T. Blum: Curriculum Vitae
Thomas Edward Blum
Department of Mathematics and Computer ScienceLa Salle University
Philadelphia, PA 19141
215.951.1139
http://www.lasalle.edu/~blum
EDUCATION
1987-1991 / University of Rochester, Rochester, New YorkPh.D. in Physics
Thesis: Strongly Interacting Quantum Systems in Low Dimensions
1985-1987 / University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
M.A. in Physics
Sproull Fellowship
1981-1985 / La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
B.A. in Physics
Presidential Scholarship, Summa Cum Laude, Physics Department Award
TEACHING AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2008-Present / La Salle University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAssociate Professor
May 2013 Received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching
2010-Present / La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Assistant Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
2003 – 2005 / La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Director of the M.S. Computer Information Science and
M.S. Information Technology Leadership programs
1998-2008 / La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Assistant Professor
1996-1998 / University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Research and Teaching Assistant
1993-1996 / University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Research Assistant and Tutor
1991-1993 / University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Research Assistant
1985-1991 / University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
Research and Teaching Assistant
1981-1985 / La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tutor and Physics Laboratory Liaison
COURSES TAUGHT
CSC 151 / Introduction to Computing PackagesFall 98 (3 sections), Summer 99, and Spring 00
CSC 152 / Introduction to Computing: Mathematics/Science Applications
Fall 98 (2 sections), Spring 99 (2 sections), Fall 99 (2 sections), Spring 00, Fall 00, Summer 08, Summer 09, Spring 11
CSC 157/CSC 230 / Computing and Problem Solving
Fall 98, Spring 99 and Spring 00 (C/C++), Fall 01 (Java), Fall 03, Fall 05, Fall 07, Fall 10 (Visual Basic .NET), Fall 12, Fall 13 (JavaScript)
CSC 264/CSC 240
/ Database Management SystemsFall 02, Fall 04, Spring 10
CSC 265 / Visual Basic Programming/PC Applications
Spring 01, Spring 02 (2 sections), and Spring 03 (VB .NET)
CSC 362/CSIT 362/CSIT 220 / Communication Networks and Cooperative Processes
Fall 01, Spring 02, Fall 03, and Fall 04
CSC 341 / Open Source Application Development
Fall 13
CSC 349 / Mobile Computing (Android Programming)
Spring 14
CSC 370 / Web Development
Spring 10
CSD 340 / Web Scripting
Spring 05, Spring 06, Spring 12
CSIT 301/CSIT 370 / Computer Architecture and Hardware
Spring 03, Spring 04, Spring 05, Spring 06, and Spring 07, Spring 08, Spring 09, Spring 11, Fall 12, Spring 13
CSIT 320 / LAN Administration
Fall 10
CSIT 321 / Client Support Systems
Fall 05, Fall 06, Fall 07, Fall 09, Fall 11, Spring 13
CSIT 370/CSIT 327 / Administrative Scripting (Bash and PowerShell)
Spring 12 and Spring 14
PHY 105 / General Physics I
Fall 99, Summer 00, Fall 00, Summer 01, Fall 02, and Fall 06, Fall 09
PHY 106 / General Physics II
Spring 99, Summer 00, Spring 01, Summer 01, and Spring 07, Spring 08, Spring 09
PYL 105 / General Physics Laboratory I
Fall 99 (2 sections), Summer 00, Fall 00, Summer 01, Fall 02, Fall 05, and Fall 06, Fall 07, Summer 10, Fall 10, Fall 11, Summer 12, Fall 12, Fall 13
PYL 106 / General Physics Laboratory II
Spring 99 (2 sections), Spring 00, Summer 00, Spring 01, Summer 01, Spring 03 (2 sections), Spring 07, Spring 09, Spring 10, Summer 10, Spring 11, Spring 12, Summer 12, Spring 13, Spring 14
PHY 201 / Digital Electronics and Logic
Fall 99, Fall 00 (2 sections), Fall 01, Fall 02, Fall 03, Fall 04, Fall 05, and Fall 06, Fall 07, Fall 09, Spring 11, Fall 11, Spring 13, Spring 14
PHY 202 / Basic Electronics
Spring 00, Spring 01, Spring 02, Spring 03, Spring 04, Spring 06 (2 sections), Spring 07, Spring 08, Spring 10, Spring 12
CIS 500 / Problem Solving and Programming
Summer 01, Fall 01, and Summer 02
CIS 530 / Programming Graphical User Interfaces
Spring 03
HON 164 / Scientists’ Frame of Reference
Spring 07, Fall 09, Fall 11
PUBLICATIONS
W. Yang, T. Blum and M. McCoey, “Teaching a Networking Class for Freshmen: CourseDesign and Lessons Learned”, accepted to SIGITE/RIIT 2014 which will take place Oct. 15th-18th
T. Blum, Forjohn’s Radio in American Scene: WPA-Era Prints from the 1930s and 1940s, La Salle University Art Museum, ed. Klare Scarborough and Carmen Vendelin.
