Uptimes Spotlight – Page 2 – IT Services (formerly ICIT) Uptimes

January 10, 2014January 10, 2014

Uptimes Spotlight – Jeanne Cupertino

Jeanne Cupertino
cupertij@uww.edu
(262) 472-6745

Spotlight

Q: What do you do – explain how you fit into ICIT?

A: With the changes in ICIT, I will be moving away from daily management of the TSC Helpdesk, and moving into request management with Lisa Rowland as my immediate supervisor.

Q: Something people don’t know about you?

A: My son, Zebediah, is on the autism spectrum, and when he expressed interest in some patterns that I was looking at, I took a chance and made a couple of stuffed animals. We’re hoping that these softies help him with imaginative play and his manual dexterity.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A: I make quilts. Until now, I’ve just been making with the intent of relaxing and having a finished quilt. I plan on entering in competitions in the near future. Right now, I have several tops that need to be quilted before they can be considered finished quilts. Most of these are very large, measuring at least 90” X 90”, so I need to find time to develop long-arm quilting skills.

Q: What was your first job?

A: My first job was with Kmart. I worked at the layaway counter.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of technology?

A: Does my sewing machine count? Otherwise, I’m happy as long as I have a computer and smart phone.

Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself?

A: My father was in the Air Force until I was 14, so I’ve moved a lot. I was born in the Philippines, but have also spent time in Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Italy.

Q: What are you passionate about?

A: My family, autism education, literacy, quilting. I’m sure there’s more, but nothing else is swimming to the surface at the moment.

Q: Do you have a special talent?

A: I wouldn’t say that it’s all that special, but I also love to cook. I learned from my dad, which was awesome, but he never taught me to cook for fewer than six people. We always have leftovers in our fridge.

Q: Favorite TV Show?

A: I don’t have a single favorite TV show. Instead, I binge-watch whenever something hits Hulu or Netflix. I’ve been watching White Collar, Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural, Arrow, and Grimm.

Q: Music genre?

A: No particular favorite here. My dad was a big influence on my music listening habits, and he introduced me to everything from Johnny Cash to Yanni.

Q: Favorite vacation?

A: Last year, I went on a weekend trip with a friend I met through online quilting communities, to meet other online quilting buddies. We hung out, and toured quilt and fabric shops, and stopped by an amazing truffle shop in Minneapolis.

Q: Favorite food?

A: Most of my favorite foods are all things I make at home: sinigang and arroz caldo (Filipino soups), lumpia, (Filipino eggrolls), fried chicken, baked ziti… Otherwise, I love sushi.

December 18, 2013December 18, 2013

Uptimes Spotlight – Kelly Ingram

Kelly Ingram
ingramk@uww.edu
(262) 472-1102

Spotlight

Q: What do you do – explain how you fit into ICIT?

A: It’s week 5 for me as the Instructional Faculties Project Coordinator so I am still learning more and more about my role here at UW- Whitewater. Mostly, I’m going to be working with the team to help facilitate and coordinate AVIT projects. I am also working with Shelly to learn more about his role with the Distance Education (DE) Room. My hope is that I gather all of his advice, wisdom, and knowledge before he retires!

Q: What is something people don’t know about you?

A: I went tandem skydiving twice a few years back. The first time went great and it took us about 20 minutes total to land on the ground safely! The second time, my main parachute did not open. After finally deploying the backup, we landed safely on the ground. Total time was about 5 minutes! All they could say was, “you’re now part of a very small statistic – the likelihood of that happening again is slim to none. So, do you want to do another jump?”

Q: Favorite hobby?

A: Anything with my dog, Dierks. I take him everywhere with me. This is a picture of us ice fishing up north.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I started working at a bakery when I was 14. I got to eat all of the left over goodies at the end of the day! I guess that made up for getting minimum wage.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of technology?

A: I would have to say all of the awesome controls they are putting on vehicles these days – Bluetooth, hands free, remote start, etc. Makes my life so much easier!

Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself.

A: I’m very Irish and am proud of it, but I hate corn beef. I’m hoping to make it to Ireland sometime soon!

Q: Do you have a special talent?

A: I can do the “worm” – please don’t ask me to prove it…it’s been a while!

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

A: Reality TV – try to stay away from it, but I always end up getting sucked in. Right now it’s Duck Dynasty and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Q: Favorite TV Show?

A: Of all time: Friends. I own all 10 seasons and watch reruns regularly. Always puts me in a good mood!
Current show: Homeland.

Q: Music genre?

A: Country! Hence why I named my dog Dierks (after Dierks Bentley). I listen to it constantly and go to every concert I can! Here is a picture of me and Dierks Bentley!

Q: What is your theme song?

A: Good Ole Days – Phil Vassar

Q: Favorite vacation?

