In A Nutshell
Brian Thoms was born on the outskirts of NYC in a small whaling community on Long Island (whaling has since become illegal). He received his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science at Fordham and completed his MSIS @ Stevens Tech. Today, Brian is a first second third final-year PhD student graduate from Claremont Graduate University’s School of Information Systems and Technology. He is Chief Software Engineer at HealthATM, where he conducts research for the Kay Center for E-Health Research. His research focuses on the design and implementation of innovative information systems across public and private business. He is also Assistant Professor of Computer Systems at the State University of New York, Farmingdale.Before joining academic life, Brian worked for five years as a software developer and analyst for Salomon Smith Barney in downtown Manhattan. Brian continues to work part-time building intelligent systems for both small businesses and non-profits in Southern California just about anywhere.
Thanks to modern science, he is able to live comfortably in Orange County, California New York, New York. You can find me on Google Earth. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
Email me to discuss the fate of your world: brian[at]brianthoms[dot]com.
Doctorate (August, 2009)
School: School of Information Systems & Technology (SISAT) at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Degree: PhD in Information Systems and Technology (transcript)
Dissertation Topic: Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design: Implementing a Reputation and Recommender System for the Claremont Conversation Online (dissertation link)
Advisors: Dr. Terry Ryan, Dr. Lorne Olfman and Dr. Samir Chatterjee
Activities: Preparing Future Faculty Fellow, 2008-2009 SISAT Student Council President, 2007 SISAT Student Council Vice President
Masters (January, 2006)
School: Stevens Tech, Hoboken, NJ
Degree: M.S. in Information Systems
Thesis Topic: IT Outsourcing: Inside Out and Outside In
Advisors: Dr. Jerry Luftman, Dr. Christine Bullen
Degree Description: The MSIS Program focused largely on the effective and efficient use of information on various areas of technology & management.
Bachelors (May, 2001)
School: Fordham University, Bronx, NY
Degree: B.S. in Computer Science
Awards: Dean’s List Student, Atlantic-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Activities: D-1, Varsity Athlete (Mens Soccer), Computer Science Club
Description: The CS Program focused on programming in a variety of languages with a strong emphasis on computer architecture and system design.
Industry Experience
| 2009 to pres. | HealthATM Inc., Claremont, CA |
| Chief Software Engineer | |
| Architected and developed a complete web-based platform for e-health kiosks. Our software interfaces with external health APIs to deliver secure patient health portfolio data for underserved populations via an ATM-style interface. Technologies: PHP, MySQL, XML, XSL, HTML, AJAX and FLASH. | |
| 2007 to 2009 | San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego, CA |
| Project Contractor | |
| Architected and developed a reporting application for migrant service aides, which provides service workers with an electronic method for reporting educational services. Technologies: C#, DotNet, MSSQL, XML, HTML and AJAX. | |
| 2001 to 2005 | Salomon Smith Barney, New York, NY |
| Programmer / Analyst | |
| Provided analysis, development and support for the Global Finance Desk Trading System. Role involved software development, strategic problem solving and creative data analysis for Finance Desk trading desk. Technologies: Java/JSP, C/C++, UML, PERL, HTML, Secure FTP, Sybase/SQL and Unix Shell scripting. | |
| 1998 to 2001 | ClearDev, New York, NY |
| Web Developer | |
| Assisted in creating, uploading and maintaining web sites and servers for commercial businesses. Technologies: PERL, HTML, JavaScript, ASP, Databases, Photoshop, Flash |
Teaching Experience
| 2010 to pres. | State University of New York (SUNY) Farmingdale |
| Assistant Professor of Computer Systems | |
| Teach an array of computer classes from general programming to the management of information systems. | |