T. Blum and M. McCoey, “Adapting a Programming Course to Visually-Oriented, Digital Media Students,” ACM SIGITE Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 1, Jan. 2007 <
T. Blum and M. McCoey, “Incorporating Business Concepts into a Computer Science Curriculum: A Multi-Tiered Approach”, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Vol. 22, Issue 3, Jan. 2007
T. Blum, “JavaScript Yahtzee”, The Code Project[*], < June 2006
T. Blum, “Presidential Memory”, The Code Project*, < May 2004
J.S. Frasier, V. Celli and T. Blum, "Resonant processes in a frozen gas," Phys. Rev. A 59, 4358 (1999).
S. J. Phillipson, M. A. Moore and T. Blum, "Nonlocal conductivity in high-temperature superconductors," Phys. Rev. B 57, 5512 (1998).
A. J. Dolgert, T. Blum, A. T. Dorsey and M. Fowler, "Nucleation and growth of the superconducting phase in the presence of a current," Phys. Rev. B 57, 5432 (1998).
T. Blum and M. A. Moore, "Perturbation studies of the conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime," Phys. Rev. B 56, 372 (1997).
T. Blum and A. J. McKane, "Variational schemes in the Fokker-Planck equation," J. Phys. A 29, 1859 (1996).
T. Blum and A. J. McKane, "Improved perturbation theory for the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation," Phys. Rev. E 52, 4741 (1995).
T. Blum and M. A. Moore, "Failure of hydrodynamics within the vortex-liquid regime," Phys. Rev. B 51, 15359 (1995).
M. A. Moore, T. Blum, J. P. Doherty, M. Marsili, J-P. Bouchaud and P. Claudin, "Glassy solution to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation," Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 4257 (1995).
R. K. P. Zia and T. Blum "An introduction to the statistical mechanics of driven diffusive systems," in Scale Invariance, Interfaces and Non-Equilibrium Dynamics, A. McKane, M. Droz, J. Vannimenus and D. Wolf, eds. (Plenum Press, New York 1995).
T. Blum, "A variational study of directed polymers in disordered media with short-ranged correlations," J. Phys. A 27, 645 (1994).
T. Blum and Y. Shapir, "Lattice magnetic walks." J. Phys. A 27, 295 (1994).
Y. Y. Goldschmidt and T. Blum, "Manifolds in random media: Multifractal behavior," Phys. Rev. E 48, 161 (1993).
Y. Y. Goldschmidt and T. Blum, "Directed polymers in a random medium: Universal scaling behavior of the probability distribution," Phys. Rev. E 47, R2979 (1993).
T. Blum and Y. Y. Goldschmidt, "Directed paths in a complex random potential: Effects of long-range correlations of the disorder," J. Phys. A 25, 6517 (1992).
Y. Y. Goldschmidt and T. Blum, "Directed walks with complex random weights: Phase diagram and replica symmetry breaking," J. Phys. I France 2, 1607 (1992).