A: My husband and I went to Costa Rica last May for our Honeymoon. It was amazing! I love the rainforest; especially zip lining over Lake Arenal at 660 ft in the air!

Q: Favorite food?

A: Chips and salsa – I eat it on a daily basis and never get sick of it! I buy salsa in bulk from Sam’s Club!

Q: Have an insane spur of the moment story?

A: This is one of those “you’ll look back one day and think this is funny” stories.
As I was leaving my wedding reception, I was walking down a huge flight of stairs, tripped on my huge dress, and fell in front of everyone that was left at the reception! My ankle was 4 times the size the next morning and I couldn’t even begin to walk on it. I ended up going into the doctor a few days later to find out I had fractured it! Here we are, 6 months later, and I still have some issues with it!

Q: Biggest fear?

A: The ocean – specifically whales and sharks. The movie Free Willy gives me nightmares. However, I am fascinated with sharks! Shark week on the Discovery Channel is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I once received a shark coffee mug as a gift– it has people swimming in the ocean and when hot liquid is poured into it, sharks appear!

December 6, 2013

Uptimes Spotlight – Elizabeth Simpson

Elizabeth Simpson
Simpsone@uww.edu
(262) 472-3244

Spotlight

Q: What do you do – explain how you fit into ICIT?

A: I am the Instructional Design Specialist with the Learning Technology Center. I help our faculty use technology in pedagogically effective ways. I create tutorials, run workshops, and meet with faculty individually to support them with their courses.

Q: One thing people don’t know about you?

A: I lived in a museum for three years. I have a master’s degree in history, and after graduation I was hired by the Milwaukee County Historical Society as a caretaker for Trimborn Farm in Greendale, WI. My husband and I took care of the buildings (including two farm-houses, two barns, and a few other old farm buildings), guided tours, hosted weddings, and performed basic collections management. I also supervised our interns – Amy Williams who is currently an ITS Support Specialist for LTC – was one of our interns. I lived on the 2^nd floor of the main farm-house; an area comprised of offices and the collections rooms. Most of the volunteers thought the site was haunted, but after three years I witnessed no spooky occurrences.

Q: What is your favorite hobby?

A: I love the outdoors. I like backpacking, snowshoeing, hiking, and kayaking. My husband and I moved to Whitewater this past July, and we really enjoy everything that the area has to offer. We visit the kettles at least once a week, and look forward to seeing everything with snow. Next year we are hoping to go to the Boundary Waters wilderness area for a week.

Q: What was your first job?

A: My first job was working in a corn-dog booth at the Racine County Fair. I was probably 14 years old, and I loved it because I could eat fried food all day and hang out with my friends.

Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself?

A: I’m really good at painting and drawing. In high school I won a few state-wide competitions, in college I minored in art, but stopped once I started grad-school. I picked it up again about a year ago, and I spend a few hours a week practicing.

Q: Do you have any special talent?

A: I can read German, Latin, and Middle English.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

A: TV crime dramas, like Bones, NCIS, all the CSIs, Psyche, The Finder, Monk, etc. Almost every night I tell myself that I will spend my time doing something enriching and valuable, but instead I snuggle on the sofa and watch a marathon of CSI.

Q: Favorite food?

A: I love pickled food. I’ve gotten very good at making dilly beans and pickled onions, and have recently started making pickled eggs as well. I want to start making chutneys and Indian lime pickles, but I need to clear out some space in my pantry first.

November 20, 2013

Uptimes Spotlight – Peter Vander Velden

Peter Vander Velden
vandervp@uww.edu
(262) 472-3214

Spotlight

Q: What do you do – explain how you fit into ICIT?

A: My responsibilities seem to shift a little bit every few months or so, but generally speaking I’m the campus AV guy. I support a majority of the campus audio, video and instructional technology. That means I spend a lot of time in classrooms either hooking up new equipment, or trying to fix old equipment. I do a lot of work with the Crestron control systems found in classrooms, as well as projectors, document cameras, and Blu-ray players. I dabble a little bit into the Desktop Support side of things, if I need to in a room, going back to my days of managing a Geek Squad. I’m excited that my team is growing and I now work with a couple of AV tech students as well.

Q: One thing people don’t know about you?

A: My wife and I have two beagles named Ellis and Maggie.

Q: What is your favorite hobby?

A: I have a number of things I really enjoy doing outside of work, but my favorite hobby is probably snowboarding. I have been a lot in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but really need to get to Colorado soon. I am planning on going to the U.P. this winter for a Snowboarding trip. If others snowboard, I’m down to go anytime, I’ll just have to call Ray and tell him I’m sick. 🙂

Q: What was your first job?

