with Sam LaSala
Raised and resides:
Cedar Grove, NJ
Education:
B.A., biology and English, Rutgers College
M.S., computer science
Montclair State University
Favorite Sport:
Soccer
Most Recent Book Read (Fiction):
The Gormenghast Novels: Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone by
Mervyn Laurence Peake
Sam LaSala of Information Technology works in College Hall:
in a quiet office doing a quiet, behind-the-scenes job. Perfect, for a
quiet kind of guy.
As a Web developer and database programmer, Sam provides the campus community
with various tools and services that make working with MSU's computer
environment easier and more user-friendly. Sam designed and developed
the Universal Account Form for students and employees to sign up for their
e-mail accounts and change their passwords. He also collaborates with
Director of Web Services Cindy Meneghin in application development to
improve the capabilities of the main MSU Web site, including the faculty/staff
search page and the method by which the pictures on the main site get
randomly selected from a pool of photos.
Sam, a '00 graduate of Montclair State, returned to the University a year
and a half ago from the corporate world. "I like the academic environment.
I'm a student at heart, so I like being around a place that's geared toward
learning," he said. "A university environment is more open to
testing out new technologies and there's more freedom to get involved
with different aspects of projects."
At his previous job at Advanced Digital Data (ADD), Sam's work was industry
specific, providing software for heating, oil and propane companies. Here,
his duties are far more diverse, which suits him just fine. "Because
we have so many different technologies going, I juggle a lot of projects
at the same time," he explained. "Before, I was pretty much
focused on one thing."
Much of Sam's knowledge has come from his education, but a lot of his
technological expertise is self-taught and he strives to learn about new
advancements in the field. "The computer science graduate program
is a good theoretical basis," he said. "Learning the specifics
like different programming languages is easier when you have a good grounding."
Although Sam devotes most of his spare time to everything related to technology,
he does have one hobby that literally forces him to get away from the
computer--traveling. Sam has been to London, Spain, Morrocco and Italy.
He recently returned from a weeklong stay in Manchester, England, a trip
he chose for a reason: "I haven't admitted this to many people, but
I went to a Dr. Who convention," he said. "I'd never been to
a convention outside the United States, so it was an interesting experience."
And whenever he has a chance, Sam likes to spend time with his new niece
and goddaughter, Erin, who was born in August. "Now I'm Uncle Sam!"
he said with a laugh.
With so much on his plate, Sam admits that he rarely gets outside during
the workday, but he's not complaining. "It's an exciting time to
be at the University because we're in a growth phase, and there are a
lot of good projects coming up soon."
Though he won't reveal any of them just yet, once these projects come
to light, chances are that Sam will have played a quiet role in developing
them.