"My life is more than my work. My work is more than my job." -Ken Modesitt

CREDENTIALS Dr. Kenneth Modesitt is a Professor and Interim Chair of Computer Science and Associate Dean for External Partnerships and Research in the College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). He returned to the campus in January 2002, after helping start the department during 1972-77. As Associate Chair from 2003-2004, he helped the department gain national accreditation from the ACM and IEEE-CS Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (CAC/ABET), in addition to teaching and research responsibilities. He initiated a Professional Advisory Board (www.cs.ipfw.edu/pab/pab.php) in 2003 as well as a Student Advisory Board (www.ipfw.edu/cssab/public/homepage.htm. As Associate Dean for External Partnerships and Research since 2004, he developed System Engineering Workshops and the School-wide Colloquium Series. Specific areas of expertise include software engineering, expert systems, and distributed learning. He has 125+ publications and presentations, and has presented tutorials and workshops throughout the USA and in Japan, Scotland, England, Wales, Austria, Canada, France, Sweden, Australia, and China. His interest in peaceful applications in space predate his computing interest, beginning with test firing of solid-fuel rockets in 1958 while in high school as a member of the Amateur Rocket Society. Previously, he was a Professor in the Computer and Information Science Department at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D). During 2000-2001 when he was on sabbatical and consulted with the Next Generation Software Engineering Department of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command, he begin the development of an International Software Engineering University Consortium (ISEUC) www.ipfw.edu/sesurvey. ISEUC is an outgrowth of an international survey he conducted that was funded by ACM and the IEEE-Computer Society in 1999, and now numbers 35 universities in four countries. Under his former direction as chair (1994-2001), the department at UM-D started a new B.S. degree in Software Engineering in January, 2001, following a new M.S. degree in Software Engineering in Fall, 1999. In July, 2001, he decided to “step up” from chair to pursue more intensive efforts in software engineering. In July of 1997, the Department received accreditation from CSAB (now CAC/ABET) for the maximum possible period. He was appointed to University-level task forces concerned with high-quality asynchronous education to communities of learners at work, school and home. Technologies include multi-media, computer-based learning, video conferencing, computer collaboration, distance learning, and Internet delivery of learning material. During his first seven years as chair, the Professional Advisory Board was formed, and is now composed of senior technologists from 36 corporations, providing “customer” support in many areas. During 1995-96, he initiated a Student Alumni Advisory Board, with 20 current and former students who provide vital viewpoints from a key internal “customer” base. Prior to coming to Michigan, Dr. Modesitt was the Manager of the R & D Technology Center in Hanover, Maryland, for Western Development Labs of Loral Corporation. He was responsible for the management of independent and contract R&D, technology transfer into other departments, developing business strategies and tactics, and identifying short and long-range technology thrusts. In the preceding five years (1988-93), Dr. Modesitt served as Department Head and Professor of Computer Science at Western Kentucky University. The Department received recognition as a newly accredited program from CSAB in 1993. He also taught advanced courses on expert knowledge-based systems, software engineering, and computer-based learning. From 1984-88, he was a Professor of Computer Science at California State University at Northridge, developing and teaching similar courses, as described in IEEE Expert and Expert Systems journals. While in California, he was employed half time concurrently at the Rocketdyne division of Rockwell International as a senior member of the technical staff. In this capacity, he was involved in a multi-year effort with the engineering staff to develop an expert system for test analysis of Space Shuttle main engines , reports of which have appeared in IEEE, NASA, ASME, IJCAI and International Expert Systems conference papers since 1985. From 1978-84, he was employed by Texas Instruments Incorporated in the capacities of: program manager for computer based learning (Personal Computer Division), corporate education director (Corporate Headquarters), and software manager and engineer (Defense Systems and Electronics Group). He started computer science programs at Colorado State University and the Purdue regional campus at Fort Wayne in 1967 and 1972, respectively. Other industry experience dates to 1963 with the Advanced Development Division of Control Data Corporation, where he worked on compiler generators for CDC 3000 and 6000 series hardware. Dr. Modesitt has an extensive background in the academic side of computer science, dating back to his first computing course in 1961 at the University of Illinois. Yes, he really did sleep on top of the desk while waiting for the two-hour turnaround time from the Illiac I (a first-generation machine with a 40-bit 1024-word vacuum tube memory and a 90µs add time for integers). Later, as an undergrad student assistant, he worked on IBM 1401 and 7090 machines. His graduate student days began in 1963 at Stanford with Dr. John McCarthy and at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University with Drs. Simon and Newell in 1965. Full Resume