Brad joined TACC in 2006 as the Education and Outreach Coordinator, with the responsibility for creating and executing a comprehensive program of activities designed to educate students, teachers, and the community at large about the significance and relevance of advanced computing technologies. Brad strives to increase the participation of traditionally under-represented groups in computer science, engineering, and information technology, by working with institutions of higher learning - specifically Minority Serving Institutions - to enable students and faculty to become proficient users of high performance computing resources. Brad also leads the development and implementation of K-12 programs that enable both students and teachers to learn and instruct via TACC-supported research.

Brad has extensive experience with both formal and informal education. He spent ten years at the McDonald Observatory – five as the Program Coordinator for Science Education –developing interactive exhibits for the Observatory Visitors Center. Additionally, Brad produced and presented professional science teacher development workshops, including the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST), and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conferences. In the K-12 arena, Brad produced a number of thoughtful and engaging products to enhance Texas science and mathematics curricula funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the University of Texas Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment.

Brad’s interest in effective uses of technology for learning provided the driving force behind his master’s thesis topic. He created and tested a way for high school students to measure “light pollution” at their school and to compare their data with a computed global model. Students used a digital camera, image analysis software, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint to conduct their research and explore their data. The groups who used the technology could explain their data and interpret results better than the control groups.

Education:

The University of Texas at Austin

M.A. Science Education, B.A. Astronomy