Ralph D. Meeker, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science
Benedictine University
5700 College Road
Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 829-6561


Education
Experience
Grants
Honors
Memberships
Publications
Presentations

 

EDUCATION

Ph.D.,   1970
Iowa State University, Ames IA 50010

B.S.,   1967
Benedictine University, Lisle, IL 60532
 

EXPERIENCE

BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY, Lisle, IL 60532

My current teaching responsibilities include courses in computer literacy and microcomputer applications as a general education elective; operating systems, computer networking, software engineering, object-oriented programming, and advanced topics in computer science and information systems for undergraduate computer science and information systems students. During my career at Benedictine University, I have taught a broad spectrum of physics courses, teaching virtually every course in the curriculum at one time or another. Since 1979, I have also been teaching computer science, starting with courses emphasizing computer hardware and now including courses covering programming and operating systems as well.

 
From academic years 1995 through 1998, I served as Associate Academic Dean. This was a half-time administrative assignment.

 
During the two academic year period from fall of 1994 through spring of 1996, I served quarter-time as Self-Study Coordinator for re-accreditation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the University's regional accrediting organization. This assignment included responsibility for preparation of the Self-Study Report and the campus visit which culminated in accreditation renewal for a ten-year period and initial accreditation at the doctoral level for a new Ph.D. program in Organization Development.

 
AT&T BELL LABORATORIES, Naperville, IL 60565
Visiting Member of Technical Staff, 1987-88

 
During the 1987-88 academic year, I spent a sabbatical at Bell Labs working on development of a multi-processor packet switching system. This system used Motorola 68010 processors along with custom circuitry. I was responsible for development of operating system and communications audit software and for software for the intermediate-level communications processor. I wrote a complete real-time operating system to manage the interprocessor communications.

 
ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY, Argonne, IL 60439
Visiting Scientist, Solid State Science Division, Summer, 1974
Research Associate, Solid State Science Division, Summers, 1971-1973

 
At Argonne, my research included Mössbauer Effect studies of various actinides, particularly uranium and neptunium. I was principal author of two publications and two presentations at professional meetings based on this work.

 
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, Ames, IA 50010
Instructor of Physics, 1970
NDEA Title IV Graduate Fellow, 1967-1970

 
At Iowa State, my dissertation research focused on nuclear properties of germanium and selenium. I received the Outstanding Physics Teaching Award from the Department of Physics in 1969 and an Outstanding Instructor Award from the University in 1970.
GRANTS
ADVANCED INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, 1975-1978
I was the principal author and program coordinator for a $1,000,000 Title III grant supporting comprehensive development of the college.

 
ADVANCED INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, 1978-1981
I was also the principal author for a $780,000 Title III grant continuing the comprehensive development initiatives from the 1975 grant and adding some new activities. After this grant was funded, I stepped down from the position of program coordinator to return to teaching.

 
HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE SUMMER RESEARCH GRANT, 1994
I received $7,000 for summer research plus an additional $2,000 for a summer student to develop interactive software to do computer modeling of photon equivalence of substitute materials for radiation dosimetry. The user interface for this modeling system was developed using object-oriented programming and Turbo Vision.

 
AMERITECH TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT GRANT, 1996
I received a $12,000 grant to equip a facility for faculty technology training.

 
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT, 2001
I was principal investigator for NSF Grant No. DBI-0116202 MRI: Acquisition of Linux Cluster and Workstation Network for Biophysics, Mathematics, and computer Science Research. Grant award was $71,293.

HONORS

CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST MANAGEMENT AWARD, 1980
Co-recipient. This award was presented to Illinois Benedictine College, along with $10,000, in recognition of the college's success in developing a long-range planning and management system. The college's executive vice president and I were individually cited for our roles in this activity. The principal activities cited in this award were part of the Planning, Management, and Evaluation System funded under the first Advanced Institutional Development Program Title III grant.
MEMBERSHIPS PUBLICATIONS

Team projects and peer evaluations, to appear in College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal

Team projects and peer evaluations, Proceedings of the 2008 College Teaching and Learning Conference, Paper 112 (2008)

Using a practicum experience in your database course, The Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges 23(1), 91 (2007)

Quality labs for a small department - Panel discussion, The Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges 22(1), 118 (2006)

Use of practicum experiences in computer science courses, Proceedings of the 2006 College Teaching and Learning Conference, 14 (2006)

Comparative system performance for a Beowulf cluster, The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges 21(1), 114 (2005)

Using open source software for instruction and research, Proceedings of the 2005 College Teaching and Learning Conference, 7 (2005)

Design and implementation of the computer research lab, Readings in Teaching and Learning, edited by L. E. Nunn (The CIBER Institute, Littleton, CO, 2004) pp. 125-130

Design and implementation of the computer research lab, Proceedings of the 2004 College Teaching and Learning Conference, 16 (2004)

