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Meet the Staff: Brent Curtiss

May 8, 2017

Meet the Staff: Brent Curtiss

Brent Curtiss headshot

Note: Meet the Staff is a new feature that ASCTech will be publishing over the next few months to introduce staff members to the College of Arts and Sciences. We welcome your thoughts on it.

What's something about you that other people find surprising? Work with Special Olympics and the kids are amazing, some of the nicest people I've ever met.

What are your hobbies? I like to tinker – fixing cars, appliances, anything that has a computer that does stuff. Or stuff that my family breaks.
 

What other jobs have you held at Ohio State? Several years ago, I was the original HomeNet guy [Ohio State's home Internet dialup access program]. I made all of the 3.5" floppy disks that held the HomeNet software.

"We help faculty right-size their computational equipment to their budget," says systems manager Brent Curtiss. In other words, he helps them buy the best computers and server access for their projects. Curtiss particularly enjoys this part of his job because it allows him "to be part of the success of researchers and students by providing them with tools to do their work."
 
Recently, his work has also focused on migrating servers from the Ohio State School of Earth Sciences and other areas to ASCTech-supported services as part of the college's consolidation efforts. As these efforts wind down, Curtiss looks forward to playing a greater role in working with faculty. "I enjoy the level of cooperation among faculty and staff. And being a part of the Research Consulting Services staff lets me see the great work Ohio State researchers are doing, even when it's in a field that I don't know much about."
 
Curtiss enjoys with groups on projects, "because they offer a sense of completion, finding a solution that really works," says Curtiss, "And at the end of the day, I like to have my to-do list checked off and know that I've contributed to something really valuable."
 
If you need someone to help with your technology, request help from ASCTech and maybe you'll work with Brent Curtiss.