Computer Science Faculty

Dr. Daryl Close

Professor of Computer Science and Philosophy
Acting Faculty Coordinator for the Honors Program
Dr. Close holds a joint appointment as Professor of Computer Science and Philosophy at Heidelberg and also serves as the acting Faculty Coordinator for the Honors Program. During the 2006-2007 academic year, he served as the Director of the Division of Natural & Social Sciences. His previous appointments include Tiffin University, where he chaired the Division of Arts and Science, and the Department of Philosophy, Ohio Northern University, LaSalle College, and Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Close graduated in philosophy from Lafayette College (1971) and earned the M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Temple University (1975, 1976). He is the author, with Nicholas Meier, of Morality in Criminal Justice (Wadsworth, 1995) and of various journal articles in the philosophy of perception, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of mind. Dr. Close has served on the Board of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers since 1984, co-edited the Association’s publication, AAPT News, for more than 14 years, and served as President of that organization from 2004-2006. Dr. Close is a member of the American Philosophical Association, the Mind Association, the Society for Machines and Mentality, and the Association for Computing Machinery, as well as other professional organizations. He is a Public Library Trustee for the State of Ohio, and serves on the board of the Mohawk Community Library in Sycamore, Ohio. Dr. Close has also served as a board member, coach, and Safety Director of Region 1040 of the American Youth Soccer Organization. 

Dr. Close lists running, gardening, cooking, and music among his hobbies. He resides on the family farm in rural Sycamore with his wife Donna, an occupational therapist. They have two grown daughters, Meredith and Hilary.

Courses taught: 
Introduction to Computers; Computer Programming; Spreadsheet Modeling; Database Management; Systems Analysis and Design; Business Programming; Logic; Symbolic Logic; Minds, Brains, and Machines (Honors seminar)

Prof. Kurt Huenemann

Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Associate Vice President for Information Resources
Professor Kurt Huenemann has over 20 years of IT experience, and has worked with several generations of computing technology. Early experience as a system administrator for Prime minicomputers in the 1980’s was followed by the introduction of IBM PC’s to the Heidelberg campus, then a wave of Macintosh systems as the standard desktop computer, leading to the construction of the first inter-building campus networks using AppleTalk. The HeiTECH 2000 initiative, launched in 1997, provided for the construction of our modern "fiber between buildings and CAT-6 within" network infrastructure, the implementation of Banner administrative software, and our move to Windows computers on campus desktops. Mr. Huenemann received Oracle training from SCT and was the first DBA during our Banner implementation and rollout. He has also been system administrator on a variety of Sun Solaris computers used as database and web platforms. He configures and maintains the switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, and other devices which comprise the campus data network.

After hours, Prof. Huenemann is actively involved with the music program at Trinity UCC church, the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin, and the American Cancer Society Relay-for-Life held every May on the Heidelberg campus.

Courses taught:
Operating Systems, Software Engineering, System and Network Administration

Prof. Sean Joyce

Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Director of Information Technology
Chair, Department of Computer Science

Professor Joyce has over 15 years of IT experience, particularly in the areas of system administration (Windows, UNIX, Linux) and web application engineering. At Heidelberg, he has utilized his development skills in JavaScript, Perl, PHP, and MySQL to design self-service web products to integrate with our campus-wide ERP system. He also has experience managing telecommunications systems, enterprise-wide desktop and server networks, and learning management systems.

A member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), SIGCSE (the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education), and CCSC (the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges), Prof. Joyce cares about teaching computer science and information systems. He has been active in the design and implementation of new courses in our department, including courses in data communications, Internet Mapplication development, and the foundations of computer science. In addition, he has published in the area of fuzzy expert systems and teaches an Honors seminar in Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems.

When not busy with computer technology, Prof. Joyce likes to participate in musical theatre and opera, read voraciously about 18th and 19th century American history, dabble at the piano and bowed psaltery, and ride roller coasters.

Courses taught:
Fundamentals of Computer Science, Computer Programming, Data Communications and Networking, Programming Languages, Computer Organization (digital design), Web Application Development, C/UNIX, Data Structures, Can Computers Think? (Honors seminar)

Ms. Ruth-Seibert Couch

Adjunct Instructor
Ruth has almost a decade of higher education experience along with almost twenty years of business and technology related experience.

A graduate of The Findlay University, she earned her BS in Technology Management. Then she earned her MBA in Organizational Leadership from The Findlay University. She is a PhD Candidate of Information Systems Management and specializes in Technology and Information Systems. She is pursuing her Information Systems Management Degree from Walden University.

Ruth has been teaching as an adjunct at Heidelberg for almost 3 years. She teaches for the Department of Computer Science. Ruth has been directly involved with the development and planning of eOwens 3D virtual Island. The eOwens Island opened Fall 2008. Ruth’s interests with Second Life and virtual education began two years ago after hearing about Second Life from a news report and how the virtual world was assisting disabled people. Ruth conducted a virtual presentation and video podcast at the US and China Symposium “Building Virtual Global Communities” on Nov 12, 2008. She will be presenting at the OLN Columbus conference in March 2009.

Her passion is to teach and her vision is to expand her teaching experiences both in the classroom and online. She wishes to offer her students a broad range of educational experiences by demonstrating hands-on techniques, concepts, real life examples and opportunities in the real and virtual worlds. Through her past educational experiences, she has learned to keep an open mind, accept challenges, and to explore new technology. Her Second Life Avatar name is Zaia Imako.

Courses taught:
Introduction to Computers