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Dann Stayskal
http://dann.stayskal.com/
Arlington, TX, USA

Profile

Dann is an interdisciplinary engineer, analyst, and researcher. His core background is in software development, web applications, internationalization and localization, systems and network architecture, natural language processing, editing, software testing, mathematical modeling, and security analysis.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
in Computational Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence
Completed summa cum laude, December 2008.
The University of Texas at Arlington

Skills and Areas of Focus

Following each item is a one-to-ten or textual rating of my familiarity and experience with it:

Programming, Markup, and Database Languages

  • Perl [8]
  • Ruby [7]
  • MySQL [7]
  • PHP [5]
  • C++ [6]
  • C# [5] and ASP.Net [4]
  • JavaScript [7]
  • Python [3]
  • XHTML [8]
  • CSS [7]
  • XML [7] and XSLT [4]
  • Shell Scripting [4]

Platforms and Frameworks

  • Linux [9], Mac OS X [8], and BSD [5]
  • Ruby on Rails [8]
  • AJAX [7] and DHTML [8]
  • Windows / Win32 [6]

Research and Development Interests

  • Web Application Development [8]
  • Natural Language Processing [7]
  • Internationalization (i18n) [7] and Localization (l10n) [6]
  • Fault-Tolerance [6], Disaster Planning and Recovery [5]
  • Neural Networks [7] and Cognitive Process Modeling [5]
  • Cryptography [7] and Cryptanalysis [4]
  • Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Systems Design [5]
  • User Experience and Interface Design [4]

Spoken Languages

  • English (natively)
  • Russian (good in translation, basic conversation)
  • German (fair in translation, basic conversation)

Professional Experience

  • Senior Systems and Software Engineer of eCarList
    April 2009 – Present, Dallas, Texas
    • Designed, developed, documented, deployed, and managed:
      • failure prediction and server capacity regression system
      • automation of build, test, and deployment systems
      • Amazon S3 cloud storage integration
      • object and aspect-relational mappers for database access
      • unit, functional, and integration test frameworks
      • DNS and LDAP hosting and management environment
      • network, database, and server monitoring system
      • versioning and revision handler for database schemata
      • versioning and integration system for vendor dependencies
      • SMS notification interface through two telecom aggregators
      • nightly builds and documentation tests
      • Cisco router configurations
    • Automated import of automotive market data into OLAP cube
    • Produced graphing component of iPhone application
    • Taught class on DNS theory and practice
    • Wrote company coding style guidelines
    Technologies: Perl, Apache, MySQL, FreeBSD, Linux, Nagios, JavaScript, Objective-C, Erlang
  • Senior Software Developer of Binary Spring
    May 2008 – April 2009, Hurst, Texas
    • Coordinated global network of developers and designers
    • Produced full-stack Ruby on Rails applications based on customer needs
    • Developed user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) models
    • Automated configuration management processes
    • Designed, developed and maintained distributed deployment system
    Technologies: Ruby, Rails, Linux, Windows Server 2000, Microsoft SQL Server, Capistrano
  • Senior Software Engineer, Advanced Systems Division at Elbit Systems of America
    October 2005 – May 2008, Fort Worth, Texas
    Due to the sensitive nature of defense sector work, some information on this time span is restricted.
    • Performed information assurance and security certification for RF and network systems
    • Designed and prototyped software, firmware, and hardware for embedded network devices
    • Wrote and adapted Linux kernel cryptographic modules
    • Designed user experience (UX) and mathematical models for ground and aircraft navigation systems
    • Led international engineering effort to design, develop, and deploy a nation's grid network testing infrastructure
    • Trained software interns in agile methodologies and secure development practices
    • Performed statistical analysis and mathematical airflow modeling for rotorcraft systems
    • Debugged network protocol stack implementations
    • Authored, designed, reviewed, and edited specifications, manuals, software documentation, and marketing materials
    Technologies: Linux, GNU Tools, C++, Windows CE, Visual Studio, Maple, Wireshark, Nmap
  • Director of Operations, Site Administrator of Everything2
    August 2005 – Nov 2008, Remote , Part Time
    • Coordinated a volunteer staff to grow one of the largest online writing communities
    • Developed and maintained site's open source codebase
    • Served as content editor as needed for articles on computing, networking, and language
    Technologies: Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl
  • Senior Systems Engineer, Vice President of Infrastructure Division of KNSR
    May 2005 – September 2005, Dallas, Texas
    • Designed, deployed, and maintained fault-tolerant DNS, web, authentication, mail, database, and provisioning systems for an internet service provider
    • Developed and deployed wide area wireless network and support systems
    • Maintained VOIP infrastructure on Cisco hardware
    Technologies: FreeBSD, Qmail, Apache, DJBDNS, FreeRADIUS, 802.11, Active Directory
  • Senior Software Engineer, Senior Systems Administrator of Superhero Networks
    August 2003 – May 2005, Mansfield, Texas and Remote
    • Designed, developed, deployed, and administered turnkey software and systems for:
      • Internet service provisioning
      • Support ticket management
      • Billing automation
      • Customer relationship management
    • Maintained fault-tolerant mail, DNS, authentication, directory services, database support, and support ticket systems
    • Provided third-tier tech support to customers as needed
    Technologies: Perl, mod_perl, Apache, Linux, DJBDNS, Windows 2000, Qmail, Radiator, Active Directory
  • Senior Software and Systems Engineer, Research and Development at Comprehensive Consulting
    Mar 2003 – August 2003 North Richland Hills, Texas and Remote
    • Developed applications to manage human resources and web content management
    • Configured and maintained Cisco routing equipment
    • Coordinated with multiple offices to maintain WAN across three states
    Technologies: Linux, Perl, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Cisco
  • Software Developer, Network Administrator for American Health Underwriters
    August 1999 – March 2003, Hurst, Texas
    • Developed telecommunications interface and control systems
    • Managed medium-scale network platform migration
    • Designed, deployed and administered email, web, backup, data warehousing, billing, and quality assurance systems
    • Maintained hybrid TCP/IP and IPX/SPX network
    Technologies: Novell NetWare, Windows XP, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Linux, Qmail, Cyrus IMAP
  • Systems and Network Technician at Expert Computer Systems
    July 1996 – August 1999, Bedford, Texas
    • Diagnosed and repaired desktops, servers, laptops, displays, and printers
    • Earned certifications in IBM hardware repair, Microsoft and Novell operating systems, and Samsung phone system configuration
    • Recognized area subject matter expert for Apple hardware and software
    • Designed and integrated 250 node hybrid TCP/IP and IPX/SPX metropolitan-area network for a local school district