T. Blum and Y. Y. Goldschmidt, "Directed paths with random phases," Nuc. Phys. B 380, 588 (1992).
T. Blum, Y. Shapir and D. S. Koltun, "Replica approach to directed Feynman paths in random media," J. Phys. I France 1, 613 (1991).
T. Blum, D. S. Koltun and Y. Shapir, "Ground-state energy for `charged' bosons in one dimension," Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2417 (1991).
T. Blum and Y. Shapir, "A soluble seven-vertex model for clusters with interfacial bending energy," J. Phys. A 23, L511 (1990).
T. Blum, C. R. Hagen and S. Ramaswamy, "Flux-carrying fermions and the second virial coefficient," Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 709 (1990).
T. Blum and Y. Shapir, "The nearest-neighbor resonating-valence bond state in a Grassmannian form," J. Stat. Phys. 59, 333 (1990).
Y. Shapir and T. Blum, "Grassmannian approach to the resonating-valence-bond state of the 2D Heisenberg antiferromagnet," Mod. Phys. Lett. B 3, 925 (1989).
CREATIVE WORKS
Variation on a theme by Victor Vasarely, SCAN2 GO (QR: Here, There Anywhere, Everywhere) Algorithmic Art, January 2012 – . (“….interactive mobile locative screenings via QR codes available in an unprecedented catalog readable on smart phones. Audiences will have access to a wide range of media arts – digital art, sound, video and Internet-based projects by 28 global innovators and experimenters, at any time or place they have their smart phones on ….” (Fabrik Magazine, Issue 15, Jan, 4, 2012, p. 61)PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES/DEVELOPMENT
Spring 09 –Present / Co-PI, National Science Foundation, Scholarship Assistance for Undergraduate Computer Science Majors,
Fall 2013 / Supervised the capstone project of Patrick O’Gorman: Leveraging a third Party Reporting Tool to Create a Customizable Dashboard System
Fall 2013 / Supervised the undergraduate Honors project of Phillip Wedge on Design and Marketing Plan for an Android App
Fall 2013 / Supervised an undergraduate Honors project of Stephen Szyszkiewicz on Honors Program Lottery Administration Web Site
Summer 2013 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Classes on HTML5, jQuery and PHP.
Spring 13 / Audited 3D printing course, La Salle University.
Fall 2012 / Supervised the capstone project of Romona Harris, Reginald Parks, and Cary Summers: Consolidating IT Asset Management To Improve a K-12 Educational Environment
Fall 2012 / Audited Literary Theory and criticism course, La Sale University.
Summer 2012 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Classes on Intermediate JavaScript, Introduction to AJAX, Web Videography and Android Application development.
May 2012 / La Salle CPath Workshop on Augmented Reality Design and Production, 05/14/12 – 05/15/12
Spring 2012 / Supervised the capstone project of Christina Griffin and Dominic McGraw: Social Media: Refining I.T. Communication within Education
Jan. 2012 / Winter Faculty Training Workshop: Teaching CS1 with Processing, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, 01/05/12 – 01/07/12
Fall 2011 / Supervised the independent research project of Kyle Jasso and John Himmelman: PHP and MySQL project on Event Scheduling
Spring 2011 / Supervised the independent research project of Kyle Jasso, John Himmelman, Brian Murphy and Gregory Spraggins: Android Application: Call Blocking
Summer 2010 / Supervised the capstone project of Jason Roeckle: Android Application: A Tour of La Salle
Summer 2010 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Classes on Design Concepts.
Spring 2010 / Supervised the capstone project of Selyuk Semen and Christopher Pompeo: RFID for Connelly Library
April 2009 / CPATH: Drawing Students to Computing Through Visualization Technologies and Applications, Florida State University, Tallahasee, FL
Fall 2008 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Classes on Flash and CSS.
