Assistant
Professor of Computer Science
Department of Information
Technology and Computer Science
Juniata College
Welcome!
I graduated from Juniata College in 1993 with a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics and became a computer programmer at SunGard Data Systems Inc. (Formerly National Computer Systems). While at SunGard, I obtained an M.S. in Computer Science from Villanova University. Applications programming was what I had always wanted to do with my life, but after 9 years and promotions into management positions, I was no longer programming at SunGard, but leading. What I really enjoyed about management was the responsibility of training and mentoring new employees and helping everyone to learn new techniques and languages. What I missed in management and with SunGard in general was the ability to keep up with changes in technology.
What I love about Juniata is that I get the best of both worlds. I get to form those training/mentoring relationships and lead in a classroom setting, and it is also part of my responsibilities to keep up with the rapid changes in technology and pass that along in turn. At Juniata, my focus has been directed at courses in programming, computer organization, operating systems, and human-computer interaction. I am a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the ACM's special interest groups on computer science education (SIGCSE) and computer-human interaction (SIGCHI). I am also a member in the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC). We in the department are regular attendees/presenters at SIGCSE and CCSC conferences. My research interests as of late have been focused on the area of human-computer interaction.
After living my entire life in the hectic hustle and bustle of southeastern Pennsylvania, it is refreshing to live in a community like Huntingdon. I bring with me my wife, Lorenn, also a graduate of Juniata, and my three daughters, Meghan, Kieran, and Aislin. Outside of work and family, my hobbies have always centered around technology, but I also enjoy collecting alternative means of brewing coffee, camping, and riding my motorcycle.
Thanks for coming to my web site and I look forward to talking to you,
John Wright
Assistant Professor of Computer Science