| 2010 | Kaplan University |
| Online Instructor | |
| Teach courses on database systems (Oracle, MSSQL, Access) | |
| 2008 to 2010 | San Diego State University |
| Lecturer | |
| Taught general courses on information systems. | |
| 2010 | California Art Institute |
| Instructor | |
| Taught courses on user interface design and general website development. |
Research Experience
| 2009 to pres. | Kay Center for E-Health Resesarch |
| Research Fellow | |
| My role involves the design and development of a web-based platform, HealthATM, for e-health kiosks. The software interfaces with Google Health APIs to deliver secure patient health portfolio data for underserved populations via an ATM-style interface. Primary technologies are: PHP, MySQL, XML, XSL, HTML, AJAX and FLASH. | |
| 2005 to 2010 | Social Learning Software Lab (SL Squared) |
| Research Associate | |
| SL Squared aims to create effective software solutions for social learning. My existing role involves research into the various learning opportunities in implementing social software to increase collaboration in transdisciplinary studies. | |
| 2009 to 2010 | Safe Road Maps |
| Research Associate | |
| As a research associate for the Safe Road Maps (SRM) Project, my role centered on finding creative solutions for the Safe Road Maps web platform. Technologies: ArcGIS, Google Earth / Maps, C#, MSSQL, XML/XSL, AJAX/HTML. | |
| 2006 | Intelligent Systems Lab |
| Research Assistant | |
| Research centered on using natural language processing to reduce the complexity of health information across the Internet. |
2012 Publications
- Brian Thoms. “Student Perceptions of Microblogging: Integrating Twitter with Blogging to Support Learning and Interaction,” Journal of Information Technology Education. Vol. 11, 2012.
- Brian Thoms. “Integrating Blogging and Microblogging to Foster Learning and Social Interaction in Online Learning Communities,” HICSS 45 (2012).
2011 Publications
- Brian Thoms. “A Dynamic Social Feedback System to Support Learning and Social Interaction in Higher Education,” IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, March 22, 2011. IEEE computer Society Digital Library. IEEE Computer Society.
- Nathan Botts, Thomas Horan, Brian Thoms. HealthATM: Personal Health Cyberinfrastructure for Underserved Populations, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, May 2011. Vol. 40, Issue 5, Supplement 2, Pages S115-S122.
2010 Publications
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett Terry Ryan . “A Blog Reputation System to Foster Learning in Online Communities of Practice,” HICSS 43 (2010).
- Nathan Botts, Brian Thoms, Aisha Noamani, Thomas Horan,“Cloud Computing Architectures for the Underserved: Public Health Cyberinfrastructures through a Network of HealthATMs,” HICSS 43 (2010).
2009 Publications
- Nathan Botts, Brian Thoms, Thomas Horan “HealthATM: Interactive Services for Underserved Populations,” In AMIA 2009 Annual Symposium, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 14-18.
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett, Terry Ryan “Enhancing Scholarly Conversation through an Online Learning Community,” In Advances in Cognitive Informatics and Natural Intelligence book series, "ICTs for Modern Educational and Instructional Advancement: New Approaches to Teaching."
- Brian Thoms, “Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design: Implementing a Reputation and Recommender System for the Claremont Conversation Online,” PhD Dissertation, Claremont Graduate University:Claremont. (dissertation link)
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett and Terry Ryan, Online Learning Communities in the New ‘U’, Intl. Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 499-517.[pdf].
- Nathan Garrett, Brian Thoms, Terry Ryan and Nimer Alrushiedat, “Developing the Social Portfolio,” On the Horizon, vol. 17, no. 3.
2008 Publications
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett, Mariana Soffer and Terry Ryan, “Resurrecting Graduate Conversation through an Online Learning Community,” International Journal of Information Communication and Technology Education (IJICTE), Issue #15 Vol. 4 No.3 Jul-Sep 2008 [pdf].
