Michael Ries

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Full stack web developer with a passion for constructing complex systems from simple beginnings. When I was about 11, I taught myself to program and fell in love with it. After a successful career in Electrical Engineering, I gave it up to pursue software development. In addition to experience with Ruby, Rails and JavaScript-based programming, I bring strong skills in project and time management, analytical problem solving, and communication. I hope to apply these skills to help a mission-driven organization improve our world.

When I was about 11, I spent an entire summer in the U of I computer lab, teaching myself how to program the PLATO computer system. I fell in love with programming and got a job as a programmer that paid my way through college.

Upon leaving high school, I decided to become an electrical engineer because I wanted to take my love of computers to the next level - the hardware. Along the way, I discovered that Electrical Engineering was much more than electronics and computers, and found myself fascinated by lasers and solid state, and eventually made that into a career.

But I never lost my passion for software. I continue to get excited about creating amazingly complex and useful programs starting with a small set of simple statements. I love learning the 'new' innovations for managing complexity and the always changing nature of software development.

I'm starting a second career in my first passion, and I'm ready to begin my new adventure.

My early years as a Research Scientist creating new products and process improvements developed my technical and analytical problem-solving skills.

Subsequent years gave me opportunities to cultivate my communication, leadership and team skills, leading to increased responsibilities and the reputation as a company expert in several technologies.

My lifelong passion for programming prompted me to initiate software projects whenever possible.

  • Ruby
  • Rails
  • React
  • Redux
  • Github
  • C
  • C#
  • VB
  • Javascript
  • SQL
  • CSS
  • HTML
  • MVC
  • .NET
  • Entity Framework
  • JQuery
  • Bootstrap
  • JSON
  • AJAX
  • Angular 2
  • Typescript

Dive Log Redux

A Web-based RESTful CRUD application for tracking data collected by SCUBA divers for their dives and dive sites.
  • Stores and retrieves data from a custom Rails API, with data validation.
  • Authenticates users with OAuth2 and JSON Web Tokens.
  • Implements a single-page application using React and Redux featuring Bootstrap-react for styling.

https://github.com/mikeries/dive-log-client

DEMO: http://dive-log-client.herokuapp.com

Learn Companion

A companion app for students enrolled in the Learn full-stack online curriculum, enabling them to track progress, take lesson-related notes, create custom tags, and search through the materials.
  • Built using Ruby on Rails and ActiveRecords to provide a backend API.
  • Secured with OAuth2.
  • Provides a responsive front end user interface through JQuery and AJAX calls to the back end.
  • Features bootstrap for page layout and navigation.

https://github.com/mikeries/learn-progress-tracker

DEMO: https://learn-companion.herokuapp.com

Dive Log (Sinatra)

A Web-based RESTful CRUD application for tracking data collected by SCUBA divers for their dives and locations.
  • Constructed with Ruby running on the Sinatra framework.
  • Provides secure authentication using the Bcrypt gem.
  • Stores and validates data using ActiveRecords.

https://github.com/mikeries/dive-log

DEMO: http://sinatra-dive-log.herokuapp.com

My Angular2 Resume Page

A rewrite of the resume project using Angular2 and Typescript.

The goal of this project was to get some hands-on practice using Angular2 and Typescript. It was built using Visual Studeo and runs on .NET Core with MVC. The project features responsive layout, bootstrap UI components and simple event and data binding.

http://michaelries.azurewebsites.net

My JQuery Resume Page

Everyone needs an online resume!

The primary purpose of this project is to serve as my resume and get me hired, but developing it has also given me additional experience with CSS, HTML, Bootstrap, and JQuery. The site features an elegant navbar, smooth-scroll navigation, and a responsive layout.

http://michaelries.net

Pooch Positive Training

Storefront for dog training company

The site features user account management, a customer contact form, a client management application, including drag-and-drop dog thumbnail cropping/resizing and upload. Created using C#, MVC and .NET, JQuery, Bootstrap, Entity Framework, Knockout, Razor, and JSON.

https://github.com/mikeries/ PoochPositiveTraining

http://poochpositivetraining.us-east-2.elasticbeanstalk.com

Empire

Multi-player space war game built on the Universal Windows Platform

A sandbox for learning and practicing software design patterns, C#/.NET, networking, XAML, serialization, etc. A very early single-player release can be found at: https://github.com/mikeries/Empire/releases

https://github.com/mikeries/Empire

FD-SOI Epi Smoothing App

VB-Excel application for SunEdison Semiconductor

A tool to improve performance of the epi-smoothing operation. The application queries the production SQL database to retrieve thickness map data for the incoming product, and calculates optimum process settings. Product capability and yield improved by 40% on a wafer-by-wafer level while simultaneously simplifying operations.

