Primary Navigation
Faculty
Paul Vincent Craven
Chair of the Department of Computer Science
B.A., Simpson College, 1994.
M.S. University of Missouri Rolla, 1996.
Ph.D. (In Progress) University of Idaho.
Office: Carver 333
Phone: (515) 961-1834
Email: paul.craven@simpson.edu
Personal web page
I received my BA degree in Math and Computer Science from Simpson College in 1994. I went on to the University of Missouri-Rolla and got an MS in Computer Science in 1996. I am currently finishing a Ph.D. from the University of Idaho. I have worked in software development from 1991 until 2006, starting with one man projects and working my way up to management of large multi-million dollar projects. I started teaching for Simpson's DAL in 1996.
My main areas of interest are security, reliability, web development, distributed systems, and the software development process as a whole. I also have a strong interest in weather and a host of other science related topics.
Marv Van Wyk
(1972) Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
B.A., Central College, 1967
M.S., University of Iowa, 1969
Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1972
Office: Carver 201
Phone: (515) 961-1832
Email: vanwyk@simpson.edu
I received my BA degree from Central College and my MS and PhD degrees in Mathematics from the University of Iowa. I have been a member of the Simpson College faculty since 1972 and have regularly served on faculty committees including the Faculty Personnel Committee, Budget and Coordinating Committee, and the Education Policy and Curriculum Committee. At various times, I have also served as chair of these committees. I have served as chair of the Mathematics Department and the Computer Science Department and have been responsible for major changes in the curriculum in both areas.
My primary teaching responsibilities over the past several years have been in the areas of database systems, decision support systems, web development, and programming. Areas of scholarly interest include object-relational database systems, data warehousing, web development in the .NET environment, and geographical information systems.
Lydia Sinapova
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Ph.D., Sofia University, Bulgaria, 1995
Office: Carver 335
Phone: (515) 961-1841
Email: sinapova@simpson.edu
Personal web page
I was born in Bulgaria, and I received my BS in Mathematics, MS in Computer Science, and Ph.D. degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Sofia University. For more than 15 years I have worked for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences as a research fellow in the area of Artificial Intelligence. In 1997 I moved to the United States, and in 1999 I joined Simpson College.
My primary teaching responsibilities have been in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Programming Languages, Algorithms, and Theory of Computation.
Mark Brodie
Professor of Computer Science.
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Computer Science, 2000
M.S., Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992
Office: Carver 235
Phone: (515) 961-1833
Email: mark.brodie@simpson.edu
Mark Brodie spent the last seven years as a research staff member at IBM's TJ Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, NY. His research projects covered data mining, machine learning and systems management. Dr. Brodie has also taught as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Polytechnic and Columbia University. He has received two patents, and has 4 others pending. Mark is also well published with several journal and conference papers to his name. Mark is a keen chess player with a Master rating, and intends to start a Simpson College Chess Club, as soon as he can find some free time between his teaching responsibilities and his 2-year-old daughter.