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett, Jesus Canelon Herrera and Terry Ryan, “Understanding the Roles of Knowledge Sharing and Trust in Online Learning Communities,” In Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 41) January 7-10, 2008, Waikoloa, Hawaii [pdf]. (Nominated Best Paper)
2007 Publications
- Brian Thoms, Nathan Garrett, Mariana Soffer and Terry Ryan, “Resurrecting Graduate Conversation through an Online Learning Community,” IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems July 3-8, 2007, Lisbon, Portugal [pdf]. (Winner of Best Research Paper)
- Nathan Garrett, Brian Thoms, Mariana Soffer and Terry Ryan, “Extending the Elgg Social Networking System to Enhance the Campus Conversation,” Second Annual Design Research in Information Systems (DESRIST) May 14-15, 2007, Pasadena, California [pdf]. (Nominated Best Research Paper)
- Trudi Miller, Gondy Leroy, Samir Chatterjee, J. Fan, and Brian Thoms, “A Classifier to Evaluate Language Specificity of Medical Documents,” In Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 40) January 3-6, 2007, Waikoloa, Hawaii. [pdf ]. (Winner of Best Paper)
2005 Publications
- Brian Thoms, “Outsourcing: Inside Out and Outside In,” Stevens Master’s Thesis, 2005, available online at http://brianthoms.com/articles/Thesis.pdf.
2012 Presentations
- “Online Learning Communities to Support Teaching and Learning,” CTLT 2nd Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning: Current Research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Farmingdale State University, April 27, 2012, Farmingdale, NY.
- “Integrating Blogging and Microblogging to Foster Learning and Social Interaction in Online Learning Communities,” 45th Annual Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences, January 4-7, 2012, Maui, HI.
2011 Presentations
- “Combining Microblogging with Blogging to foster Learning and Social Interaction in Online Learning Communities,” School of Information Systems and Technology at Claremont Graduate University, June 6, 2011, Claremont, CA.
- “Elgg Mash-up with Twitter to foster Learning and Social Interaction in Higher Education,” Department of Computer and Information Systems at the School of Business at Farmingdale State University, April 23, 2011, Farmingdale, NY.
2010 Presentations
- “Server-side Programming: A Technology Tutorial,” Department of Computer and Information Systems at the School of Business at Farmingdale State University, November 4, 2010, Farmingdale, NY.
- “Binary Search Trees: A Technology Tutorial,” Department of Computer and Information Systems at the School of Business at Farmingdale State University, April 23, 2010, Farmingdale, NY.
- “The Design and Evaluation of a Peer Ratings System for Online Learning Communities,” 43rd Annual Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences, January 4-7, 2010, Kauai, HI.
- “Cloud Computing Architectures for the Underserved: Public Health CyberInfrastructures through a Network of HealthATMs,” 43rd Annual Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences, January 4-7, 2010, Kauai, HI.
2009 Presentations
- “Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design: Implementing a Reputation and Recommender System for the Claremont Conversation Online,” a Dissertation Defense at Claremont Graduate University, July 29, 2009, Claremont, CA.
- “IT Does Matter,” Guest Lecture for IT509 MBA course at Woodbury University, June 13, 2009, Burbank, CA.
- “Database Normalization: A Technology Tutorial,” Department of Computer and Information Systems at the School of Business at Farmingdale State University, Aril 23, 2009, Farmingdale, NY.
- “Teaching Web Development Roundtable,” Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, April 3, 2009, Fresno, CA.
- “Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design.” The Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, April 3, 2009, Fresno, CA.
2008 Presentations
- “Claremont Conversation Online Open Source Tutorial,” Guest Lecture on Social Technologies. November 6, 2008, Claremont,CA.
- Dissertation Proposal Defense, “Expanding Learning and Social Interaction through Intelligent Systems Design: Implementing a Reputation and Recommender System for the Claremont Conversation Online.” August 20, 2008, Claremont CA.
- “July 2008 Claremont Conversation Online Update”, Social Learning Software Lab. July 30, 2008, Claremont CA.
- “Beyond the Claremont Conversation”, Educational Studies Faculty & Board of Visitors. April 03, 2008, Claremont CA.
- “Graduate Student Success with the e-Portfolio”, 20th Annual Lilly-West Conference, March 21-22, Kellogg West Ranch, Cal Poly Pomona, CA.
