Aaron E-J

Experience

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  Litchfield County 4-H association

  Jan 1992 - Dec 2006

  Junior Leader

  843 University Drive, Torrington, CT 06790, 860.626.6240, [email protected] I was a 4-H member for eleven years. Initially (when I was 7) my dad and I started a wood working, photography and hiking club called the "splinterclikers." Then when I was 11, I got goats and joined the "Doesy Doets" dairy goat club. I learned about how to feed, care for, milk, and show Toggenberg, Saanen, and Alpine breeds using proper fitting and showmanship practices according to the American Dairy Goat Association scorecard. I even made my own goat cart and would harness my wether at fairs and give rides. As I went to more and more shows, I also was learning leadership and teamwork skills. I held officer positions including: Pack Goat Representative, Secretary, Vice President, and Junior Leader. As I became an expert at showing and raising goats, and as new members joined the club, I mentored and taught them all I knew. Additionally we had to work in teams to set up the fairs and plain for and put on meetings, so this was also one of my first introductions to teamwork.Awards Won: Best Toggenberg in Show (Big-E) 1999, 2000, 2001 Best of Show (Goshen Fair) 2000, 2001 ( Terryville Fair) 2002 Best Fitter in Class (Big-E) 2000, 2001 Most Milk in Show (Big-E) 2001, (4-H Fair) 2000, 2001, 2002 Showmanship (4-H Fair) 2002 Officer Positions: Pack Goat Representative Secretary Vice President Junior Leader Show less

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  Gresczyk Farms

  Jun 1998 - Aug 1999

  Farmer

  New Hartford, CT – My first real paid work experience occurred in the summers of 1998 and 1999 when I was employed at a local farm, moving hay into a barn. It was really hard work moving bales of hay, then almost as big as me, from the trailer to the conveyer belt, and needing to do it quickly because the person on the other end of the belt didn't want to be left without something to hoist. It meant a good night's sleep though.Responsibilities - • Moved hay... • And more hay... • And even more hay... Show less

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  Northwestern Regional FFA

  Aug 1999 - Jun 2003

  Treasurer

  100 Battistoni Drive, Winsted, CT 06098, 860.379.9013, [email protected] In the time I was at high school, I lived and breathed FFA. I was heavily involved in maple syrup production, putting in literally hundreds of hours after school each year, setting up lines, tapping, collecting, boiling, jarring and finally selling the finished product. Although I learned quite a bit about how to produce maple syrup, I think perhaps the most important aspect I learned was the satisfaction that is gained by hard work. But maple syrup was only one thing I did. My freshman year, two other members and I won at the district and state levels in a FFA history quiz bowl competition and went to the national level in Louisville Kentucky. I became a chapter officer. We held weekly executive meetings, monthly chapter meetings, ran many events, and planed a yearly awards ceremony. This was an indispensable leadership experience from which I learned many valuable lessens. I also become skilled at many other things in the agricultural field. I was heavily involved in Christmas tree production every year, and I learned how to prune, cut, and sell trees at a stand our chapter ran. I also did landscaping; working on projects around my high school as well as on a competition every year at the Big-E, a huge fair in Springfield MA that attracts over a million people throughout New England. My chapter and I would make apple cider every fall for a local orchard, and I learned the process from picking, to pressing, to putting the finished product in jugs for sale. At my school there was a barn which housed many different animals, including chickens, pigs, miniature horses, and of course my favorite, goats! My time in the FFA had some of the most rewarding experiences in my life. Show less

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  Landmark Volunteers

  Jun 2000 - Jul 2000

  Hiking Trail Maintainer

  Lake Placid, New York, 413.229.0255, [email protected] Perhaps my most amazing experience ever to date was the two weeks I worked for Landmark Volunteers in the Adirondacks, maintaining trails, building two rock staircases, and working with people who became good friends during the time I was there. We stayed in a cabin, three miles from the nearest road, and hiked another mile and a half to a washed out stream each day. There, using only rock bars and our bare hands we moved multi ton rocks hundreds of meters to where we were building our staircase. From there, we jostled the stones into Us working on a rock staircaseposition and made sure they would not come loose for many decades. It was amazing not only because of what we were doing, but because we were working together, hiking together, eating together, playing together, and learning together. My memories of that experience are still some of the most vivid I have. Show less

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  Winsted Area Peace Action

  Sept 2001 - now

  Member
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  Northwestern Regional Theater