A: I grew up in the country, so my first job was picking squash. I rode my bike 4 miles each way to work past acres and acres of corn fields. I remember it being fun because I worked there with my best childhood friend. I also remember being blown away when after a year I received a 25 cent per hour raise. That bumped me up to $5.50 an hour and was a lot of money to me at 13 years old.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of technology?

A: I do everything with my Xbox. I use it for all of my entertainment, plus it looks and sounds like R2-D2.

Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself?

A: I know famous people? Reed Grimm, who appeared on American Idol was a friend of mine in college, and Andrea Boehlke, who has been on Survivor twice, is from my home town and is good friends with my younger sister.

Q: What are you passionate about?

A: The Environment and Wisconsin sports.

Q: Do you have any special talent?

A: My wife laughs about this because we just had this conversation. After years and years of working with technology, and being a little OCD about organization, I’m very very good at cable management. I can’t stand loose wires, and have become very good at tiding them up quickly. I have zip ties everywhere because you never know when you’ll need to tie up some cords.

I also really enjoy food challenges and have fared pretty well when I have attempted them. I got a shirt for eating a 32oz steak, eaten something called the Knockout Roll (which is basically a wasabi sushi roll with hot chili peppers), and have successfully completed the gallon challenge (drinking a gallon of milk in under 60 minutes). They say the gallon challenge is impossible, but I’m living proof that while it isn’t enjoyable, it is possible. I have several witnesses that can back it up.

Q: Favorite TV Show?

A: I’m a huge fan of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I never can stay up late enough to watch it, so I often watch it on Hulu the next day after I get home from work. I’m also a huge Game of Thrones fan. I’ve seen all the TV episodes and am working on reading the 3^rd book. It’s over 1000 pages so it’s taking me a while.

Q: Music genre?

A: These days Reggae Rock is my favorite genre of music, and I’m a big Sublime fan. I grew up liking Punk Rock however and listen to that when I need to get a lot of work done quickly, so if you ever wander past my office in McGraw you might hear some loud punk music in the hallway.

Q: Do you have a famous look-a-like?

A: I have been told that I look like John Krasinski, also known as Jim from The Office. Not sure if I see it.

Q: Do you have a favorite vacation?

A: I love camping, so any time I can get outside and spend some time in nature is an enjoyable vacation, and I go camping several times each summer. Peninsula State Park in Door County is one of my favorite places to go. However, this January my wife and I are going to Jamaica on our delayed honeymoon, so I have no doubt that will be my favorite vacation when I return.

November 7, 2013

Uptimes Spotlight – Richard Durrant

Richard Durrant
durrantr@uww.edu
(262) 472-6743

Spotlight

Q: What do you do / how do you fit into ICIT?

A: My job title is Network Tech, but there is more to it than just that. As the campus’s only Journeyman/Communications Electrician, my role is to maintain and install all physical aspects of the low voltage systems on campus. In years past, when the AV department was short staffed, I also took care of and or assisted in their designs, building, and room programming of their AV systems.

Q: What is something people don’t know about you?

A: I spent eight years in the Army, most of which was over in the Middle East, back during the 80’s and early 90’s.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of technology?

A: That would have to be my first PC that my brother and I purchased together, the TRS-80 Model 1 from 1979. This started it all for me in the way of electronics and programming.

TRS-80 Model 1

Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself?

A: Around 2005 I decided to make a big change in my life. I went ahead and purchase 53 acres of bare farm land to take on the fun task of building my own home and accompanying horse facility. Once that was done, I went ahead and sold my business, my lakefront condo in Chicago, and quit my job as an Electrician to move up this way permanently.

Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?

A: Working and training my horses. I also like restoring antique horse powered equipment, everything from wagons to plows to old threshing machines.

Three of my girls and I
at a plowing demonstration at Old World Wisconsin.

Q: If you could live for only one more week, what would you do?

A: Go back to either Germany or Italy.

Q: What are you passionate about?

A: For most of my life it was my work and making money, but then I finally learned the lesson my grandfather tried to teach me so many years ago. It was after the death of my first wife 14 years ago. In the end your family and friends are all that matter in this world the rest is gravy.

Me teaching my wife who normally does dressage,
how to drive and plow with a five horse hitch.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

A: Roller coasters. My current wife and I have traveled all across America looking for the best roller coasters.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I got my first two jobs at age 13, both in the same week. My first job was working at a garage, and my second job was working on Pinball machines.

Q: Favorite Music and or Genre?

A: Classical.

Q: Favorite vacation?

A: Back in the late 80’s when I was still in the Army, I had amassed too much vacation time and was forced to take a large block at once or lose it. My girlfriend at the time and I, along with a few other couples, rented a sail boat for 40 days. We loaded our motorcycles on the deck and sailed the Mediterranean all along the European coast, unloading our bikes whenever we could.