- “Understanding the Roles of Knowledge Sharing and Trust in Online Learning Communities,” 41st Annual Hawaiian International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), January 7-10, Waikaloa, Hawaii.
2007 Presentations
- “Beyond the Claremont Conversation”, CGU Faculty Senate. November 26, 2007, Claremont CA.
- “Graduate Student Success with the e-Portfolio”, Graduate Student Success Symposium. November 2, 2007, Claremont CA.
- “Elgg Open Source Tutorial,” Guest Lecture on Social Technologies. October 17, 2007, Claremont,CA.
- “Resurrecting Graduate Conversation through an Online Learning Community,” IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems 2007, July 8, 2007, Lisbon, Portugal.
- “Extending the Elgg Social Networking System to Enhance the Campus Conversation,” Second Annual Design Research in Information Systems (DESRIST), May 15, 2007 Pasadena, California.
- “Graduate Students & Their Advisors: Ships That Pass in the Night?,”NACADA Pacific Region 9 Conference, March 22, 2007 San Diego, CA.
- “Please Advise!: Faculty and Student Perceptions of Graduate School Advising,” 19th Annual Lilly-West, March 17, 2007, Kellogg West Ranch at Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA.
2006 Presentations
- “CIO Roundtable Presentation on Online Social Learning / Social Networking,” Harper Hall, April 11, 2006, Claremont, CA.
Professional Memberships
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Professional Honors
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Volunteer Work and Charities
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Current Courses
| Management Information Systems |
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Course examines the various levels and types of software and information systems required by an organization to integrate these functions.
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| Data Structures |
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Course presents sequential and linked representations of various built-in and abstract data structures including arrays, records, stacks, queues, and trees. Algorithms are developed relating to various sorting and searching techniques, merging and recursion. A high-level programming language, such as C++, is used in exploring and developing these algorithms with an emphasis on object oriented programming techniques and static and dynamic storage concepts.
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| Web Database Development with PHP and MySQL |
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This advanced course prepares the student to use database management systems with web server software to develop and maintain the information content of a web site. Students in the course should have prior knowledge of programming and database management systems.
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| Java Programming |
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This course is designed for students with some experience with programming. The syntax of the Java programming language, object-oriented programming, creating graphical user interfaces (GUI), exceptions, file input/output (I/O), and how to create Java applications and applets will be covered.
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Previous Courses
| Intermediate C# Programming |
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Intermediate course in the design and implementation of programs using C#. Topics include object-oriented programming and software component development methods. |
| User Experience Design |
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Intermediate course on the organization and presention of information into effective, efficient and understandable. Students design and organize content into information structures that encourage users to browse, search and explore.
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| SQL Server Database Administration |
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Upper-division course covering database administration for SQL Server. Primary focus is on: hardware planning, installation, maintenance, automation, optimization, and disaster recovery.
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| Oracle Database Administration |
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Upper-division course covering database administration using Oracle tools. Primary focus on: installation, maintenance; troubleshooting; backup and recovery and optimization.
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| Database Concepts Using Microsoft Access |
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Introductory course in database management systems. Students use MS Access to create and maintain a database. Students create filters, sorts, queries, forms, and reports.
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| Programming Concepts and Problem Solving |
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Introductory course on programming logic and problem solving techniques using different programming languages. Topics include such items as constants and variables, data types, scope of variables, logic constructs, and functions. |
Content Management Services Consultation
I have worked extensively across many different content management and social networking websites for small-to-midsize organizations and non-profits. Some of the installations I have helped manage and develop for include: Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress, Mambo, ocPortal, Elgg, Xoops. I am available for various consulting services. Email me for a quote and description of needs at brian[at]socialxyz[dot][com]. |
Health Information Services Consultation
I have performed extensive research and development in the area of personal health record (PHR) systems. To date, all health information consulting operates through HealthATM Inc. Click here for more information. |
Blogs
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I currently do not maintain various blogs across the web (but I vow I will start again!). Here is a short list: |
Links
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Here are a few links to various organizations and projects I am currently a part of.
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