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Michael Karlesky, PhD

Michael Karlesky, PhD

Independent Contractor

Followers of Michael Karlesky, PhD541 followers
location of Michael Karlesky, PhDGrand Rapids, Michigan, United States

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Technology & Product Innovation Leader

  • Education

    • Grand Valley State University

      1994 - 1999
      B.S. Computer Science

      Activities and Societies: • Upsilon Pi Epsilon, International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines My senior thesis project involved building a navigable virtual world in a web browser using VRML, a Java server, and a Java applet. This project married up with a second project from my engineering program that modified the video display to work with shutter-based 3D glasses. Keep in mind that this was 1999 and such things were quite advanced at the time.During my undergraduate computer science education I was inducted into Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the International Honor Society for the… Show more My senior thesis project involved building a navigable virtual world in a web browser using VRML, a Java server, and a Java applet. This project married up with a second project from my engineering program that modified the video display to work with shutter-based 3D glasses. Keep in mind that this was 1999 and such things were quite advanced at the time.During my undergraduate computer science education I was inducted into Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines. I served as local chapter president in 1999.I was chosen as the top graduate of my computer science program by the faculty.By virtue of adding a computer science degree to my undergraduate education I accidentally completed a math minor. Show less

    • New York University - Polytechnic School of Engineering

      2011 - 2016
      Ph.D. Computer Science

      Activities and Societies: Does survival in the face of a doctoral program count as an activity? My dissertation is entitled “Coincident Interaction: A Concurrent, Hedonic, and Embodied Design Space in Human Computer Interaction.” In brief, I made the case for considering self-regulation through all manner of bodily movement alongside digital devices as inherent to using those devices (e.g. fidgeting, doodling, and gesturing). As such, designers could incorporate these considerations into hardware and software towards improving wellbeing in humane computing.My dissertation work… Show more My dissertation is entitled “Coincident Interaction: A Concurrent, Hedonic, and Embodied Design Space in Human Computer Interaction.” In brief, I made the case for considering self-regulation through all manner of bodily movement alongside digital devices as inherent to using those devices (e.g. fidgeting, doodling, and gesturing). As such, designers could incorporate these considerations into hardware and software towards improving wellbeing in humane computing.My dissertation work involved a clever study of fidgeting behavior as well as building and testing with study participants a full-body gesture-recognition system for entry to my lab. My work was featured in the Wall Street Journal. Show less

    • Grand Valley State University

      1994 - 1999
      B.S. Engineering (Electrical Emphasis)

      Activities and Societies: • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers • Solar Splash Intercollegiate Solar/Electric Boat Regatta My undergraduate program was very hands-on, including a mandatory co-op program. My two most significant projects were:• A scaled down hydraulic backhoe operated with a Nintendo Power Glove™• A remotely programmed, visualized, and operated manufacturing lab including two robots and a CNC machineDuring my undergraduate engineering education I competed in the Solar Splash Intercollegiate Solar/Electric Boat Regatta. The team I co-led won two awards in 1996 including 2nd place… Show more My undergraduate program was very hands-on, including a mandatory co-op program. My two most significant projects were:• A scaled down hydraulic backhoe operated with a Nintendo Power Glove™• A remotely programmed, visualized, and operated manufacturing lab including two robots and a CNC machineDuring my undergraduate engineering education I competed in the Solar Splash Intercollegiate Solar/Electric Boat Regatta. The team I co-led won two awards in 1996 including 2nd place overall.I was chosen as the top graduate of my engineering program by the faculty. I also graduated with honors by virtue of completing the Honors liberal arts curriculum. Show less

  • Experience

    • Michael Karlesky

      Oct 1999 - Dec 2003
      Independent Contractor

      Developed weather systems for key client, International Met Systemso Developed the signal processing software with a custom DSP algorithm to pair an analog weather balloon to a modern digital tracking ground station. Innovated a testing rig to simulate the weather balloons transmissions via PC sound card.o Automated the calibration process for the company’s weather balloon sensor hardware. Performed discovery and designed and built control loops, data acquisition, coefficient generation, industrial interfaces, fault monitoring, and report generation. Show less

    • MyPort Express, Inc.

      Oct 1999 - Apr 2002
      Product Development Manager

      o Developed the proof-of-concept product prototype that tied together powerline networking, voice capture/playback, email processing, news and weather content, and telephony.

    • Automotive Wireless

      Jan 2003 - Jan 2007
      Cofounder

      Automotive Wireless was a startup that developed an aftermarket car starter system built atop the widely available and very inexpensive paging network. The technology provided remote starting ability and security applications from any telephone, cellular or landline. Not exactly flying cars but cool nonetheless. My roles included the initial R&D and business advising.

    • Ashlar Technology

      Jan 2004 - Feb 2005
      President / Owner

      Ashlar Technology offered consulting services related to computer software, embedded systems, and electrical engineering. Ashlar specialized in we-think-it-may-be-impossible-but-let’s-do-it-anyway projects.

    • Atomic Embedded (Division of Atomic Object)

      Jan 2005 - Jun 2011
      Senior Developer / Embedded Craftsman

      Functioned as lead contractor and account manager for three engagements that generated over $500K.o Played foundational role in establishing embedded software practice, which was a new line of business. o Provided testing and Agile training for key clients Gentex, a tier 1 auto supplier, and the NSA.o Developed open source Ceedling tool to fit client need, now actively in use for over 12 years.

    • Zacar Entertainment

      Jan 2006 - Jan 2009
      Principal

      Taking advantage of changes & advances in the technology and media landscape, Zacar Entertainment developed a television program concept “Sofa Real” that was a throwback to a bygone era with a modern twist — local programming funded by local sponsors using long-forgotten advertising models to place programming online and on the airwaves. All with a local-friendly format involving a transient sofa.

    • NYU Tandon School of Engineering

      Aug 2011 - Aug 2016
      Research Assistant / Ph.D. Candidate

      I studied computer science with a specialization in Human Computer Interaction. My research work was often built around gesture and bodily movement of various sorts. This means many of my projects involved research participants wiggling around a whole bunch. My funding included an interdisciplinary mandate and so my coursework spanned visual analytics, computational geometry, security, philosophy, social science, research design, play theory, and more.

    • Somaware

      May 2014 - Jun 2016
      Cofounder

      My responsibilities included trying to get this puppy off the ground.Somaware’s wearable band embodied data through tactile pulses against your skin. It presented eyes-free, ears-free, hands-free information that you could feel.The company’s name was derived from the root word ‘Soma’, meaning “of the body.” Some use the word to speak of the experience felt through our mind-body.

    • Upward Farms

      Mar 2016 - Jan 2023

      Responsible for leading Upward Farms’ initiatives across sensors, controls, I.T., software development, simulation, and analytics, supporting the company’s business objectives and its workforce.• Developed and executed a $2.6M annual non-payroll budget.• Developed five vendor relationships totaling $1.6M to create key software, data, and support systems.• Grew software and electronics team to 17 members, with a focus on diversity hiring. • Played key role in securing venture capital investment through architecting data collection, analytics and enterprise systems.• Led development of sensor system firmware, alarms, dashboards, and data platforms that processed 11 sensor types and 10M+ readings per month.• Drove transformation to proactive maintenance yielding better data quality and improved downtime.• Co-developed an Accountability Conversations training program to build conflict resolution capabilities.

      • Vice President of Software & Electronics

        Sept 2022 - Jan 2023

      • Director of Software & Electronics

        Mar 2016 - Sept 2022

  • Licenses & Certifications