A results-driven Engineering and Information Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Science Teacher with a unique real-world background as an accomplished electrical / biomedical / software engineer, change agent, and trainer working across national and cultural boundaries.
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R.A. (Ray) Ambuehl
7910 Shamrock Ln
Richmond, TX 77406
RA_Ambuehl@yahoo.com
281-238-8018(h) / 832-654-5064 (c)
Education
Completed all course work for PhD in Electrical Engineering (3.7 GPA), University of Houston.
MS (3.7 GPA) and BS (3.0 GPA), Electrical Engineering University of Florida.
Rated “Highly Qualified” in Mathematics, Science, and Physics by Texas Education Agency
Completed A+ Texas Teachers Alternative Certification Program.
Trained in “Love and Logic” and “Smart Discipline” relationship management strategies.
Certified as a Software Quality Engineer and a Quality Auditor by American Society of Quality.
Successful Phil Crosby Quality College graduate and ISO 9000 Lead Auditor trainee.
Summary of Qualifications
A results-driven Engineering and Information Science Professor with a unique real-world background as an
accomplished engineering manager, electrical engineer, real-time software developer, systems integrator,
change agent, and trainer working across national and cultural boundaries. Some of the skills that make him an
excellent manager include:
Highly motivated advocate for education and life-time learning.
Proven leader and educator who has consistently demonstrated his ability to establish positive, creative,
disciplined environments that allow management and employees from all different backgrounds to interact
effectively to envision the possibilities, assess the challenges, and evolve the business by developing sound
operations practices that optimize bottom line results.
Strong analytical, problem solving, planning and organizational skills he uses to listen to employees and
customers, address their concerns, and where appropriate identify changes to his or his customers’
operating processes, define the re-training required, and provide such training.
Excellent oral and written communication skills he uses extensively to inform, educate, build a case for
change, and call senior management and employees to action.
A self-starter and skillful facilitator who wins cooperative support of individuals of diverse backgrounds by
his high degree of professionalism, objectivity, and mature judgment.
Awards and Recognitions
Awarded Partners in Education Award by Alief ISD.
Awarded Six Sigma Black Belt by ABB for saving his division at least $100K per year.
Awarded Family Award by San Jacinto Council, Girl Scouts of the USA.
Awarded Green Award by Windchimes Service Unit, Girl Scouts of the USA..
Recognized for work in special events by Palmer Drug Abuse Program.
Recognized for Dedication to the Establishment and Success of the Society for Software Quality.
Member of ABB Quality Salute Committee that recognizes employees for excellence.
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Professional Development
DeVry University, Visiting Professor for Engineering and Information Sciences
(June 2009 – Present)
Microprocessor Architecture – Basic building blocks of microprocessors and how to exercise them using
assembly and high level languages.
Embedded Microprocessor Systems– System development and engineering tradeoffs involved in designing
and developing “C” applications that use microprocessors to monitor and control real-world processes
(electrical, chemical and/or mechanical systems).
Real Time Operating Systems – Characteristics of operating systems needed to support embedded systems
(threads, scheduling, priority, semaphores, inter-process communication, etc.)
Signal Processing – Analog active filter design combined with digital signal processing (DSP) with an
emphasis on digital filters.
Communication Systems – Analog and digital communications systems concepts (time domain, frequency
domain, modulation schemes, noise effects, etc.).
Data Communication and Networking – Principles of data communications (noise effects, multiplexing,
transmission methods, protocols, architecture, and performance analysis of local and wide area networks).
Electronic Circuits and Devices – Digital circuit analysis (combinational and sequential logic, digital
integrated circuit characteristics, programmable logic devices and hardware description languages)
Digital Circuits and Systems – Electrical and electronic circuit analysis (DC circuits, AC circuits, and active
circuits)
Structured Analysis and Design – Use of information systems methodologies and techniques to analyze
business activities, identify, define, and document problems, and develop information system models to
solve them.
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design – Use of object-oriented methodologies and techniques to model the
functions, data structures, and behavior expected of an information system and identify, define, and
document the constraints, contracts and methods needed to implement that system.
Business Continuity – Examine various levels of threats to an organization’s information assets and critical
business functions and develop policies, procedure and plans to address them. Prepare for, react to, and
recover from events that threaten the security of information and information resources, or threaten critical
business functions.
Web Security – Develop strategies that protect an organization’s systems and web-based applications from
external threats while supporting systems and business goals and safeguarding customer privacy and
accessibility.
