19 Monarchwood Crescent
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3A 1H3
416-447-4895

Profile as of Aug. 2005: On-Line

Professional Engineer
Author
Speaker
Lesson Plans
Community Projects
Information Processing Program
The Meaning of New Technology

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

I am very pleased to be teaching Technological Design at SATEC@W.A. Porter (The Scarborough Academy for Technological, Environmental and Computer Education). 

SKILLS AND STRENGTHS

Community Builder

• Trustee, Robert McCowan Memorial Scholarship, R.H. King Academy
• Received five nominations for a City of Scarborough Bicentennial Award of Merit
• Coordinated fundraising initiative for the Children of Dunblane Memorial Fund
• Organizer: Scarboro Fare Fair 1994, A celebration and exploration of the past, present and future nutritional needs and expectations of the family

Lessons That I Have Taught in Toronto Schools (Pre-Faculty of Education)

• Woburn Collegiate, Grade 12: The Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions
• Burrows Hall Public School, Grade 5: Technology -- Structures
• Burrows Hall Public School, Grade 5: Integrated Learning -- Social Studies and Math
• Selwyn Public School, Grade 5: Learning Resources for Toronto's Prehistory

Educational Resource Development

Problem Solving, Systems Analysis and Application Development 

• Architected and implemented new processes, tools, workflow and structures to improve register and firmware data control and distribution (custom XML single-source approach)
• Analysis / design for new intranet system including data model and reports on document status
• Developed and partly implemented "Integrated Techwriting Model" (covering data integrity, structure, processing, continuous improvement and single-source concepts)
• Analysis / development for placement agency, securities, task management and other databases
• Analysis for accounting cycles, safety-related incident reporting and other systems
• Solution Testimonial

Other Technical Analysis, Research and Methodology Development

• Developed a methodology for the preparation of system documentation for VB / Access applications including visual inter-related summaries of the data layer, visual layer (GUI) and business rule layer
• Developed a methodology for systems analysis including logical structure and abstraction of workflow
• Created a visual of a software development model, later adapted for use in a corporate brochure
• Testimonial -- Passionate Scholar

Product and Other Documentation

• Responsible for planning, structuring and releasing technical product data both internally and externally
• Created / edited numerous firmware, software, chip and board documents
• Edited and tested instruction manuals for consumer appliances
• Performed technical review of staff reports
• Created business plan for an information technology initiative
• TechWriting Testimonial

Other Technical Communication and Papers

• Paper, Bringing Innovative Products to Market Through Third Party Engineering Assessment on the Basis of Design Goals for Safety, published in the Proceedings of the 1997 World Gas Conference
• Paper: A critical summary of the International Conference On Thermal Storage In Buildings: Published in "Canadian Renewable Energy News"
• Paper: Learning from the Past: Engineers & the Heritage Learning Resources: Published in "Engineering Dimensions", Journal of Professional Engineers Ontario
• Paper: Engineering Principles and The Object Oriented Methodology

Quality Assurance, Certification, Testing and Configuration Management

• ISO 9000 Internal Audit Team Lead
• Created various templates, procedures and policies respecting incremental improvements to the documentation system and other processes
• Coordinated firmware and software tool releases including special-case workflow
• Often looked upon to provide value-added comments on workflow and inter-departmental interfaces
• Contributed to work-flow design for state-driven ClearQuest bug tracking implementation
• Year 2000 testing and remediation of a time-docketing database application
• Quality / fitness for purpose audit of a web-based learning application
• Evaluated, tested and certified gas appliances and accessories to safety standards, where the public safety is of paramount importance, always calling on engineering judgement
• Originated and developed design certification and testing requirements for unique appliance types for which there were no known standards and only limited understanding of potential user interactivity
• Certification Testimonial

Project Management and Trainer

• Supervised and mentored staff of four technical writers
• Trained staff in other departments on source version control of documents
• Member of Health and Safety Committee
• Leader of corrective action information sessions
• Speaker at and organizer of Natural Gas Vehicle Industry Conference
• Supervised technical staff on matters relating to technical accuracy and completeness of test and certification reports

