Where did you start your professional career?
My first job after college was with ESRI in Redlands, CA.  They develop GIS (geographic information systems) mapping software and consult with large companies and communities around the world to help build GIS databases for them.

What brought you to UB?
I am originally from Buffalo and attended UB for my undergraduate degree.  After working in California, I moved back to Buffalo and worked for a local GIS consultant.  Then a job opened up at UB's Department of Geography computing lab.  I worked there for 4 years and then took a job at the Center for Computational Research (CCR).

What are your current duties?
I'm a system administrator responsible for installing, updating, and configuring the hardware and software at the University's supercomputing center.  We deal with many varieties of hardware and have systems that run linux, Windows, and MacOS.   I support users of the center who are UB faculty, staff, students and external research collaborators around the world.

How do you help protect UB students, faculty and staff?
We don't deal with users' personal computers but do encourage our users to follow best practices in safe computing like changing passwords often.  We do not allow users to share accounts and have strict policies for connecting to our servers.  

What is rewarding about your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing our users get the results they need for their research.  We try to make it as easy as possible for the researcher to run their programs so they spend more time on their science than trying to figure out a complicated computing infrastructure.  I will never cure cancer but it's quite possible one of the people I support will, and the faster I can get these people running on our supercomputer, the faster their research can progress.

How has your job allowed you grow as a professional and/or as an individual?
I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented and intelligent people at UB.  I've learned so much from so many over the years and I know I would not be the same person without having worked and gone to school at UB.

What do you hope for your future here at UB?
When I started my freshman year at UB, going to a local school was seen as a last choice for many.  No one wanted to go to UB but you went because other plans fell through.  It has been a pleasure to watch that sentiment change around WNY over the last 12 years I have worked here.  More and more people are realizing what a wonderful resource UB is for WNY and I'm looking forward to seeing the University gain more notoriety.  The faculty and staff have a vested interest in seeing UB succeed both locally and globally and I believe the future is bright for UB!

Is there anything else that you would like to share about your unique experience in IT at UB?
My experience at UB is unique because I was a student first and then had the opportunity to work as a staff member at the University.  I've been able to work with faculty and students in an academic department, technical staff at CIT and in the departmental IT nodes, and with external researchers at the supercomputing center.  Since our center was moved to the downtown campus, I've had more opportunity to work with doctors and scientists at the local hospitals and research centers in Buffalo as well.