User:Sps 2002

Hello, I am Ross, a graduate of Michigan Technological University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Networking & Systems Administration, which is based in the School of Technology. I finished my Senior Design project in the Spring of 2006, dealing with the on-campus radio station, WMTU FM, and Internet2, to create a multicast stream using Windows Media Encoder. The stream brought together audio and video from the station's booth, and transmitting it exclusively on Internet2.

Background

I was born December 19th, 1983, at St. Lawerence Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. I grew up on a 120-acre farm 30 miles west of Lansing, which included black-and-white Holstein cows, chickens, and cats and dogs.

I attended St. Patrick School in Portland, Michigan. I participated in 3 years of high school football (offensive tackle, defensive tackle & end), 3 years of track & field (discus, shot put, 800m and 100m & 300m hurdles), and 4 years of basketball (forward). During my Junior and Senior years, I attended Heartlands Institute of Technology in the afternoons, participating in the Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) class, and learning about the AutoCAD software packages, which helped me to be interested in engineering. Along with AutoCAD, I also had a co-op with The Brown Corporation in Ionia, MI, as an Assistant Manufacturing Engineer my Senior year. After graduating with the Class of 2002, I decided to pursue a career in Computer Engineering, but quickly switched to the new CNSA program, once I figured out how much Math didn't like me (or vice versa).

Organizations

At Michigan Tech, I have thoroughly used my Student Activity Fee (and others) by participating in several student organizations:

- DJ for WMTU FM Houghton
- Senior Staff (Computer Department) for WMTU FM Houghton
- Writer for the Daily Bull, a satirical paper put out Tuesdays - Fridays
- Helpdesk volunteer for the Computer Aided Engineering Labs (CAEL) in the ME-EM
- Vice President of Club CAEL
- Track & Field discus thrower and shot putter, team manager

Occupations

Not only have I been busy with student organizations, but I have also worked at a few jobs to keep up with the cost of attending a public university:

- Mentor for Healthy Living House in McNair Hall
- Drafter and Rodsman for Traverse Engineering Services in Hancock
- Farmhand for Baccus Dairy Farm in Lake Linden
- Helpdesk for REMC1 in Hancock
- Food Prep for Campus Cafe in Wadsworth Hall

After graduation, I returned to Riverview Dairy, and retired from there in November 2007. I performed contract work for TEKsystems, Inc. from that point on, and still have ongoing relations with them. Currently, I am employed full-time with WOOD/WOTV/WXSP in Grand Rapids, MI, as a Maintenance Technician in the Advanced Technology Service Center (ATSC).

Future Plans

On August 29th, I will be purchasing a house in Grand Rapids, MI, in the Alger Heights area. I am still planning on buying a farm, hopefully the 120-acre farm that I grew up in. Other than that, things are still up in the air, so I'm just trying to enjoy what's been going on.

Wiki Projects I have worked on: WMTU