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How did you end up at Eastern?“I have been in the information technology industry in different capacities for about 32 years. The past 25 years I have been the Chief Information Officer for a municipality and school system here in Connecticut. I have always had a love of teaching and so many years ago, I decided to pursue teaching as an adjunct professor in the community college system. I have taught off and on there for about 16 years, mostly teaching computer science classes in networking and security. I always figured that I would continue to teach after it came to retire from my full-time position with the municipality, so when I saw the opportunity to teach at Eastern, I decided to pursue that as a full-time position.”
“I love teaching Computer Networking and Security. That is where I can best pass on what I have learned over the years. I like seeing students learn how all this communication travels around the networks of today and show them how to protect against threats.”
“I would like to conduct research in the world of cybersecurity.”
“The students have been great to work with and they seem very attentive and open to learning new concepts.”
I love teaching Computer Networking and Security. That is where I can best pass on what I have learned over the years.
“Over the years, I have really enjoyed being able to pass on some of the practical knowledge that I have attained from working in the information technology field. If I can pass on some practical knowledge to a student that becomes useful in their career, then that would give me some sense of satisfaction in what I am doing.
“I have always tried to add that mix of hands-on practical knowledge into the courses I teach. Depending upon the topic that I am teaching, I may show students how something works or have them do a hands-on exercise that reinforces the topic. They get to see in practical terms what they are learning in the text and lectures. This lends itself to a very interactive class. I always prefer to have a lot of discussion and interaction in my classes. It keeps everyone engaged in the topic. To expand my own knowledge is a by-product of teaching that I enjoy.”
“Since the computer science and information technology fields are ever-changing, the best advice for students is to always keep learning, either formally in school or certifications or informally through periodicals and online resources.”
“I would tell the students the same thing I have told my own kids. Do something you like doing. More than likely, you will be doing it for a long time so you have to enjoy it!”
Thank you to prof. Smith for always staying on top of things in class and making the material easy to understand. Also thank you for always being happy to help during office hours if we need it. Definitely one of the best professors I've had for computer science classes.Student Quote
