Sam Fentress

Cambridge, MA 02139 · (617) 921-3893 · sfentress@gmail.com

I'm a software engineer and tinkerer with over 15 years of experience building educational experiences, and I'm interested in working with the next generation of Makers and Engineers.

Experience

STEM Coordinator

East End House
  • Created and delivered the STEM curriculum at the East End House after school K-5 School-Age Program
  • Engaged the students in numerous activities across a wide range of units, including electronics, robotics, Scratch programing, rocketry, engineering, and growing plants
  • Ran a low-tech makerspace where students created projects out of wood, cardboard, and electronics
  • Collaborated on grant writing. Forged partnerships with external STEM organizations to enhance the program's offerings
  • Helped develop East End House's Middle School STEM curriculum
February 2022 - Present

Senior Software Developer

The Concord Consortium

Over 15 years I played a number of roles at Concord, from lead developer on numerous projects to grant brainstorming and writing to curriculum development.

  • As lead developer on numerous multi-year projects, built full-stack applications to support activities for hundreds of thousands of students.
  • Created learner experiences, designing models and interactives to support scientific learning while keeping students engaged.
  • Designed and developed pedagogically appropriate scientific simulations illustrating subjects such as genetics, evolution, electricity, plate tectonics, atomic interactions and quantum mechanics.
  • Brainstormed new ways of teaching science and engineering subjects, and contributed to writing grants for projects with Principal Investigators.
  • Built and helped design microcontroller-based sensors that could allow classroom-wide experiments with data sharing and collaboration.
  • Collaborated on the development of our class management portal and data backend, and created data analytics tools for project researchers.
Lead developer on the following projects
ConnectedBio, Learning Everywhere, GeniGuide, GeoCode, Evolution Readiness, GeniConnect, Geniverse, Teaching Teamwork, SPARKS, UDL.
February 2007 - October 2021

Volunteer Science Tutor, Middle School Program

East End House, at Putnam Avenue Upper School

Worked with middle schoolers after school, tutoring math and science, helping with homework, and teaching boardgames.

September 2017 - January 2018

Research Data Analyst

Boston University Language Science Lab
  • Developed and programmed a flexible software package to display reading tests to middle-school students
  • Helped create a series of tests to assess reading capabilities of struggling readers
  • Ran statistical analyses on data produced by the Language Lab, and developed Visual Basic macros to help automate common data-analysis procedures
December 2005 - January 2007

Publications

  • Universal design for learning in science: more than multiple representations. (Link)
    Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Interaction design and children, 2008
    Staudt, Carolyn, Andrew Zucker, Ed Hazzard, Cynthia McIntyre, and Sam Fentress.
  • Universal design for learning in science. (Link)
    Presentation given at Building Learning Communities conference, 2008.
  • Exaptation as a Means of Evolving Complex Solutions. (Link)
    Masters Thesis, 2005.
  • A New Engine for Modeling Biological Processes. (Link)
    @Concord, Spring 2021.
  • Streaming Arduino Data to a Browser. (Link)
    @Concord, Spring 2012.

Education

University of Edinburgh
MSc with distinction, Artificial Intelligence
2004 - 2005
Wesleyan University
BA with honors, Cognitive Science
2000 - 2004

Interests and Skills

Apart from being a software developer and a STEM teacher, I am an avid tinkerer and maker. I've built projects with Arduinos and other microcontrollers, built tables, learned welding, practiced fine woodworking, made short movies, and helped kids make contraptions out of cardboard and wire.

I keep a smattering of project up on my blog over at Little Projects.

Makerspace and FabLab skills
Arduino and micro:bit microcontroller development, and general electronics; Scratch and general programming; Web development; Movie making (directing, videography, Final Cut Pro); 3D rendering (SketchUp); GlowForge laser cutting and engraving; Carpentry and woodworking; TIG welding (intermediate level); Fiber arts (sewing machines, basic knitting).

Languages spoken
English, Italian (fluent), Spanish (proficient), French (limited proficiency).