About Me
Hello! My name is Sam and welcome to my website. I am a systems engineer that loves to learn and script. This website currently is hosted on GitHub, however at any moment it could move about!
Education
University of Maryland: College Park
Bachelor of Science in Information Science
December 2018
My Degree:
As described on the Information Science website “The Bachelor of Science in Information Science (InfoSci) 4-year degree program at College Park teaches students skills in technical areas such as database design, information architecture, web/mobile development, data analytics, and cybersecurity alongside areas of the social sciences, leadership, and the humanities – addressing the growing and unique need for information professionals who understand complex social and organizational issues.”
https://ischool.umd.edu/
Relevant Coursework:
- Database Design
- Data Manipulation with Python
- Technical Writing
- Teams and Organizations
Experience
- Designed and implemented a Change Request project through development to production to increase the complexity of default passwords programmatically, reducing the SAA’s vulnerability while maintaining readable default passwords for staff.
- Led team members through organization, execution, and coordination with other teams to lift and shift an entire backup system during a datacenter move ensuring it came back online without issue in a timely manner.
- Architected and deployed an enterprise backup system to replace the older system ensuring the SAA has a modern backup solution to protect a wide variety of systems.
- Trained an apprentice team member to take over responsibilities for an enterprise backup system seeing them to full systems engineer within one year.
- Troubleshot a complex Windows server issue where Senate office staff lost access to all file shares. Resolved it through log investigation and registry manipulation after a faulty update restoring access for staffers.
- Communicated and coordinated a new process with a Senate office to retrieve their old data when retiring by using remote copy methods to avoid physical contact and save time during the pandemic.
United States Senate - Sergeant at Arms
Washington, D.C.Systems Engineering Apprentice
August 2019 - March 2021
- Evaluated different systems (backup, storage, and Hyper Converged Infrastructure) through proof of concept to see what was best to replace aging systems and explore new offerings. Tested and wrote technical documentation on each which helped decide on new backup and storage infrastructure to modernize the SAA datacenter.
- Deployed VMware ESXi hypervisor onto HPE servers after installing them into the datacenter during a server refresh updating the SAA hardware replacing aging systems that were out of support.
- Updated HPE server firmware using SUM and SPP packages to address an ESXi bug locking up hosts, resolving the firmware issue and returning hosts to working order.
United States Senate - Sergeant at Arms
Washington, D.C.Technology Assessment Intern
May 2018 - August 2018
- Created a technical evaluation report after testing and meeting with company representatives on a fingerprint device to fill the need for an external biometric solution.
- Designed and tested PowerShell scripts that fixed a problem between Windows Hello and certain mobile devices not being able to sign-in with biometrics.
- Wrote user guides and documentation for Senate staff to set-up and enable Windows Hello sign-in.
- Configured a virtual server hosted on VMware ESXi with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to test new methods of saving space on the production WSUS server.
- Performed in-place upgrades on multiple Mac desktops to bring the Technology Assessment Mac Lab up to date.
- Tested and configured hardware to assist the Technology Assessment team including an HPE StoreEasy 1660 rack mounted server.
Civil and Environmental Engineering IT Department
University of Maryland College Park, M.D.Support Technician
June 2016 - May 2018
- Cataloged and replaced computer and network equipment that was outdated to help improve efficiency in the CEE department.
- Troubleshot and answered questions for CEE staff regarding a wide range of computer and network problems.
- Utilized the ticketing systems Jitbit and OTRS to organize and respond to requests by CEE staff.