  Jan 2002 - May 2003

  Actor as Bird Salesman / Choirs / Grip

  100 Battistoni Drive, Winsted, CT 06098, 860.379.8525 In the early spring of 2002 I saw a poster advertising auditions and signup dates for the play City of Angels; somewhat on a whim I signed up. Thus began my obsession with theater. I helped with set and lighting and was a grip for City of Angels and Death of a Salesman. Then for my last show in high school, (Sweeney Todd) Virtually every night (in addition to being very active in other student groups) I would go to rehearsal and work on memorizing songs, stage directions and lines. Before I started acting, my voice was weak and I stuttered. But by the time the show went into production, my voice had improved dramatically and I no longer stuttered. To this day, I am prone to spitting out bits of song from Sweeney Todd. Show less

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  New Hartford Pizzeria

  Aug 2002 - Nov 2002

  Cook's Aid

  New Harford, CT – The fall of my senior year in high school I was approached by the owner of a local pizza parlor about whether I wanted a job. I put toppings on pizza's, washed pans, made boxes, and manned the cash register. It was nice to get the occasional free pizza, even if it was a rather monotones job.Responsibilities - • Built Pizzas • Worked Cash Register • Made Pizza Boxes • Cleaned.

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  New Hartford Town Hall

  Nov 2002 - Nov 2007

  Poll Worker

  New Hartford, CT – I am a fairly politically active citizen, so when at some point I got asked to serve as a poll worker, I was interested. It was interesting to learn a little bit about how votes get cast, and the other workers were pleasant to interact with.Responsibilities - • Kept track of amount of votes • Verified that people were who they said they were and then checked them off.

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  Prospect Designs Inc

  Jun 2003 - Jan 2021

  Business Development/IT

  • Business planning • IT Support • QuickBooks • Created a new design of their website

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  Hampshire College Community Council

  Jan 2004 - May 2004

  893 West St., Amherst, MA, 413.559.5286, [email protected] I ran for, and got elected to a position on my college's student governing body. We oversaw funding for student groups and worked on issues that had been brought to attention by the community. Some of the issues we dealt with included a smoking ban in all buildings and the establishment of off campus gallery space for further exposure of student work. 893 West St., Amherst, MA, 413.559.4466, [email protected] In addition to serving on my college's main governing student body, I also served on one of its subcommittees responsible for giving out money for large projects meant to broaden public and college involvement in community activities. Some issues we dealt with included the financial aspects of an off campus gallery and a kiln for a student group involved in bead making.

  • Dakin House Reprehensive

    Jan 2004 - May 2004

  • Dakin House Reprehensive

    Jan 2004 - May 2004
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  Bristol's Farm

  May 2004 - Aug 2005

  Organic Farmer

  For two summers I worked at a local farm, planting, weeding, picking, and selling produce. The first summer I worked with the original owner of the farm, whose main crops were corn and tomatoes. This farmer was going into retirement, and so he was leasing out the land to another farmer who was going to turn it into an organic farm. I worked with this second owner the next summer. It was nice to be out in fresh air, working with other employees around my age.Responsibilities - • Planted Plants • Weeded • Picked berries and vegetables • Sorted vegetables for sale • Did other jobs Show less

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  Hampshire College

  Aug 2004 - Sept 2004

  Hampshire College Orientation Group Leader

  893 West St., Amherst, MA, 413.559.6005 [email protected] I wanted to greet and befriend the incoming students, and there was no better way to do this than to lead a group in helping them get orientated to college life. Another leader and I led fun activities, a detailed tour of the specific areas the new students were interested in, and an outing into town.

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  ID Tech Camps

  Jun 2006 - Aug 2007

  Counselor/Instructor

  • Taught Web Design and Flash, Gaming and Photoshop, and Video Production• Helped campers gain trust in their own abilities• Worked with a team of counselors providing technical support in web design/programming

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  Hampshire College

  Aug 2006 - May 2007

  Hampshire College Admissions Host –893 West St., Amherst, MA, 877.937.4267 [email protected] Remembering when I stayed over night at Hampshire College and how this made me want to go even more, I decided to host some prospective students to provide to them an even better experience. It was interesting to learn what next years class would be like, and to provide helpful information when they got there. • Maintain the computer labs• Help solve printer-related problems• Troubleshoot computer malfunctions • Oversee media labs• Help people learn video editing skills• Maintain computers• Digitize video• Work on maintaining the Hampshire College TV show Amherst MA – Since I go to the exercise and weight room everyday, I thought it would be nice to get a job there. I monitor the weight room and help people use the equipment. When not working, I do an hours stint on the walking machine and lift some weights. Responsibilities - • Monitor the weight room • Clean the area • Assist people with the machines

