Shepard Masters
Randy Freeman—Shepard Master
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering—Associate Professor
I was born and raised in the steel town of Bethlehem, PA, the third of four children in our family. My dad taught physics and math at the local community college. As a kid I liked math, science, music, and computers (I was the first among my peers to own a computer, the Commodore VIC-20). Most of my extracurricular activities involved playing trombone in various school music groups. In high school I marched with our band in the 1983 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA. Later that year we played on the field in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to open Game 5 of the 1983 World Series (which the Phillies lost to Baltimore, thereby losing the series). I spent my senior year in high school as an exchange student in what was then West Germany. I learned to speak German fairly well that year, but have since forgotten much of it. I went to Cornell for my undergraduate degree and then attended U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and U. of California at Santa Barbara for my graduate degrees. After that I started my job here at Northwestern. I met my wife Lisa down in Urbana when I was a grad student there and she was teaching middle school, and we now have three boys. Our oldest just turned six and started kindergarten this year. Needless to say I do not have much time to pursue hobbies of my own right now; however, I am interested in sports, politics, and religion and try to stay informed about the issues of the day.
Email: freeman@ece.northwestern.edu
Michael Smutko - Associate Master
Department of Physics and Astronomy - Senior Lecturer
I have a joint appointment between Northwestern and the Adler Planetarium in
Chicago. At NU, in addition to teaching, I oversee all operations of the
historic Dearborn Telescope (which hosts over 1500 people each year). At
the Adler, I provide science content for exhibits and shows, give interviews
on current events in astronomy, and I am the Director of the Adler's Doane
Observatory.
My Ph.D. research was on adaptive optics a technique that removes the
effects of atmospheric turbulence from ground-based telescopes in real time.
Adaptive optics uses mirrors that bend into new shapes hundreds of times a
second to correct for the distortions of the atmosphere. I am also interested the process of star formation and I am currently collaborating with researchers at the Univ. of Chicago on an infrared study of high-mass
star formation regions in our galaxy.
Things that most people don't know about me: before coming to NU, I was a Partner in a software consulting firm in Chicago. I was very into theatre in high school, and had the lead role in _Harvey_ my senior year (the Jimmy Stewart character in the film). I also did lighting and sound for several years. I finished the Chicago Marathon in 4:52:13. When I have time, I enjoy photography with my Nikon D80. And of course, I've been on TV with a cartoon robot (http://www.physics.northwestern.edu/people/personalpages/images/CartoonNetwork.mov).
Email: m-smutko@northwestern.edu
D'Weston Haywood - Assistant Master
I am the Assistant Master at Shepard. I hail from Raleigh, North Carolina. I attended North Carolina Central University where I double majored in History and Political Science. Initially intent on going to law school, somewhere along the way of leading protests, hosting radio shows, sitting on panels with professors, and eventually serving as Student Government President, I became convinced that many of the things that motivated me to do law were in many ways historical. Not certain, however, I took some time to flesh things out after college (working for a US Senator and then as a researcher for the Ohio Historical Society). Then I made up my mind.
Now, I am a PhD student in American History. My work concentrates on African American protest, culture, and politics in the 20th Century. My dissertation interrogates the importance of gender, particularly, Black masculinity, in shaping the rhetoric, strategies, and trajectory of the freedom struggles of African Americans from 1915-1955. I love history, but I am also passionate about writing and performing poetry and student leadership. Who knows, if I have any energy left after this PhD, I might still do law school. Lol.
Don’t hesitate to come and share your bio with me. I’m on the first floor, in the room across from the classroom, under the stairs (just like Harry Potter).
Email: dwestonhaywood2011@u.northwestern.edu