford to.
5. I was the Class of 1978 student commencement speaker at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. I was also the president of the Associated Students of Business, the second year after it was founded.
6. My oldest son and I were the only father-son graduates of the University of Oregon, Applied Information Management program, which ran from 1986 to 2020.
Continuing Education
When I worked as a Technology Solution Consultant from 2015-2020, I learned about many technologies used in health care delivery. I appreciated the learning challenges and knowledge that my work led to better outcomes for patients. Imaging informatics was one of the specialty areas I supported. Given my interest in photography, this was a wonderful fit.
Now that I’m retired, I have more time to pursue my interests in subject areas such as photography (of course), history, biology, botany, etc. I've been investigating the many resources/courses that are available online. I'd also like to contribute to Wikipedia, since I frequently use their resources.
My prior work in the fields of information, data, and metadata management is prompting me to learn more about the Semantic Web (Web 3.0). I’m optimistic about the benefits we can realize now and in the future.
I'm also closely watching the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications. I'm currently interested in the machine learning models such as DALL-E that generate digital images from natural language descriptions. Virtual photography was added as a new image type category on Flickr in September 2022.
As an IT veteran, I know the possibilities of AI are potentially significant. However, as I mention on my Social Media subpage, I'm also concerned about the legal and ethical aspects. My first formal education on AI was a course in my University of Oregon Computer Science program in 1982.
I’m also intrigued by blockchain technologies, but I’m wary about the engagement models and practices that might emerge. I'll probably just have my sons explain what I need to know (or not) about cryptocurrencies.
I still have a strong interest in hands-on technology. My early roots in IT were using mainframe and UNIX operating systems, so I've repurposed one of my older iMacs as a Linux sandbox to once again experience the delights of command-line coding.
Finally, if I want to go back even further in time, I can blow the dust off of my Kaypro II and boot one of the CP/M programs I still have. I no longer have the Commodore 64 I used in the 80s to access the UO CIS lab, but I can always go down other memory lanes using the Internet Archive resources.
Last Updated: 11/2/2022
↑Back to Top