SOI Production Dispatcher

VB-Excel application for SunEdison Semiconductor

Applies drum-buffer-rope theory to optimize product flow through the manufacturing process, shortening production cycles, improving efficiency. The application queries the SQL database for work-in-progress and prioritizes each production lot at each step based on shipment schedules and statistically determined cycle times for the relevant production flows. It also provides a UI for each operation listing the product lots in the order they are to be processed.

AITools

A collection of VB-Excel macros for SunEdison Semiconductor

I was a significant contributor to AITools, a collection of macros used around the world for collecting and analyzing particle data produced by our surface inspection systems. The tools provide the ability to map, filter, stack maps, match defects from inspection-to-inspection, and determine at what point in the production process a defect was first detected.

Defect Image Database

VB application for SunEdison Semiconductor

A VB-Access script populated a database with defect images and associated metadata. A VB-Excel UI allowed users to search the production SQL database for specific products, time periods, tools, etc. and review the associated defect images, enabling more rapid defect identification and elimination.

From Research Scientist to Associate Fellow

1996 - 2016

SunEdison Semiconductor (formerly MEMC Electronic Materials), Saint Peters, MO

Worked directly with customers to establish product requirements for SOI and bulk-Si 10nm and 7nm nodes. Managed global R&D resources to develop processes to meet requirements and deliver products with leading-edge performance. Principle investigator for several out-of-the-box product technologies. Collaborated directly with customer technical personnel to develop products satisfying specialized needs.

  • Contributed to and led yield improvement, cost-reduction, and product development activities to achieve revenue increases exceeding $200,000,000.
  • Acted as the primary technical interface with 6 key customers to develop new product requirements, to report progress, and to oversee more than 14 innovative development projects.
  • Created 7 engineering tools and database systems to enable rapid data mining, troubleshooting, analysis and reporting.
  • Designed and conducted experiments that increased our understanding of critical processes, resulting in 12 issued patents.
  • Communicated results to colleagues, management, and customers through 26 internal and external publications and many presentations.
  • Wrote procedures and technical documentation as part of the rigorous ISO9001 quality management system.

Research Assistant

1990 - 1996

Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois

Graduate Advisor: Nick Holonyak, Jr.

Design, fabrication and characterization of semiconductor laser devices, studying novel laser geometries and developing new processes for production of them, especially those based on native oxidation of AlGaAs structures.

Cooperative Education Student

1986 - 1989

McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Bridgeton, MO

Five separate 4-month assignments including work on test and monitor equipment, neural network simulators, optical fiber characterization, and semiconductor waveguide structures.

Programmer

1984 - 1988

Intercom, Inc. Champaign, IL

Programmed Computer-Based Training lessons using variety of languages and personal computers. Specialized in interactive video. Earned enough to pay my way through college.

Flatiron School

Full Stack Web Development with React

The Flatiron School is an immersive, highly intensive web development program teaching Ruby/Ruby on Rails, JavaScript/jQuery, React, Redux, Sinatra, HTML5, SQL, Git, TDD and more.

Javaonline.org

Javaonline.org Certified Professional JSP Developer

University of Illinois

Ph.D. Electrical Engineering

M.S. Electrical Engineering

B.S. Electrical Engineering

Graduate Advisor: Nick Holonyak, Jr.

Design, fabrication and characterization of semiconductor laser devices.

  • Investigated many novel geometries that employ the native oxidation of AlGaAs, including optical switches, ring lasers, arrays, disks, and more. Used the lateral native oxidation characteristics to form native-oxide-based DBRs, VCSELs, and microcavities.
  • Used many processing techniques, including photolithography, chemical etching, plasma etching, RIE, annealing, oxidation of III-V compound semiconductors, impurity-induced layer disordering, evaporations, diffusions, and CVD.
  • Characterized semiconductor devices via several techniques, including near-field and far-field measurements, photoluminescence, photopumping, lifetesting, spectroscopy, and ellipsometry.
  • Operated and maintained many processing and characterization tools, including spectrometers, lasers vacuum systems, evaporators, mask-aligners, scanning electron microscopes, thermal CVD stations, and RIE systems.
  • Fabricated high-reflectance multi-layer dielectric coatings and low-reflectance dielectric coatings. Developed in-situ process to fabricate high performance anti-reflection coatings on laser diode facets.
  • Performed external-cavity tuning experiments on laser diodes.