July 2008 / CPATH: Digital Sound for Computer Scientists, Musicians, Filmmakers, and Theatre Sound Designers, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Summer 2008 / Presented a two-day workshop on PHP and MySQ, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA
May 2008 / CPATH: Algorithms, Scripting, and Programming for Visual Art
Summer 2007 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Classes on Photoshop, Perl and CSS.
Summer 2007 / Supervised the capstone project of Angel Martinez and Sebastian Lukwiya: Virtualization and SAN Storage
Summer 2006 / Audited CIS 623 N-Tier Architecture.
Summer 2006 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Class on Adobe Photoshop.
Summer 2006 / Took International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG) e-Class on Adobe Illustrator.
Summer 2006 / Supervised the independent study of Greg Lutz (Readings in Legal, Ethical and Social Issues in Computing).
Mar. 2006 / Attended ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Education, including workshops on Computer Security Essentials: System Footprinting and Vulnerability Assessment, Computer Security Essentials: Intrusion Detection and System Defense, and Digital Media: Why Do We Need It, and How Do We Teach It As REAL Computer Science.
Fall 2005 / Supervised the independent studies of Francine Wilson and Alicia Stonesifer (Readings in Legal, Ethical and Social Issues in Computing).
Aug. 2005 / Attended ACM SIGCOMM Conference on Computer Communications.
July 2005 / Presented a four-day workshop on PHP and MySQL.
June 2005 / Attended workshop on ASP.NET 2005, La Salle University.
Feb. 2005 / Attended ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Education, including workshops on Teaching Mobile and Ad-hoc Networking using Simulation and Multimedia Projects for CS1 and CS2.
Spring 2005 / Supervised the independent studies of Henry Daum (Student Curricular Progress Tracking Program) and David Mitchell (Computer Games/ Simulations and Learning in the Net Generation).
Fall 2004 / Audited CSC 340 Database Windows and Internet Applications.
May 2004 / Attended Dart Workshops on Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Dreamweaver, XML, PHP and Quark.
Attended CIO Forum.
July 2003 / Attended Web CT training.
Fall 2002 / Supervised the independent study of Jim Keller (Network Programming in Native C).
June 2002 / Attended Microsoft Workshop on VS.NET, Philadelphia, PA.
2002 to Present / Member of the Association of Computing Machinery.
Fall 2001 / Audited graduate CIS course Internet Programming, La Salle University MS-CIS Program.
Summer 2001 / Participated in Java Workshop Summer 2001, La Salle University.
Developed materials for CSC 157 migration to Java. Dean’s fund.
Spring 2000 / Audited two graduate CIS courses, Programming in Java and Hands-on Networking, La Salle University MS-CIS Program.
1998-1999 / Refereed for Physical Review.
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Committees / University Assessment Committee, Fall 12 to PresentFaculty Senate, Fall 09 – Spring 12
Chair of Committee on Committees, Fall 11 – Spring 12
Academic Discovery Program Advisory Board, Fall 06 – Spring 09
Community Development Advisory Board, Fall 04 – Spring 06
Served on Graduate Council, Spring 05
Student Funding Board, Fall 02 – Spring 04
Served on CSC faculty search committee, Fall 04, Spring 12, Spring 13
Served on the Department Board, Fall 01 – Spring 2003.
Advisor Positions / Anime Club Advisor – since Fall 07
La Salle University Art Museum Faculty Advisory Board – since Fall 12
Sigma Phi Lambda Fraternity Associate Advisor – since Spring 13
Day One (Freshman Orientation) Academic Advisor – since Summer 13
Yearly activities / Help IT connect dormitory students to the network and /or install computer classrooms – since Fall 01
Helped administer the William Lowell Putnam exam – since Fall 98
Served as a Freshman Advisor – since Fall 04.
Attended Computer Science Advisory Board meetings – since Fall 03
(While director of Graduate programs, I prepared materials for those meetings and helped to recruit new board members.)
Reviewed student resumes – since Fall 02
Presented on Difficulties in Math & Science courses to SUMMIT/AEP program – since Fall 10
Developed (with Stephen Longo) a web interface for CAPP (Curriculum Advising and Program Planning) to allow tracking of a student’s progress through the curriculum – since Summer 06.
