Channel Mike

Download it in pdf (272kB), docx (36kB), txt (13kB)

Mike Schmidt
287 Lake Cir - Madison, MS 39110
mikeschmidt@inbox.com
Home: 601-856-1697 Cell: 801-403-5474 Fax: 866-344-2033

Experience:

• Aspiring Medical Student / Scientist (August, 2008 - present)

  After putting our youngest child, Emma, into kindergarten, I realized that I now have free days (barring sickness, trouble at school, and school holidays) for 9 months of the year. I decided to reach back a dozen years and grab ahold of a goal I let get away. I'm currently refreshing my science education to get to medical school and graduate school. I'm researching diet, nutrition, exercise, and biological causes of obesity. I'm researching neuroscience: plasticity, choice, behavior, and consciousness. I'm researching cancer and immunologic therapies for it.

  I spent from 4 to 20 hours per week from October, 2008 through May, 2009 working as a volunteer in Dr Woolverton's lab at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. We worked with several strains of rats and rhesus monkeys studying choice, drug addiction, and affects of antidepressant use. I mostly did maintenance and zoo-keeping duties, but also enjoyed scientific and philosophical discussions, and assisted with surgery and routine medical care. I also spent a few hours each week this spring observing pediatric surgeries at the Blair Batson Childrens' Hospital.

• Student / Entrepreneur (November, 2001 – August, 2008)

  I left Incognito Entertainment in November, 2001 to raise my new family. At the time, I had dozens of ideas for software, large and small, that I hoped to pursue. I realized that I had no large enough chunks of time to wrap my head around any complexity. I’ve spent the small chunks of time reading on technology, politics, and biology. As my children have grown, my time to pursue some of these projects has grown as well. I’ve contributed to the open source community. I’ve been able to explore some of the newer Microsoft technologies and alternatives like Java and Python. I’ve been writing software to crack the Eternity II problem and studying the combinatorics necessary for that. I’ve studied SOAP and used it to put my Timesieve project together.

  Tools:
  • OS: Windows XP and Vista, Linux (Fedora, Yoper, LFS, Ubuntu)
  • Software: MS Visual Studio 2005/2008, SQL Server, mysql
  • Languages: C++, C Sharp, SQL, COM, .NET, WPF, PHP, drupal
• Incognito Entertainment: Network Admin/Software Engineer (February, 2000 – November, 2001):

  I started at Incognito Entertainment hoping to expand my skills from the “click and drag” style of placing buttons on forms to the lower level algorithms of game programming. My main responsibility was network administration. I managed a handful of Windows and Linux servers across two locations, roughly 50 Windows workstations, 15 Linux workstations, and 20 PS2 Dev Tools. As the only person responsible for administration and support, I handled everything. I managed user accounts and email. I did PC support and custom programming to ease communication between systems. I also did C and C++ programming for “Twisted Metal: Black” and “War of the Monsters,” both for Playstation 2. I implemented a data compression scheme to fit large databases of 3D entities onto CD, unzipping the compressed files on the fly into the PS2’s memory. I also programmed the interactive shell for “War of the Monsters” interacting with and controlling the objects, environments, and cameras therein. I managed our development toolchain selecting different linkers and compilers and finding the correct optimization levels for robust and fast execution of both the build cycle and the finished software. I spent many long days debugging multiple threads in assembly language to fix hiccups in Sony’s sound and video modules. I certainly got what I was looking for, moving from high-level visual tools to the low level C and assembly I wanted to understand.

  Tools:
  • OS: Windows Server, Windows 2000 and XP, Redhat Linux
  • Software: Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Visual Sourcesafe and SourceOffsite,
    Sony PS2 Dev Tools, SN Systems ProDG IDE for Playstation2, Modified gnu toolchain
  • Tech: C/C++, bash scripting, VBScript, VBA, gnu makefiles
• Advanta Bank Corp: Business Analyst: (January, 1999 – June, 2000)

  At Advanta, my responsibilities varied as I went through four managers in my year and a half on the job. I was lucky to be in the role of being the institutional memory for each of the new managers. I was originally supposed to provide tracking and analysis of efficiency and productivity statistics for Advanta’s call center. The situation with so many interim and transient managers allowed me to get involved with creating the capacity plans, managing and submitting budgets, scheduling employees to meet service levels, and interfacing with other managers and team leaders throughout the organization. I created a suite of tools using VBA behind Excel and Access to forecast call volumes, calculate staffing to meet service levels, and schedule service reps to handle the loads appropriately. My history in technology allowed me to work at a lower level with the IT staff and the telecom equipment than would otherwise have been possible. I gained a broad perspective on the various facets of operations and technology that has served me well.

  Tools:
  • OS: Microsoft Windows NT, AIX
  • Software: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access 97, Lucent PBX, Sybase
  • Languages: SQL, VBA, VBScript
• Advanta Bank Corp: Computer Operator (August 1997 – January 1999)

  I was originally hired at Advanta to do PC support in the afternoons and server maintenance and administration during the evenings. I used this opportunity to establish relationships throughout the building while supporting PCs, providing technical advice, and creating custom solutions to individual problems. After business hours, I maintained the servers and their backups while I gained a strong familiarity with the architecture of our systems and databases. After a year of this, I had gained the respect of others in the business and was able to move into the operations side of the business, while still maintaining a hands-on role with technology.

  Tools:
  • OS: Microsoft Windows NT and 3.1, AIX
  • Software: Proprietary helpdesk software, Microsoft Access 2.0, Sybase, Lotus Notes
  • Languages: SQL

Affiliations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• National Center for Science Education
• Association for Computing Machinery
• Drupal Association

Formal Education:

• 2009 - 2009 - Holmes Community College (Core Science Curricula)
• 1995 – 1999 - University of Utah (BS: Exercise Physiology, Computer Science minor)
• 1993 – 1995 - Snow College (AS: Computer Science and Biology)