Consensus Builder, Team Leader and Management / Supervisory

• Increased production by 30% within two years
• Nurtured and developed the natural gas vehicle component Certification Department
• Invited by senior management to spearhead an alternative standards development process
• As Standards Engineer, ensured that the Standards needs of consumers, regulatory authorities and manufacturers are responsibly balanced
• Chaired industry ad-hoc meetings to resolve significant problems in technological design
• Hands-on approach: from testing appliances to trouble-shooting compressors
• Alternate Team Captain, two consecutive years (hockey)
• Most Valuable Player Award, three consecutive years (hockey)
• Leadership Testimonial
• Consensus Testimonial

Computer Programming / Tools

Structured Programming Using C  *  Object-Oriented Programming Using C++   *  Data Modeling  *  Microsoft Visual Basic  *  Relational Database Development Using SQL  *  AutoDesk Inventor  *  Visio  *   Perl  *  XML  *  WebWorks Publisher  *  Microsoft Office  *  Microsoft Project  *  ClearQuest

Publications: Socio-Economic Evolution (Reviews)

• When the Ground Fails -- An Economic Watershed, A Scarborough Bi-Centennial Project
• Fairs and Frolics -- Scottish Communities at Work and Play, A Toronto 200 Project
• To Sustene the Personis -- The Agricultural Revolution
• Co-Author of The Scots Kirk -- An Oral History of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Scarborough
• Neigh the Front -- Exploring Scarboro Heights
• Author of numerous papers about Scarborough history and Scottish history
• Past Editor: Scarborough Historical Notes and Comments
• Managing Editor: The Scarboro Heights Record

Public Speaking / Oral Communication

• Speaker: Queen's University CIRQUE+ '97 Conference on Industry and Resources, Engineers and Standards in the Innovative Product Implementation Cycle
• Speaker: Scarborough Board of Education, English as A Second Language Program: The Scottish Immigrant Experience
• Speaker: "In Search of Learning", Owen Sound, Evolution of Values with Respect to Relief from Stresses in the World of Work
• Speaker: Scottish Studies Conference, University of Guelph, Lowland Emigration to Scarborough, 1797-1850
• Speaker: Sky Garden Seniors, Two Hundreds Years of Scots in Scarborough
• Speaker: Agincourt Community Services Association, Volunteer Recognition Evening: The Scots as Volunteers
• Speaker: Etobicoke Genealogy Group, The Value of Genealogy in the Context of Scottish Economic History
• Speaker: Toronto Public Library, Toronto: One Family's Story
• And many other speaking engagements on local history in Toronto as well as Scottish history, including: Scarborough Public Library Board; United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada; Ontario Genealogical Society Hamilton Branch; East York Board of Education Community Services; Scarborough Historical Society; Audley Community Club; Lesmahagow Parish Historical Association (Lanarkshire, Scotland)

Media Relations

• Interviewed by Trillium Cable Communications, regarding the publication of Fairs and Frolics: Scottish Communities at Work and Play
• Occasional contributor to "Bluffs Monitor", Scarborough, and "Toronto Star"
• Interviewed by BBC-Radio Scotland for their acclaimed series, "The Lowland Clearances"
• Coordinated Media Reception to Announce Scottish Heritage Days

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Education: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, 2006
• Computer Programming & Systems Analysis Diploma: The Institute for Computer Studies
• Bachelor of Applied Science: Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo

 EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

SATEC@W.A. Porter (Scarborough Academy for Technological, Environmental and Computer Education) (September 2006 - Present)

• Technological Design Teacher

Map Fusion Inc.: Thornhill (Feb. 2005 - August 2005)

• Information Architect
• Senior Technical Writer

Genesis Microchip Inc.: Toronto (March 2000 - Nov 2004)

• Senior Technical Writer
• Data Architecture Analyst
• Internal Audit Team Lead

Great Dane Consultants: Toronto (April 1997- March 2000)

• Programmer / Analyst
• Technical Writer
• Tester

Canadian Gas Association / International Approval Services: Don Mills, Ontario (1981-1996)

MEMBERSHIPS