  • Admissions Host

    Jan 2006 - May 2007

  • IT Staff

    Aug 2005 - May 2007

  • Lab Supervisor

    Sept 2003 - May 2007

  • Weight Room Monitor

    Aug 2006 - Jan 2007
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  Radio Shack

  Aug 2007 - Feb 2008

  Sales Associate

  Radio ShackSales Associate-Sold and promoted consumer electronics -Assisted in helping consumers fix technical problems -Marketed cellular pre and postpaid airtime and mobile phones

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  Peace Corps

  Feb 2008 - Apr 2010

  Forestry Extension Agent

  Worked in a very rural part of the Eastern Province in Zambia on a program termed Linking Income, Food and the Environment or LIFE. Some of the projects that I worked on include:• Created curriculum for an Innovative Entrepreneurship program at a local basic school: - Designed biomass gasification cook stoves; Built solar cookers using various methods; Demonstrated how to use entirely local materials to make soap• Provided technical support for a Broadband Internet Café in the Chadiza District Capital• Designed a three wheeled cargo-trike that can be built using local materials and equipment• Implemented irrigation projects in local villages• Designed a low cost pedal powered generator• Promoting conservation farming practices that limit the need for fertilizer or chemical pesticides. Show less

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  TicketNetwork

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2013

  Web Developer

  • Developed an email marketing Windows service that pulls data about users who have abandon a ticket sale without completing a checkout process and sends them an email after a user customizable time delay• Provided a support role to external web developers with questions about how to implement various web service APIs TicketNetwork has developed• Upgraded over a hundred Drupal websites with version 4 APIs and obsolete themes to the latest version, then migrated them from a local server to a new remotely hosted server• Created additional browser based features to allows TicketNetwork clients to further customize how the our APIs interact with our data and checkout system• Developed new features using the windows MVC framework for the website EZEvent.com• Provided a support role to external web developers with questions about how to implement various web service APIs TicketNetwork has developed• Lent assistance to the Web Support Team when they had questions Show less

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  Marist College

  Jan 2013 - Jan 2014

  Web Developer

  • Responsible for the active development and integration of the college’s public facing website using php, HTML5, CSS and JavaScript with OmniUpdate, the colleges CMS• Development and bug fixing for a custom spinoff of OpenSIS, a student information system, used for online grading• Worked on the backend redesign of the FDR library's online archive system: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/collections/franklin/

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  Agaric Design Collective

  Jan 2014 - Jan 2014

  Web Developer

  • Was contracted to migrate legacy website content dating back to 1997 to Drupal for the MIT Cultura project, a language and cultural program between students at MIT and students around the world

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  YoungerUSA

  Jan 2015 - Jan 2018

  Web Contractor

  • Migrating a legacy work-log site from php to the latest version• Dynamically created 3-D displays of cellular respiration by adding an extension to the JSmol molecular modeling system for a device the company makes (A draft of the manual can be found at https://www.otherrealm.org/mageflux_documentation2.0.0.pdf )• Upgraded obsolete php code to the latest standards for an upload and conversion user interface• Updated the companies work log entry system

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  Common Good Finance

  Jan 2016 - Jan 2018

  Systems Engineer

  • Developed the next version of a Mobile Payment app that is community run and gives a portion of its credit balance back to the community in small grants to local organizations. You can see the source code at https://github.com/other-realm/rcredits-mobile• Bug fixing for the current Android based mobile payment app: https://github.com/CommonGoodFinance/rCredits-Android/commits/Develop• Feature changes and bug fixing for the Drupal based Common Good™ website• Community engagement

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  The Other Realm

  Mar 2017 - now

  Founding Member

  • Developing a faster method for high throughput manufacturing of custom one-off orthotic shoes using additive manufacturing and dynamic molding• Using open source Python APIs to create a gait modeling application that programmatically automates the shoe customization process based on sensor data• Business development, networking, and capital acquisition

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  Moorman Lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  Jan 2022 - Jan 2022

  Technical Lab Assistant

  • Assisting in behavior studies involving the neural stimulation of the prefrontal cortex of rats• Procuring, setting up, and programming a custom configured machine learning video processing system that uses DeepLabCuts to automate the categorization of rat behavior• Setting up a NAS backup system to centralize and secure the lab's data

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  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Jan 2023 - now

  Teaching Fellow

  Teach first year undergraduates the fundamentals of ideational assessment and goal setting and practical tools that make college easier – basically everything I wish I had learned when I first started college. Plus some cool engineering tidbits.