Miscellany
Affiliation History
I've been a student, employee, or visiting researcher at nine different universities: University of Mary Washington, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Macquarie University, National University of Singapore, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Edinburgh, University of Cincinnati, and Penn State University. I explain how in My Academic Journey.
Photography and Digital Art
In my free time I am a photographer and digital artist. You can browse some samples of my creations or read my Thoughts on Photography.
In October 2018, a Penn State News article included a section about my photography. The picture at the top of the article is mine, and the section about me is toward the bottom.
My camera is a Canon R5, and I carry with it an unapologetically heavy assortment of lenses.
Travel
I enjoy travel, and international collaboration has become a significant part of my career. I have performed professional activities (research and/or teaching) at universities on five continents.
In March 2018 I taught a week-long course on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence at the Future University in Egypt, as part of its partnership with the University of Cincinnati.
In 2013 and 2014 I spent a year at the University of Edinburgh thanks to the NSF's International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP).
I spent winter 2009 at Macquarie University in Australia and summer 2010 at the National University of Singapore thanks to the NSF's East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI).
I have visited 44 countries. I have lived in four countries (USA, UK, Australia, Singapore), to the extent that in each of them I paid rent for a dwelling, bought groceries on a regular basis, and had a workplace.
Speaking at VT Philosophy's 2019 Spring Graduation
On May 18, 2019, I was honored to be the invited speaker at the graduation ceremony for the Philosophy Department at Virginia Tech. I talked about my experiences on the job market as a PhD, including diverted flights, vaporware, misanthropic questions, and ponies.
You can watch the video of my speech below. I was introduced by Jim Klagge, a professor in the department. I've also posted the script that I read from, although I deviated from it in a few places.
Judging at Events
I've enjoyed serving as a judge one or more times for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and the Pittsburgh Regional FIRST Lego League. Talking with young students about their work is a great reminder of the excitement of research, and I can recommend volunteering for any of these programs.
Other Interests
I am particularly fond of the artwork of Edward Hopper. In literature, I've especially enjoyed the works of Sinclair Lewis and Kurt Vonnegut.
I occasionally go geocaching, and I am an amateur radio operator (license KG4LFD, technician class).
Social Networks
You can find me on Twitter, Google Scholar, and LinkedIn.
I am also listed in the Mathematics Genealogy Project. Here's a chart of my academic ancestry, i.e., the advising relationships that preceded mine.
My Erdös Number is four:
Paul Erdös→Melvin Henriksen→Richard Gordon Wilson→Donald R. Perlis→Shomir Wilson