Engineer Software

Arland Actkinson

P. O. Box *** (Home) 281-***-****

Friendswood, Texas 77549 arland_actkinson@yahoo.c

om

PROFILE

Over 25 years as a leader of mathematically related projects, such as

modeling, operations research, and artificial intelligence, including all

aspects of conceptualization, management, and implementation. Able to

deliver large, complex engagements that identify, design, and employ

creative business and technology solutions. Often functions in the role of

an architect of change.

Logical, critical, and ingenious, with an original mind. Generates ideas

with great insight and inspiration, works well with complex and global

concepts. Demonstrated history of pioneering at the cutting edge of

technology. Can see possibilities as well as the big picture, adept at

strategizing, planning, and building systems to accomplish organizational

goals. Excels at leadership positions.

HIGHLIGHTS

. Managed Houston software integration of first launched International

Space Station software. Co-chaired final Houston Technical Readiness

Review (TRR).

. Directed development of several artificial intelligence systems, in some

cases completing in months what had been previously attempted over

several years.

. Served as technical authority for U.S.Army-Europe mapping project,

creating capability for just-in-time maps using databases, imagery, and

reconnaissance information.

. Led and managed development of astronaut scheduling program. This

program, during a mission crisis, salvaged one full day's experiment

results, and won significant recognition from our customer.

. Reduced position errors in critically important lunar maps by a factor of

5 by identifying timing errors, and did it in 30 days when others had

tried unsuccessfully for years. As a result, all lunar maps made with

satellite data were required to be redrawn.

EXPERIENCE

MRI Technologies, Houston, Texas, 2007-2010

Domain Expert

. Supported CEV software internal Verification and Validation, with

particular emphasis on the domains of avionics, navigation, guidance,

control, and propulsion. Selected appropriate methods for V & V,

including selection of test methods, event ID's and analysis and

inspection methods.

. Created CEV Software Compatibility Analysis Plan, providing techniques

for extending previous program software to be extended to and verified

for CEV applications.

. Defined framework for developing GN&C for CEV using Matlab, and

supported algorithm and test plan development.

. Applied software tools for examination and analysis of CEV

requirements, including CRADLE and Rhapsody.

Lockheed-Martin, Houston, Texas, 2007

C&T Point of Contact Engineer

. Defined system impacts on CEV communications and tracking of OBWEIG

weight reduction.

. Supported communications development for the CEV communications link.

. Served as Director, a national office, for the Telecommunications

Division of the ISA.

Bigelow Aerospace, Houston, Texas, 2005-2006

Systems Scientist

. Negotiated with six aerospace and four government groups defining

partnership agreements. Defined Vehicle Test Plan for Genesis One. Led

numerous STK (Satellite Tool Kit) analyses to study orbit

characteristics. Performed risk factor analysis for multiple spacecraft.

University of Phoenix, Houston, Texas, 2002-2010

Member of Faculty

. Taught Mathematics and Statistics to on-site undergraduate students

Alvin College, Alvin, Texas, 2002-2004

Instructor in Mathematics

. Taught Finite Mathematics, Calculus, Math for Teachers, and Algebra

United Space Alliance, Houston, Texas, 2001

Sr. Software Engineer

. Generated software requirements for three Space Shuttle cockpit display

programs, supporting full life cycle software development paradigms.

Enabled design and development by analyzing user needs and existing

capability. Met all scheduled goals with 50% above average volume.

Cimmaron, Houston, Texas, 2000

Bid & Proposal Specialist

. Prepared successful bid and proposal for 200 person contract, resulting

in multi-year contract with Boeing.

Raytheon, Houston, Texas, 2000

Sr. Software Engineer

. In a UNIX, Rational environment, resolved trouble reports discovered in

testing. Significantly increased the speed of major simulation.

Neurocorp, Inc., Houston, Texas, 1999

Director of Modeling

. Modeled variety of international markets using neural network and

geographic information systems modeling. Ensured product acceptability

and customer satisfaction by organizing and managing product quality

procedure. Increased product line by designing algorithm for site

closures and additions using dynamic programming.

The Boeing Company, Houston, Texas, 1996-1998

Software Integration Specialist

. Managed the Houston software integration of International Space Station.

Helped ensure critical software integrity by evaluating 147 problem

reports in one year, and training organization in problem analysis

technique. Verified design and testing plans, and ensured traceability of

code to requirements.

Trident, San Antonio, Texas, 1996

C/C++ Developer

. Developed commercial software product providing network security risk

analysis, using fuzzy logic. Surveyed computer vulnerability experts

nationwide and evaluated safeguards, including firewalls, encryption, and

token authentication.

McDonnell Douglas, Houston, Texas, 1993

Supervising Consultant

. Defined and wrote C software reliability and programming standards for

Space Station Freedom. Using object oriented analysis, derived highly

complex reliability and probabilistic risk assessment model allowing

effects of hardware and software failures to be evaluated. Earned

superior (highest) performance rating.

GE Government Services, Houston, Texas, 1991-1992

Supervisor, Artificial Intelligence

. Supervised research AI team producing astronaut scheduling expert system,

with $625K budget, involving all phases of supervision, including hiring,

planning, directing, budgeting, and reporting.

E-Systems, Inc., Dallas, Texas, 1987-1990

Sr. Engineering Specialist

. Directed development of several artificial intelligence systems, in some

cases completing in months what had been previously attempted over

several years. Systems completed included a control system, a risk

assessment model, a neural network program, and a diagnostic program.

. Generated 20% of department's revenues by marketing new R & D contracts.

Managed $700K budget. Wrote three successful I R & D proposals.

Supervised teams of up to 32 people.

Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 1967-1987

Aerospace Engineer

. Ensured navigation capability by verifying Kalman navigation filter

coding, filter weights, and sighting schedules.

. Improved Space Shuttle navigation by verifying and designing improvements

to the failure detection and isolation logic for shuttle gyroscopes,

accelerometers and other sensors.

. Improved robustness of shuttle redundancy management by a non-parametric

test using sequential probability ratio test and Wilcoxon summed ranks

test.

. Defined algorithm for definition of the square root of the covariance

matrix in the consider mode.

Mathematician

. Supported Johnson Space Center introduction to artificial intelligence by

establishing and leading the first AI research group.

. Defined general framework for perception problems, combining state-space

estimation with pattern classification. Extended image classification to

multiple images by defining new temporal classifier. Extended pattern

recognition of image data to time varying signatures by creating new

classifier which combined signal filtering with classification.

. Defined and verified registration algorithm for Earth Resources

Interactive Processing System.

. Negotiated the introduction of Ada programming language to division,

resulting in our becoming the first Ada beta test site in the world.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. (ABT), Operations Research / Artificial Intelligence, University of

Houston, Houston, Texas

M.S., Mathematics, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas

B.A., Mathematics, University of Texas, Austin, Texas

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Operations Research

Artificial Intelligence

Full Life Cycle Software Development

Object Oriented Analysis

GN&C

Redundancy Management

Avionics

C/C++

Ada

FORTRAN

LISP

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