Concrete examples of my experience

• An Air Force project had been undertaken to define taxonomies; the methods were problematic. I reconceptualized the project with new taxonomy development methods. The new project formulation was accepted by the client and successfully executed with a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) and our group. The results were a well-defined metadata framework consistent with an existing standard and a set of taxonomies as value sets for that framework. Significantly, it was discovered that most of the taxonomies already existed in other forms. See Dr. Tom's Method of Multiples: A Concrete Taxonomy Development Method, Anecdotes and Papers.
   
• I conceived of, researched and developed a method for producing a true three dimensional display on a conventional computer monitor (LCD and CRT). The method uses no special glasses or optics, running on conventional personal computers or workstations. Under my company Allotech, Inc., I sought and received funding from NASA, NIH and the DoT (FAA). The state of North Carolina provided additional support. The method has been patented (US Pat. 5,751,927); I am the sole owner. The patent has been licensed for use in a commercial 3D microscopy application. Other licensing opportunities are available.
   
• I have worked with intellectual property. I have developed and managed patents in the areas of electronics, mechanics and software for client companies and myself. This involved searching the US Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) library both in person and online. I provide written detailed analyses of many patents. I have written and drafted patents and claims. I have made personal presentations to patent examiners at the USPTO. I have licensed a patent. I have led technology transfers.
   
• Early in the development of educational metadata we recognized that many organizations need learning object metadata. I worked with others to get many organizations involved in the development of a new international standard.
   
• While working on the metadata system for an educational digital library I found that there was no underlying system architecture. I led the engineers—graduate students—through the development of a system architecture that would allow the metadata to be used effectively.
   
• Recognizing the difficulties in applying metadata standards and taxonomies, I created the IMS Dr. Tom Guides, some of which have been translated into Spanish.
   
• A team of people developing a complex instructional software system each had different ideas of what the underlying policies and assumptions were. I helped each member enumerate of what each understood the policies and assumptions to be; this revealed significant differences. Management realized these needed to be articulated early in the project workflow.
   
• A university wished to integrate all of its freshman and sophomore courses using online technology. Our consulting group met with the faculty to define the requirements and to formulate a solution. Specific examples were developed. I produced a simple software (ToolBook) expression of the solution; this was presented to the faculty and trustees by some of the faculty involved with the project with a very positive response.
   
• I designed and managed a clinical trial that demonstrated a key marketing issue for a biomedical company.
   
• I worked with a biomedical company in cutting the cost of a disposable product from $2.10 each to $0.35 each by determining which part of the process was the most costly, why, and what to do about it. A custom piece of equipment and a change workflow for one step produced this cost reduction. As I had experience in both medical areas and manufacturing, I was able to localize most of the cost to a single operation, designing custom equipment that reduced the manufacturing costs by 80%. Subsequently I applied experimental design to the laboratory development of the product, decreasing the development costs. I subsequently designed and implemented a clinical trial to validate the effectiveness of the technology.
   
• I led a project to develop a concept of operations for transition from paper-based training to online training for over 140,000 delivered courses per year.
   
• A biomedical products company was faced with an unstable manufacturing process, producing inconsistent products that could not be released to the market. Large amounts of data provided little information, even when plotted. I developed a mathematical transform for plotting of the data for visualization that I implemented in a simple computer program. The nature of the instability was revealed such that manipulations of the manufacturing process could be clearly seen in the product behavior. A programmer subsequently produced a useful analytical laboratory tool, the results of which were posted for the production people.
   
• A biomedical company was having difficulty in a freeze-drying process. On studying this, I was found that the more the process was improved, the worse the results. I found that an intentionally "broken" process produced the desired results.
   
• Working with a company that was having difficulty producing a sensor product, I found that an impedance problem at a specific physical location was the cause. A semiconductor company produced in inexpensive solution by custom sorting products they already made. See Anecdotes.
   
• A communications bottleneck was determined to be a product marketing issue. I developed a solution comprised of an innovative LAN that we readily had designed and produced.
   
• I defined a key cost area in histotechnology and subsequently developed and demonstrated a concept to minimize the use of a costly reagent while improving performance.
   
• In the face frequent staff reassignments, to stabilize the development process for custom inspection systems, I developed a handbook outlining the principles of industrial optoelectonic systems.
   
• The EPA was developing a sensitive test of neurotoxicity based on the response of the auditory system of the rat. The rat can hear from about 500 cycles per second (Hz) up to about 80,000 Hz (human can hear up to about 20,000 Hz). A study of the mechanics and dynamics of the inner ear revealed there are common features across the entire frequency range that can be defined with a common phase structure. Once I defined the equation for that waveform, engineers used it to create test signals over the entire range. Working with EPA scientists I designed and produced a custom loudspeaker that worked over the entire frequency range and an isolation enclosure. I produced an additional system for Wayne State University.
   
• I have been called upon many times to help companies develop new business, product and service concepts.