Algebra for College Students – Linear equations, radical and rational expressions, and functions where
linear, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic functions are emphasized
Introduction to Algebra – Critical elements of algebra for linear equations and inequalities.
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ITT Technical Institute, Instructor for Electronics Tech (Apr 2010 – Mar 2011)
Network Standards and Protocols – Survey of major computer networking technology concepts such as OSI
and TCP/IP models, network media specifications and functions, LAN/WAN protocols, topologies and
capabilities, industry standards, and a basic awareness of the software and hardware components used in
typical networking and internet environments.
Digital Communication Systems - How digital signals are processed by communications receivers and
transmitters, with an emphasis on applying the nature of digital signals to signal formatting, modulation and
coding.
Wireless Communication Systems - The principles, technology and applications of wireless communications
systems including signal propagation and transmission through the air, analog and digital modulation,
coding techniques, cellular concepts, personal communications systems and wireless networking.
Advanced Circuit Analysis - Transient and impulse analysis of analog circuit response, using such techniques
as differential equations, Laplace transforms and computer-aided circuit simulation programs.
Introduction to C Programming – Concepts and terminology of computer programming and practical skills in
designing, writing and debugging simple computer programs in C.
Computer and Electronics Capstone Project – The final capstone project with fundamental review provides
the students with significant design experience and integration of knowledge in electronics and computers
gained in previous coursework, as well as a means to practice problem-solving, team work, project
management, technical writing, and technical presentation skills.
ABB Inc., Sugar Land TX: Manager, Quality Assurance (Nov 1986 – Dec 2007)
Evaluate and direct all quality assurance activities including, but not limited to: process creation, process
deployment, training of employees on the intent of quality-related documents, process auditing, approval
of vendors, test planning, test execution, approval of all releases of product, and supervision of all Quality
Engineers and Quality Technicians at his site.
Advise division senior management by providing regular, highly confidential summaries and
recommendations for improving business performance in the areas of product defects, on-time deliveries,
cost of poor quality, and customer satisfaction.
On an ongoing basis, revise and consolidate the processes, methodologies, and cost management
techniques needed to address the unique needs of the different product mixes and management styles at
different sites in the ABB division and train employees on their use.
Devised new services for identifying changes to, and defining the re-training required for, the operating
processes of major electric utility customers in the areas of power generation, control, transmission,
distribution, and customer service.
Train and lead a global, follow-the-sun team to design test scripts to automate the testing of product
releases with the intent of dramatically reducing testing effort and Cost of Poor Quality.
Develop and deploy ISO 9001 compatible processes capable of producing a 100% increase in revenue and a
reduction of rework and warranty costs to just 4% of revenue within 8 years.
Design and develop graphics based display processing and database generation software for large
EMS/SCADA systems.
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Naztec, Inc., Sugar Land TX: Manager of Engineering (Aug 1985 – Sept 1986)
Devise and deliver effective solutions for expanding the line of industrial control products.
Manage turnkey EMS systems projects.
Systems Application Engineering, Inc., Houston TX: Staff Consultant (Aug 1977 –
Aug 1985)
Design, develop, integrate and install assembly language real-time systems for pipeline control, oil field
product dispatch, laboratory automation and other SCADA, inspection and process control applications
Baylor College of Medicine/V.A. Hospital, Houston TX: Biomedical-Engineer (Apr
1973 – Aug 1977)
Design of Sleep Laboratory biometric signal data acquisition and analysis hardware and software.
Other Data
Presented papers on real-time systems for the analysis of sleep at the Annual Conference on Engineering in
Medicine and Biology and the Associated Professional Sleep Societies conferences.
Karaugh Homeowners Association positions held: Board of Directors, Architectural Control Committee, and
Maintenance Committee.
Interests include canoeing, camping, computers, picture-taking, making movies and other audiovisuals for
retreats and classroom instruction.
Conversational Spanish from living in Cuba for two years.