Characteristics of a thimble-type TE ion chamber, Ion Chambers for Neutron Dosimetry, edited by J. J. Broerse (Harwood Publishers for the Commission of the European Communities, Switzerland, 1980), pp. 43-46

Investigation of cables for ionization chambers, Medical Physics 7(2), 135 (1980)

CASC Planning and Data System: Users' Manual for the Instructional Program Analysis Module (The Council for Independent Colleges, Washington, D.C., 1978)

Mössbauer effect measurements in 237Np using the beta decay of 237U, Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 37, 551 (1976)

Hyperfine interactions and nuclear moments in even uranium isotopes from Mössbauer spectroscopy, Nuclear Physics A224, 429 (1974)

"Sun power: the source of tomorrow's energy?", Illinois Benedictine Magazine 3, 5 (1974)

Decay of 73mSe, 75mGe, and 77mGe, Nuclear Physics A157, 337 (1970)

Lifetime of the 632-keV 5/2+ level in 77As, Nuclear Physics A145, 362 (1970)
 

PRESENTATIONS

Team projects and peer evaluations, Presented at the 2008 College Teaching and Learning Conference, Paper 112 (2008). To be published in College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal

Team projects and peer evaluations, Presented at the Fourth Annual ACCA Scholarship of Pedagogy Conference, 2007

Using a practicum experience in your database course, Presented at the Fourteenth Annual CCSC Midwestern Conference, 2007. Published in The Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges 23(1), 91 (2007)

Quality labs for a small department - Panel Discussion, Presented at the Thirteenth Annual CCSC Midwestern Conference, 2006. Published in The Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges 22(1), 118 (2006)

Getting more out of the CS curriculum using practica, Presented at the Third Annual ACCA Scholarship of Pedagogy Conference, 2006

Use of practicum experiences in computer science courses, Presented at the College Teaching and Learning Conference, 2006. Published in TLC Conference Proceedings, 14 (January, 2006)

Comparative system performance for a Beowulf cluster, Presented at the Twelfth Annual CCSC Midwestern Conference, 2005. Published in The Journal of Computer Sciences in Colleges 21(1), 114 (2005)

Using open source software for instruction and research. Presented at the College Teaching and Learning Conference, 2005. Published in TLC Conference Proceedings, 7 (January, 2005)

Design and implementation of the computer research lab. Presented at the College Teaching and Learning Conference, 2004. Published in TLC Conference Proceedings, 16 (January, 2004). Published in Readings in Teaching and Learning, edited by L. E. Nunn (The CIBER Institute, Littleton, CO, 2004) pp. 125-130

Mentor and presenter for North Central Association Annual Meeting Workshop for New Self-study Coordinators, Chicago, 1996 and 1997

Accreditation and the small, private college--problems and opportunities. Presented at the SIGCSE Technical Symposium, 1990. Abstract published in SIGCSE Bulletin 22, 297 (February, 1990)

Assessment programs for general education. Invited presentation at the Council of Independent Colleges Sixth Annual Faculty Regional Institute: Learning from a Student's Perspective, Chicago, 1989

A discussion of C. P. Snow for freshman honors students. Presented at the national meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, 1983. Abstract published in AAPT Announcer, 41 (January, 1983)

Varying response of certain ion chambers. Presented at the national meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1981. Abstract published in Medical Physics 8(4), 552 (1981)

Reference substance for absorbed dose. Presented at the national meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, 1981. Abstract published in Medical Physics 8(4), 575 (1981)

Characteristics of a thimble-type TE ion chamber. Invited presentation: Workshop on Ion Chambers for Neutron Dosimetry, Rijswijk, The Netherlands, 1979

Information exchange and cost analysis in support of college and university planning: use of NCHEMS IEP products in small colleges. Invited presentation at the 17th Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Montreal, 1977. Abstract published in the Association for Institutional Research Forum Abstracts 17, 38 (1977)

A changing mass problem. Presented at the Chicago Section meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, 1975

Mössbauer effect measurements from beta decay sources of 237Np. Presented at the national meeting of the American Physical Society, 1974. Abstract published in Bulletin of the American Physical Society II 19, 36 (1974)

Mössbauer spectroscopy with even isotopes of uranium. Presented at the national meeting of the American Physical Society, 1972. Abstract published in Bulletin of the American Physical Society II 17, 85 (1972)

Lifetime of the 632-keV 5/2+ level in 77As. Presented at the annual meeting of the Nuclear Physics Division of the American Physical Society, 1969. Abstract published in Bulletin of the American Physical Society II 14, 1224 (1969)

Decay of 73m,gSe. Presented at the annual meeting of the Nuclear Physics Division of the American Physical Society, 1969. Abstract published in Bulletin of the American Physical Society II 14, 1224 (1969)
 



 

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