I am a problem solver. Studying linguistics in college I soon discovered that linguists have identified and are attempting to answer some of the most complex questions out there. Detailing the underlying grammatical structure of a language is like describing the mechanisms of a clock without opening the housing.

Design is a problem solving profession. Design is also a problem defining profession. Problem solving and problem defining are inextricably intertwined.

As a student of linguistics, I developed an ability to see the scope of a problem. I learned how to explore a problem space for hidden solutions. These are the skills I bring to Interaction Design.

I completed the Master's of Science degree in Human-Computer Interaction Design at the School of Informatics, Indiana University-Bloomington in May of 2007.

Core coursework included: design methods & philosophy, prototyping and usability evaluation methods.

As a culminating work, I explored the reasons why a project I began in the Fall of 2006 ultimately failed (capstone paper, pdf 1mb). I expanded the project to include consideration of failure in general in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. My concluding thoughts include concepts to aid designers in avoiding failure within complex IT projects.

I attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH where I earned a BA in Linguistics. Dartmouth, a member of the Ivy League, was ranked the 9th best college in America by USNews.com for 2006 and it falls into the most selective category. As a culminating experience I authored an Honors Thesis (pdf 673kb). It details the morphology of a dying Algonquian language named Western Abenaki.

In 1998 I attended the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Schule in Weinheim as a foreign exchange student for six months. I lived with a wonderful host family and really had a chance to become German during that time. I funded the trip out of pocket by working in restaurants at night while attending my sophomore and junior year of high school.

As part of a Dartmouth foreign exchange program, I attended the Beijing Normal University during the summer of 2001. Our studies in China extended our year long introductory language courses in addition to a course on contemporary Chinese economics and politics. I took every advantage to get out and explore the back alleys of Beijing. When the term was over, we embarked on a two week trip west to the central asian frontier city of Kashgar.

During the winter of 2005, I returned to France as a teaching assistant with Dartmouth. We attended the Institut Lumière II in Lyon for three months. I was in charge of mediating between the students and foreign professors as well as planning activities.

Over the summer of 2002, I arranged a self-led study of French with a local foreign sister-city program. For three months I lived with four different families consecutively in Joigny. Here is my account of that experience published by the Hanover-Joigny newsletter.

I visited Guatemala in November, 2006. I was there to meet with the founder to Enlace Quiche, a non-profit organization dedicated to native language education.

This was my first trip to Central America and I loved it. The people are the nicest I have met anywhere in the world.

My girlfriend, my sister and I drove from Bloomington, Indiana to Hidalgo, Mexico (28 hours) in the Spring of 2007.

This was my second trip to Central America and I must say, I still love it. We camped out for a week and enjoyed some of the best outdoor climbing I've ever experienced. I even lead my first 5.10c outdoors.

To date I have been on four extended foreign trips. Extended means more than two months traveling without a definite destination with only a backpack. I consider these travels to be a key part of my non-academic education. Through these experiences I have learned self-reliance, planning, conflict-mediation, and how to appreciate foreign cultures for what they are.