Philosophy Statement
Many years of teaching have shown me that anyone can learn if they are actively involved in evaluating and
processing new information that they feel is relevant to their life goals. Since each student is an individual with
unique strengths, weaknesses, interests, aptitudes, and capabilities, it is up to me to develop an understanding
of the students’ prior experience and expectations “up front”. With that knowledge and the understanding of
each student’s “situation” that develops throughout the course, I design lesson plans that attempt to pique the
students’ interest and use their aptitudes and capabilities to make the classwork engaging. In each class session,
I strive to provide clear objectives and stimulating exercises focused on the learning objectives that capture the
students’ interest the minute they walk in the door, promote teamwork, cooperation and where appropriate
competition with little down time. My lecture style leans heavily on the Socratic Method and quickly follows
each topic with a list of questions to assess the students’ understanding of what I just said. I tend to lean heavily
on practical applications and comparable processes the students are familiar with because I feel it is just as
important to discover why something works the way it does as to determine how it does what it does. My long
range goal is always to increase my students’ appreciation of their mutual, vested interest in life-long learning by
involving real-world experience to develop their knowledge and perspectives.
I believe that an effective teacher is someone that is disciplined yet flexible, easy to talk to, and comfortable
with a variety of teaching techniques designed to meet the different learning style of each student. I know that
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different students learn at different rates, so I often revisit topics when the students seem to have missed a key
point. I expect excellence and am unwilling to accept mediocre work, so I encourage my students to resubmit
their work whenever possible to try to improve their grades. I try to give my students options in working
classroom assignments because that helps them to feel more comfortable and “in control” of their education. I
take care to structure the learning experience so that they feel safe and respected; get constructive,
encouraging feedback; and receive clear guidance on how to achieve the learning objectives. I create
opportunities for students to work collaboratively with people of different backgrounds and perspectives to
solve problems, perform meaningful tasks, share knowledge and responsibility, and arrive at a shared
understanding of the truth. I guide students toward the personal responsibility, decision making, and lifetime
learning skills they will need to function in the real world.
But why take my word for these attributes making me an outstanding teacher and help me address the wide
range of skills and abilities in my classroom? Why not look at how the students I have taught over the past five
years evaluate my skills. Here are my (anonymous survey) NPS scores:
Metric
Total
Responses Mean
St.
Dev.
Faculty Composite 223 3.57 0.81
Professionalism 223 3.59 0.83
Knowledge &
Technical Skills 223 3.62 0.83
Presentations
Skills 223 3.5 0.87
Student
Interaction 223 3.56 0.86
Feedback &
Communication 223 3.57 0.86
Metric:
1 - Does Not Meet Expectations
2 - Needs Improvement
3 - Fully Meets Expectations
4 - Exceeds Expectations
Some examples of student feedback:
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Hi, Professor how are you doing? How have you been? DeVry needs you there full time! Tried all week to get help
on ECET-350 online and seems no one knows this subject except you and Professor Utukuri.
Professor Ambuehl is an awesome instructor that was not only hands-on, but communicated with his students
and helped in any way possible. I would definitely recommend him to any other students that wanted to take his
math class.
Ralph was very helpful with this class and was always available to answer my questions and assist when needed.
profesoor was very knowledgable with the information
Two great instructors that cared! I appreciate instructors that really care! Students are able to tell the
difference.
I learned a lot in this course and the professor was dedicated to making sure that we covered and understood all
the material. He really did a wonderful job.
the class was good the professor makes it really easy for us to understand the lecture
The course is great and will be very useful in my development in this field.
Summary of Course of Study
Courses taken by Ralph A. Ambuehl at
University of Florida (UF
), University of South Florida (USF
), and University of Houston (UH
)
Although I did not complete my dissertation, I did successfully complete all of the course work required for the
PhD of Electrical Engineering at the University of Houston with excellent grades. The following is a summary of
the bodies of knowledge that I took during my course of study listed in order of graduate hours taken. I have
indicated the number of total hours and graduate hours for each body of knowledge. Additionally, since applied
math and physics often straddle many different disciplines, I have indicated those hours in red and green
respectively.
Applied Math Courses (27.9 hrs total, 27.9 hrs graduate level)
Applied Physics Courses (27.2 hrs total, 6 hrs graduate level)
Research and Development Courses (19.3 hrs total, 19.3 hrs graduate level)
Computer Courses (27.3 hrs total, 15 hrs graduate level)
Biomedical Courses (27.7 hrs total, 15.9 hrs graduate level)
Communications Courses (26.1 hrs total, 13.9 hrs graduate level)
Systems Control Courses (8 hrs total, 6 hrs graduate level)
Electronics Courses (29.7 hrs, 5 hrs graduate level)
Mathematics Courses (20.3 hrs total, 2 hrs graduate level)