Robert E. Douglas, Jr.

Email: rdouglas@stsci.edu

Objective

• To develop software applications in an interesting and creative environment.

Summary

• Involved in all aspects of software development, including requirements analysis and review, prioritization, design, implementation, testing, and delivery.
• Developed client/server, GUI, and expert system software in Java, LISP, and Tcl/Tk.
• Proficient in OO Analysis, Design, and Development techniques.

Experience

• 1/93 - Present
  AI Software Systems Engineer - Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
  • Currently acting as senior architect to develop a new generation of astronomical observing tools for use in developing and specifying HST observing proposals. The specification calls for a variety of visualization tools sharing data through a shared infrastructure, implemented by a team of 10 developers in Java, following a Rapid Prototyping model of software development.
  • Developed a generic process control tool for controlling HST proposal processing in a team with 4 developers. System uses CORBA in a Java application which acts as the control program to connect Tcl, LISP, and C/C++ applications.
  • Designed an object-oriented system for matching parallel observations using other instruments on HST to the observations already scheduled.
  • Coordinated the releases of the Cycle 7 RPS2 software system to support observing program creation by scientists world-wide. This required coordinating the development of necessary features in multiple software subsystems as needed to support each release. RPS2 is a client/server based program which provides users access to syntax checking and proposal preparation support software.
  • Developed software to support the Preprocessor subsystem of RPS2. The Preprocessor is written in Tcl and performs parsing and syntax checking of RPS2 input files. It is also an engine in the Proposal EDitor (PED), which provides an interactive graphical editor for developing HST observing programs.
  • Developed software to support the Description Generator subsystem of RPS2. The Description Generator is a GUI written in Tcl/Tk, which provides a graphical display combining the output from the Preprocessor, Transformation, and CASM subsystems.
  • Developed software to support the Transformation subsystem, including support for the NICMOS and STIS instruments. Transformation is a rule-based system written in LISP that computes overhead times and schedules observations in orbits to maximize science output from HST. This information is fed back to the observer via RPS2 and to the downstream systems where its output is turned into commands to the Telescope.
• 9/91 - 8/92
  Research Assistant - WPI, Worcester, MA
  • Developed a Concurrent Engineering Demonstration System for DEC, which resulted in my Master's thesis. The system is designed to be an educational software tool to teach the aspects defined through research into Concurrent Engineering. It combines a graphical interface with multiple independent software agents that provide feedback to the user while performing a design related task. Each agent is a rule-based entity written in CLIPS, which acts as an expert on a particular aspect of the design. The agents play the part of the development team in a Concurrent Engineering environment.
• 6/91 - 8/91
  Programmer - Westinghouse Savannah River Plant, Aiken, SC
  • Designed and implemented a computer inventory management program in DBase IV and Clipper 5.0 for use on a LAN of IBM PC's. System used to track hardware and software within the department.
• 5/90 - 8/90
  Intern - Hanover Insurance Company, Worcester, MA
  • Evaluated an industrial insurance information program written in DBase III+. Talked with customers to get feedback on the program and in order to suggest improvements.
  • Joined the team of four people to re-engineer that program with an improved user interface in DBase IV and make it available over a Novell LAN.
  • Developed a prototype knowledge-based system to evaluate management information using Aion Corp.'s. ADS, an expert system building tool. Read in DBase IV information into ADS for evaluation.

Education

• M.S. Computer Science - Worcester Polytechnic Institute, February 1993. Thesis:"SNEAKERS: A Concurrent Engineering Demonstration System"

• B.S. Computer Science with High Distinction - Worcester Polytechnic Institute , May 1991. Major Qualifying Project: "A Self-Diagnosing Simulation of the Space Shuttle's Robot Manipulator"

• Honor Societies: Upsilon Pi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Psi Omega, Sigma Xi

Languages

Java, LISP/CLOS, TCL/Tk, Perl, C/C++, CLIPS, Prolog, Pascal

Packages

• UML Tools
  Rational Rose

Papers & Publications

Available on a separate page

Interests

Theatre, sports (running, tennis), role-playing games (AD&D)