I really like my job, but my family is my favorite. My wife Sarah is witty, charming, and beautiful with a completely unique mix of skills and interests. She’s a life coach/pageant coach, garment designer/seamstress, local handy(wo)man, eBay & FB Marketplace pro (and upcycle flipper), rock climber, and way out of my league. We have three kids (GBG). My eldest daughter is clever and funny. She’s into drawing, creative writing, science, video games, reading, and music. She and I often watch movies together and she’s always generous with the “courtesy laugh” to acknowledge, if not encourage, my dad jokes. My son is thoughtful, creative, and always up for trying something new. He loves to build, fix, and invent things, and he has an amazing knack for thinking of interesting “would you rather” questions. My youngest daughter has always been a big personality in a tiny package. She’s outgoing and athletic; even as a preschooler, she cracks jokes, loves a challenge, and regularly refers to her older brother and sister (> twice her age) as “the kids.” The family hobbies include downhill skiing, swimming at the lake, and road trips (e.g., family near Erie PA, family in Minnesota, beach in NC). I also enjoy trail running in Rothrock State Forest, playing the drums, a good DIY challenge, and my favorite books for casual reading are the popular science non-fiction type. Also, my faith has always been a central part of my life too. I’m not the type to push my beliefs on others, but I love hearing what other people do & don’t believe and why.

Education

Ph.D. Quantitative Methods in Education: Statistics Education Track—University of Minnesota (2015)

Thesis: Assessment of Cognitive Transfer Outcomes Among Introductory Statistics Students (link)
Co-Advisors: Joan Garfield & Robert delMas

M.S. Statistics—University of Minnesota (2008)

Thesis: Staggered Nested Designs for Laboratory Round Robin Experiments
Advisor: Douglas M. Hawkins

B.S. Mathematics—Penn State University (2006)

Secondary education concentration
Graduated with high distinction–top 4% class rank in Eberly College of Sciences

Work Experience

Academic

Penn State University

Associate Research Professor (2022-Present)
Assistant Research Professor (2016-2022)
Chair of Undergraduate Curricula (Spring 2016-Present)

Saint Olaf College

Instructor (Spring 2015)

University of Minnesota

Adjunct Faculty (Fall 2008; Spring 2009)

Industry

Medtronic, Inc. 

Senior Statistician (July 2008-November 2013; July 2014-December 2015)

Nonin Medical, Inc. 

Senior Biostatistician (November 2013 - July 2014)


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Updated: January 2023