Matthew Rodriguez joined our faculty this past fall in the Mathematics, Computer Science and Digital forensics department as an assistant professor.
A native of
Pennsylvania, Assistant Prof. Rodriguez went to Wilson High School near Reading,
PA. He then attended Carnegie Mellon University, earning his Bachelor of
Science in Computer Science. After receiving his degree, he worked as a
Software Developer for Amazon, Barclaycard and Entech Consulting before
entering Lehigh University as a graduate
student. At Lehigh
University, he attained his master’s degree in computer science.
Before
joining the Commonwealth University team, he worked as a secondary instructor
and research assistant at Lehigh University. He is currently on the verge of
attaining his PhD in Computer Science.
His research
interests include concurrent and parallel computing, data structures,
algorithms, and programming languages. He has been a participant in multiple
Ludum Dare competitions. These are game jam competitions where participants are
given a theme and must create a video game within a specified time limit,
usually two or three days.
When asked
what he enjoys about teaching, he stated that “he enjoys having a positive
impact on students and teaching them skills that will help them become
successful in their chosen careers. He also likes giving students the freedom
to choose projects they are passionate about in the capstone software
engineering class.”
Dr. Abumurad was born in Seattle, Washington,
and lived his early years in Idaho state. He
completed his elementary/secondary schooling in
Jordan, where his parents live. He received his
bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from
Jordan University of Science and Technology. He
would come back to the States to continue his
education at Wilkes University, where he obtained
his Master’s degree in Electrical & Electronics
Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer
Science and Engineering from Penn State
University.
He started his teaching journey after his undergrad
studies as a Teaching Assistant at Jordan University
of Science and Technology. At Wilkes University, he
was an Adjunct Professor. At Eastern Illinois
University, he was a professor in the Computer
Science and Mathematics department.
Dr. Abumurad’s research interests include circuit
design, automation algorithms, human-computer interaction, and reading & analyzing EEG
signals. His interest in computers developed since childhood. His home had an early version of
the personal computer (Sanyo Wavy MSX Personal Computer AX230) that he used to play video
games and explore the Basic programming language.
Though he had been working in Pennsylvania as a state employee, his desire to teach drew him
to apply for the position at Commonwealth University. He enjoys interacting with students and
watching them grasp an idea.