After publishing his first shrink-wrapped software package for the original Apple ][ at the tender age of 18, Ed spent most of the next six years tinkering with photons before being sucked into the Internet vortex in 1987. Since then he has been involved in various Internet-related ventures and high-tech startups before finally ending up herding virtual cats at Scout. When not sitting in front of a computer and/or pontificating on novel new ways to use the Internet, Ed can often be found boating, snowboarding, writing and playing and dancing to music, or maybe just enjoying some of Wisconsin's finer exports in the great outdoors.
Staff Bios
You may also view bios for emeritus Scout staff.
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Edward Almasy608.262.6606Director -
Rachael Bower608.262.6587DirectorBorn in NYC and having spent most of her life east of the midwest, Rachael moved to Madison in 1995 to work for the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin. After many years in Wisconsin she has finally learned to appreciate domestic cheese, fish icing, the true meaning of the phrase "wind chill factor" and her uncle Luke's hotel in Mexico. With a background in communications and library science, and having gone from academia to Internet-startup-land and back again, she brings strong project management, organizational, and fundraising skills to Scout. It also doesn't hurt that she has a wicked sense of humor and the ability to throw a fabulous dinner party with less than a day's notice. When not at Scout she spends her time practicing and teaching yoga, knitting, reading way too many murder mysteries, and hanging out with friends, family and her wonderful husband Iain.
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Corey Halpin608.262.6608Software EngineerAs a tender young undergraduate at UW-Madison, Corey studied electrical engineering and computer science with an emphasis on processor design. This lead naturally to a stint at the Forest Products Laboratory where he helped build robots that squished samples of building sealant while being outside. From there, Corey mastered science and then doctored philosophy in the department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. His research used computer modeling combined with field data to examine trade-offs between growing space efficiency and species diversity among different silvicultural systems, and to elucidate the long-term developmental trajectory of northern hardwood forests subject to natural disturbances. He also enjoys hunting 4+ leaf clovers, teaching his daughter useful phrases like 'existential angst', eating the delicious food his wife makes, revising his spam filtering system, lusting after beautiful pens, and contributing to various free software projects (mostly Fink and FreeBSD).
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Kendra A. Bouda608.265.9453Metadata and Information SpecialistSince completing her MA in Arts Management at Columbia College in Chicago, Kendra has served as internship coordinator to Columbia's Arts Managemnet department and acting collections manager of the Fashion Study Collection. Kendra's interest in collection development and preservation motivated her to return to school and pursue her MA in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and certificate in Artifact Collection Care from the University of Chicago. In addition to her work at Scout, Kendra teaches management courses at Columbia and volunteers as a researcher for the US National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution. She also enjoys reading, vegan baking, and traveling with her husband.
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Catherine DixonOutreach Coordinator/Managing Editor, The Scout ReportBorn and raised in Northern California, Catherine recently moved to Madison via Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. After spending the past few years exploring the world of microbrews and working in institutional research at the University of Denver, she is now pursuing her PhD in Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin. A self-proclaimed trivia nerd and collector of mostly useless information, Catherine has been part of a heated sparring match with Alex Trebek for quite some time. She loves Julia Child, shopping at local farmer's markets, gardening, hiking, and what she affectionately refers to as "old lady crafts." In her down time she can be found enjoying life with her fiance Chris, their retriever mix Emmylou, and gray tabby Toby.
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Craig HaseEditor, The Scout ReportBorn in NYC, Craig spent his first 20-odd years on the East Coast before driving west in an old pickup after college. His travels have taken him from Kathmandu to Belize, from Lugano to the Sierras. He has cooked vegetarian meals for 200, fronted a rock band, and taught English to Bhutanese monks. He lived in a Zen monastery in the Colorado high country for six years before getting married and earning a masters degree. A PhD in Counseling Psychology brought Craig to Madison, where he recently took up racquetball to survive winter. He loves the Capital City bike path, his wife Devon, Tang Dynasty poetry, and cooperative living.
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Debra ShapiroContributing Editor, The Scout ReportDebra Shapiro was an Internet Cataloger at Internet Scout from 1998 to 2000, and is now an instructor at UW-Madison's School of Library and Information Studies, where she teaches in the areas of organization of information, online searching, and web design. Prior to coming to Scout, Deb was a photo archivist, and her undergraduate degree is in art history, so she contributes reviews of art, museum, and pictorial web sites to The Scout Report. That undergraduate degree in art history prepared Deb for about 15 years of restaurant work, which gave her a long-lasting love of cooking and recipe development, that you can read about on her blog, Deb's Lunch.
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Elzbieta BeckInternet CatalogerA native Madisonian, Bess stuck around after high school to get undergraduate degrees in history and English literature from UW-Madison, and after a stint as a shovelbum in Ireland returned for her MA in Library and Information Studies. Between her coursework, working at Scout, and her position in the office of the Gender & Women's Studies Librarian, she doesn't really have hobbies anymore, but remembers a time when she enjoyed travel, museums, and non-assigned reading. She still makes time for good books, her kitten Grendel, and living up to tea- and cardigan-based librarian stereotypes.
