Bob Kauten, Ph.D., Medical/Science/Technical Writer

Skills

Science and Technical Writing –

• composing in FrameMaker, Microsoft Word
• authoring structured content for use in Darwin Information Type Architecture (DITA)
  
• writing software functional specifications for product team audience, based on Product Requirements Documents
• writing software standards documents for installer engineer audience
• writing software functional specification templates for installer engineer audience
• writing grant proposals
• authoring 31 science journal articles reflecting my research in Bioenergetics, Protein Structure, Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, Environmental Toxicology, Materials Science and Food Science

Software engineering –

• Installers
• QA
• customer support
• perl scripting
• shell scripting
• java
• Oracle

Professional Experience

DITA Instructor

Now training volunteers for the STC Silicon Valley Administrative
Council in the Darwin Information Type Architecture (DITA). We are converting the Silicon Valley Administrative Council Handbook to DITA.

2009

Intern Technical Writer

Authoring structured content in XML for use in Darwin Information Type Architecture (DITA). Produced STC Silicon Valley Administrative Council Handbook, using DITA. View here.

Bitzone LLC, 2008-present

Software Engineer

Improved installers built with a wide range of technologies, including Windows Installer (MSI), Tcl, Perl, NullSoft and shell scripts, on Windows, Solaris and Linux platforms.     

Electric Cloud, Inc., 2007-2008

Senior Software Engineer

Evaluated feasibility of installer requirements at product requirements reviews. Wrote installer specifications from the Product Requirements Document. Wrote white papers on Microsoft Installer (MSI) best practices and MDL installer standards.  Reviewed product installation guides for technical accuracy, as a subject matter expert.  Assisted colleagues from Technical Communications and QA with Oracle configuration and installer use. Created InstallShield Universal server installers for Windows, Solaris and Linux platforms, MSI installers for Windows (.NET), and Korn shell (UNIX shell script) installers for SUN Solaris. Created installers which interacted with Oracle, including creation of Oracle schema to contain data cartridge objects, querying of available tablespaces and existing users, testing of Oracle listener, reporting Oracle errors, customizing and invoking SQL scripts. Installed and served as DBA for my own Oracle instances on Linux (on VMWare), Windows 2003 Server, and UNIX SUN Solaris, for installer development.  Created DOS, Perl and UNIX shell scripts for automated installer builds. Wrote object-oriented Perl scripts, using InstallShield’s Windows automation interface (for MSI), for automated customization of installer projects. Built a model Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) to test deployment of MDL installers by our customers.              

Elsevier MDL, 2001-2007

Software Test Engineer

Wrote and used automated Perl script tests to evaluate quality of server software on VAX, VMS, Solaris and Windows platforms. Created a complex Perl script which tested the results from a citation parser against standards, and computed an accuracy score for each build.                                    

MDL Information Systems, Inc., 1999-2001

Technical Support Analyst

Wrote technical notes to inform customers of product issues. Diagnosed and provided solutions for customer problems. Trained customers on-site. Installed client and server software linked to Oracle and proprietary databases.

MDL Information Systems, Inc., 1996-1999

Consultant, Freezing Efficiency

Evaluated freezing efficiencies in plants across the U. S. Set standards for plant efficiencies. Improved refrigeration, palletization and wrapping of products.

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc., 1995-1996

Assistant Research Biochemist

Wrote grant proposals to support my research. Quantified and depicted dynamic processes of flow, freezing, baking and drying using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  Evaluated hypothermic and calcium channel blocker effects on cerebral ischemia, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Investigated marine environmental toxicology, using MRS. Published over twenty-five articles.

Depts. of Neurosurgery and Food Science, U. C. Davis, 1989-1985.

Education

Technical Writing

• Introduction to Developer Documentation
• Technical Writers' Workshop

Software-related:

Oracle

• Oracle Database Administration, Advanced
• Essentials of Oracle for Database Administrators
• Oracle7 Database Administration
• Introduction to Oracle:  SQL and PL/SQL Using Procedure Builder

Java

• Java, Advanced: Language, Internals & Techniques
• Java: Discovering Its Power
• A First course in Java

Windows Installer

• Windows Installer For Administrators
• Windows Installer 2.0 Workshop
• Windows Installer 3.0 Workshop
• Learning MSI Projects using InstallShield X

Windows Vista

• Vista User Account Control, Virtualization and Mandatory Integrity Control

Windows .NET C#

• C# Programming 1
• C# Programming 2

UNIX and Linux

• MDL Tailored Linux for Developers.
• Solaris System Administration
• Silicon Graphics System Administration

QA

• Systematic Software Testing

Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Davis

• Established structural details of ligated hemoglobin using NMR.
• Published two articles.

Ph.D., Biochemistry, Rice University , Houston, TX

• Defined the reduction kinetics of cytochromes b and c₁ in mitochondrial Complex III (part of the process of energy production by the cell),
• Documented my research in a doctoral thesis.
• Published four articles.

B. S., Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

• Demonstrated dramatic inhibition of brain, kidney, heart and liver microsomal translation by aminoglycoside antibiotics, implying a mechanism for observed ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity. 
• Published two articles.