Reviewed DART (Digital Art) senior portfolios – since Spring 05
Represented department at one or two undergraduate Open Houses a year – since Fall 99
Represented department at eight graduate Open houses a year – Summer 2003 – Fall 2004
Help plan and host classroom visitors for the Executive on Campus Event – since Fall 05
Assisted with Computer Science/Digital Art workshops, Fall 00 – Fall 04
Administered Computer Science Competency Exams, Summer 99 – Summer 00
Served on departmental curriculum revision committees/subcommittees for both graduate and undergraduate programs – since Spring 03
Server as a reader for graduate capstones – since Fall 03
(When graduate I had to solicit reader as well.)
Assist with catalog review – since Summer 03
Attend and for two years organize the Information Technology Leadership Event – since Fall 03
Attend various La sale workshops on teaching, advising, assessment, etc. – since Spring 05
Other activities / Prepared report to the State Department of Education for final approval of the MS-Information Technology Leadership program – Fall 03
Assisted M. McCoey in the development of the MS-CIS and MS-ITL graduate certificate program – Spring 05
Implemented MS-CIS and MS-ITL Warranty program – Summer 04
Designed and implemented a database for the La Salle University Art Museum – Spring 04
Designed and implemented a web site for the La Salle University Art Museum – Spring 99
PRESENTATIONS
Nov. 2007 / T. Blum, The JPEG Compression Algorithm, Math and Computer Science Undergraduate Symposium, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA.Nov. 2006 / T. Blum, Entropy, Information, and Grades, Math and Computer Science Undergraduate Symposium, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA.
Oct. 2006 / T. Blum and M. McCoey, Incorporating Business Concepts into a Computer Science Curriculum: A Multi-Tiered Approach, CCSC: Eastern 2006, Twenty-Second Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.
Apr. 1998 / T. Blum, Aspects of the Phenomenology of Superconductors, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Mar. 1998 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, The nonlocal superfluid response, APS March Meeting in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Dec. 1997 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore and S. J. Phillipson, Nonlocal conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Oct. 1997 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore and S. J. Phillipson, Nonlocal conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
May 1997 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore and S. J. Phillipson, Nonlocal conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Mar. 1997 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, Perturbative studies of the conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, APS Meeting in Kansas City, MO, USA.
Sept. 1996 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore and S. J. Phillipson, Nonlocal conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Mar. 1996 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, Nonlocal conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, APS Meeting in St. Louis, MO, USA.
Feb. 1996 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore, S. J. Phillipson and A. Kienappel, Aspects of the conductivity in the vortex-liquid regime, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Sept. 1995 / T. Blum and A. J. McKane, Improved perturbation theory for the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation, European Network Conference on Disordered Systems and Information Processing, Cargese, France.
Mar. 1995 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, Failure of hydrodynamics within the vortex-liquid regime, APS Meeting in San Jose, CA, USA.
Feb. 1995 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, Failure of hydrodynamics within the vortex-liquid regime, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Jan. 1995 / T. Blum and M. A. Moore, Failure of hydrodynamics within the vortex-liquid regime, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
Sept. 1994 / T. Blum, M. A. Moore, J. P.Doherty, J.-P. Bouchaud and P. Claudin, Glassy solutions of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation, European Network Conference on Disordered Systems and Information Processing, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Mar. 1994 / T. Blum, Replica approach to directed polymers, Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, UK.
Oct. 1993 / T. Blum, Directed polymers: A variational replica approach, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Mar. 1992 / T. Blum and Y. Y. Goldschmidt, Directed random walks with random phases, APS Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Sept. 1991 / T. Blum, Y. Shapir and D. S. Koltun, Complex directed polymers, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Mar. 1991 / T. Blum, D. S. Koltun and Y. Shapir, Ground-state energy for "charged" bosons in one dimension, APS Meeting in Cincinnati, OH, USA
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