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David J. Spyr, Ph. D.
Senior Software Designer
and Architect
Co-founder/principal, L’Monte
Summary Skills and Experience:
- Twenty-five years experience in software system development
- Fourteen
years scientific software development, using C#, C++, C and Visual
Basic in MS Windows
- Five years
as systems analyst/programmer in collegiate educational support
position under IBM mainframe environment
- Very strong scientific/technical
background
- Extensive experience in requirements definition and
object-oriented design
- Outstanding interpersonal communications
skills
Software Architectural Design :
- Through extensive experience as a software engineer, Dr. Spyr has developed strong skills in designing the architecture of large and small software programs. He has developed an approach to designing software systems that is responsive to fast changing technologies and marketplace pressures.
- First he performs a thorough analysis of the problem space, next develops a high level design which is followed by rapid prototyping to implement, validate and fine tune his designs as quickly as possible. Examples of software applications he has designed:
- DCOM-based monitor for remote sensing of solar array electrical characteristics
- Thermodynamic analysis program used to estimate heating efficiency of structures
- Packet-switched transport simulator to support study of network communications queues
- Laser-induced fluorescence detection control module
- Multiplexed PCR controller and data analysis software
- Molecular biology DNA sequencer
- Database manager for a capillary electrophoresis instrument
Real-time Control Systems
- Real-time control systems can often be made more responsive by effectively managing the state machine, and efficient, disciplined handling of communication streams. Dr. Spyr began to develop these skills beginning with his masters thesis which required three-dimensional position and attitude control of solid-state particle detectors. Since then, he has designed and developed real-time controllers for many instruments including:
- Real-time controller for robotic pipetting instrument
- Current-limiting controller and monitor for industrial battery charging
- Real-time controller for PCR thermal cycler and CCD camera
- Industrial process control system for an automated electrophoretic gel production line
- Real-time controller for capillary electrophoresis system
Data Analysis and Algorithm Development
- Critical to data analysis and algorithm development is a respect for the original raw data and a solid understanding of what is and what is not possible to extract from the data. In the effort to separate data from noise or provide visual enhancements like curve fitting the data. Dr. Spyr follows conservative guidelines which will not distort the underlying measurement.
- An example of applying this was a PCR data analysis package with PCR quantification, standard curve and melt peak analysis using data with low signal-to-noise ratio.
Formal Education:
- University of Iowa, Iowa City. PhD Nuclear Physics
PhD dissertation featured large statistical analysis simulation,
that modeled and predicted
gamma ray events in nuclear reactions
- University of Iowa,
Iowa City, MS Nuclear Physics
Masters thesis involved extensive machine code programs for
real time event processing and graphical data display.
- University of Iowa, Iowa City BS Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Work
experience prior to co founding L’Monte:
- Assistant Professor Computer Science and Data Processing
Kirkwood College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- Responsible for developing
and teaching courses in systems analysis, software
quality control, database management, programming languages
and operating systems.
- Owner/Operator
Turkey Valley Electronics, Iowa City, Iowa
- Business consisted of writing and marketing motion detection,
temperature and other process control software for
6502 based microprocessors. Also did consulting for corporate clients including Rockwell International and Square D Controls
Engineering Instructor
Kirkwood College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Responsible for course design and instruction in undergraduate
engineering curriculum. Subject
areas included
engineering graphics, electronics, vector calculus,
differential equations, statistics, probability theory, engineering
dynamics and material science
Systems Analyst/Programmer
for Student Services Division
Kirkwood College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Responsible for analysis
of existing student records system,
design and
coding of data capture and reporting subsystems.
Staff Engineer, Installation and Service Engineering
General Electric, Chicago, IL- Provided field engineering support of GE industrial products, primarily aircraft landing guidance systems
Project David is proudest of
and why…
- “We did a confidential product development project, which
gave L’Monte unprecedented opportunity for software management
and coordination with other software vendors. There was no ready-made
structure for this so we had to build one and negotiate some
difficult political waters as we went along.
- "This took us way
outside the heads-down software design and coding realm and
made us understand how we could differentiate ourselves. The
product
was an incredible challenge to develop both technically and
from a management standpoint. But it was a huge commercial success
and was ultimately very rewarding.”
Why David likes working at L'Monte:
- “I am encouraged to work at my maximum potential knowing
that I am building value for our clients as well as strengthening
our own company. Because we control who works for--and with--L’Monte,
we have the great pleasure of working with peers who genuinely
complement each other. We don’t have to tolerate mediocrity
and we don’t have to apologize for that.”
If David wasn’t programming...
- ...he’d be a computational biochemist. His major techno-lust:
A robot French maid.
Why David decided to go into programming
- “Understanding the deep nature of things is one of
my central passions. It turns out that modeling physical/biological
systems in software is one of the best ways to do this.”
Other hobbies
and interests: - The architectural
design (and some of the construction) on the buildings
that comprise his home and workspaces.
What David thinks L’Monte
team members say
is his greatest contribution to the team:
- “My object-oriented design skills, general software architectural
work and algorithm development. Also, I contribute long-term
strategic business thinking.”
If David could be
a superhero or mythical figure, it
would be…
- “…Batman (contemporary mythos). Batman has a
tendency to brood--and obviously he wrestles with the dark stuff.
That makes him a little more real.”
Favorite Websites:
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