Academic Research Labs and Groups

Speech Rhythm and Prosody Lab, Linguistics Department, University of Texas at Arlington
June 2008 – Present, under Dr. Jerold Edmondson
  • Wrote linguistic analysis system to process lexicon, phonology, and morphophonology of 260 spoken languages
  • Writing speech recognition routines to syllabify speech stream and extract prosodic suprasegmental features of pitch, duration, and stress
  • Designing and implementing software to aid in the study of pitch-accent languages through automatic transcription and vowel-duration measurements
Dispositional Risk Influence Study, Psychology Department, University of Texas at Arlington
September 2007 – September 2009, under Dr. Daniel Levine
  • Earned Human Subjects Research Compliance certification
  • Administered weekly study under IRB guidelines
Rational Decision Making Lab, Psychology Department, University of Texas at Arlington
March 2005 – May 2005, under Dr. Timothy Odegard
Developed game software to evaluate performance on the Iowa Gambling Task

Volunteer and Independent Contract Work

  • May 2009, Fort Worth, Texas:
    Designed cryptographic infrastructure for real-time embedded data storage and retrieval device for a local defense electronics company.
  • September 2005 – October 2005, Fort Worth, Texas:
    Adapted and maintained web-based, data-driven failure analysis and corrective action system for a local defense electronics company.
  • September 2004 – April 2005, Arlington, Texas:
    Designed, developed, and deployed neural network-driven weather, demographics, and airfare tracking, categorization, and prediction model for a local travel agency.
  • March 2004 – Jun 2004, Dallas, Texas:
    Designed and implemented convergent VOIP network for international phone switching company.
  • Jan 2003 – Mar 2005 [seasonal], Anahuac, Chihuahua, Mexico:
    Collected donations of computer and network hardware for a children's home in Mexico. Designed and integrated donated parts into educational network. Led transportation and deployment effort in main facility in Mexico. Documented network architecture and provided training to the home's staff.
  • October 2001 – March 2002, Boston, Massachusetts:
    Developed eigenspatial biometric facial recognition access control system for a security company.
  • June 2001 – August 2001, Arlington, Texas:
    Developed inventory and accounting system for a group of car dealerships.

Interviews

  • March 2009 – Interviewed by Michigan State University on my experience directing the everything2.com writing community.
  • July 2004 – Interviewed by Jessica Freeman with UTA Shorthorn for article on digital culture on university campuses.

Digital Publications

Books

  • Stayskal, D. L. (2008a). The Visceral Society: The Decay and Reconstruction of Human Rights in Modernity.
  • Stayskal, D. L. (2008b). Owning Conversation: The intersections of the language, economics, and politics of property.

Popular Articles

Essays

Current Professional Affiliations

  • Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
  • Association for Computational Linguistics
  • Association for Computing Machinery
  • Association for Social Economics
  • International Political Science Association
  • Linguistic Society of America

Honors and Awards

  • Dean's List, College of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington
  • Russian Departmental Honors, University of Texas at Arlington
  • Latinam Honoris Societatem (Latin Honors Society)
  • National Honor Society