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Samantha AbramsInternet CatalogerForever a Midwesterner, Samantha moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 2013 to pursue her Master's in Library and Information Studies. After being born in Miami, spending her childhood in Chicago and Baltimore, suffering through high school in Saint Louis, earning her English degree in Iowa City, and working for a tiny – but mighty! – publishing company in San Francisco, she can confirm that the Midwest is indeed the best. In addition to her role at Internet Scout, Samantha serves as an assistant to the state archivist at the Wisconsin Historical Society and works year-round to plan Archives Month and other activities that support the state's endeavors in the preservation of all types of historical records. Samantha is also: a cyclist, a reader, good at taking naps, and a big fan of both cats and her husband, Brian.
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Cea StapletonWeb DeveloperCea comes by coding through a pre-teen desire to have her own website and a fascination with Formal Logic. Her experience with academic Philosophy (especially philosophy of language and formal logic) will always influence how she looks at code. She has a BA in Religious Studies (and a BS in Information Science and Technology) and will happily talk your ear off about how a humanities discipline bent on a multiplicity of methodologies both does and doesn’t apply to crafting good software. She comes to Internet Scout from the software consulting world but these days she’s pursuing her masters in Computer Science at UW Madison when she’s not working at Scout.
If she’s not coding (or dreaming about what it might be like to be a Shadowrun technomancer, Cea is probably out running, practicing Lindy, pairing audiobooks and pool laps (because waterproof headphones are a thing now, she still can't believe it), cultivating her eclectic music collection, or trying to organize a Pathfinder Campaign. She’s also always happy to add a little unapologetic awkwardness to most conversations.
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Yizhe (Charles) HuWeb DeveloperBorn in the beautiful "Spring City" in China, Yizhe has always enjoyed traveling. This perhaps is why he spent his high school years traveling from Asia all the way to the great Grand Coulee Dam where he gets to admire the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States everyday on his way to school; then again to a beautiful coastal city in Maine, where he gets to be waken up by the first sunrise in the entire country. In 2013, his undergrad study in Computer Science brought him to Madison, where he met many friends, joined Wisconsin Robotics and coded for their new robot "Singularity". Besides his passion in programming, Yizhe also enjoys movies and photography and more importantly, cooking. To him, cooking and enjoying different cuisines are probably the happiest things on earth.
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Zev WeissSystem AdministratorHaving grown up in California, Zev moved to the exotic land of Canada for his undergraduate studies, and is now a graduate student at UW-Madison in Computer Sciences. In combination with his work as a sysadmin, this means that he spends far more time in front of his precious machines than is probably healthy. While not spelunking in the bowels of Unix wielding text editors and terminal emulators, he also enjoys making music and catching the occasional hour or two of sleep.
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Chris WirzAdministrative CoordinatorChris is an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin Madison triple majoring in Life Sciences Communication, Environmental Sciences, and Biology. When he isn't studying during the school year he travels the country competing in the legal battle known as Mock Trial. In his free time Chris also enjoys gardening, biking, listening to audiobooks, visiting family, and camping. Whenever he has time, Chris loves to visit his childhood home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Chris is also a registered bone marrow donor, and was honored to donate last winter.
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Annie AyresAdministrative AssistantAnnie is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin Madison majoring in Political Science and Psychology, with law school aspirations. She is an active Social Coordinator for the university’s Pre-Law Society, volunteer at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Family Court Clinic, and research assistant in the Sociology Department. When she’s not entombed in the library or running around campus, Annie enjoys reading dystopian novels, painting, exploring local art museums, and watching Adventure Time. A self-proclaimed “foodie”, Annie loves to cook, eat, and talk about all things gourmet.
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Adam SchwartzAdministrative AssistantIn the fall of 2011, Adam made the “big” move from Milwaukee to Madison to start his undergraduate career at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently studying International Studies, focusing on Politics and Policy in the Global Economy, and minoring in Environmental Studies and Gender and Women's Studies. In addition to working at Internet Scout, Adam works for a campus safety service and interns at the Wisconsin State Capitol in a State Senator's office, in the Milwaukee County Executive’s office, and on a campaign for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. In addition, he has also volunteered to provide resources to survivors of sexual assault. Adam also regularly donates blood when eligible. When not studying or working, Adam enjoys biking, watching the men's UW hockey team (as well as professional hockey teams), attending Milwaukee Brewers' games, exploring the great things Madison has to offer, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
During the Fall 2014 semester, Adam took a six-month hiatus from Internet Scout, and living in the northern hemisphere, to study abroad in Chile. There, he spent the semester taking classes related to his studies and exploring all that Chile has to offer.
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Hall BaldwinPracticum StudentHall left her warm, southern roots to move to Madison, WI in August of 2013 to pursue her Master’s in Library and Information Studies with a focus on digital libraries. She currently is a practicum student for Internet Scout, project assistant for the Office of the Registrar, and the digital librarian for the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. Fitness and health is one of Hall’s passions, but she also enjoys cooking, running, playing with her two cats, watching Clemson University (her Alma Mater) sporting events, and binge-watching Netflix with her husband, Alex.