Alvin E Tarrell

Alvin E. Tarrell is currently a Ph.D. student in information technology at the Peter Kiewit Institute at the University of Nebraska–Omaha (UNO-PKI). His research interests include information design, information visualization, visual analytics, human-computer interaction, data analytics and knowledge management.  His dissertation research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of visual information displays, primarily in the area of electronic health records and population health informatics.  In addition, Mr. Tarrell is an operational analyst for the U.S. Air Force, supporting the Operations Directorate at the U.S. Strategic Command near Omaha, Nebraska.

Previously, Tarrell enjoyed a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, gaining expertise in nuclear reactor operations, strategic weapons operation and maintenance, and nuclear weapons command and control. His final assignment was as chief of strategic operations for the National Airborne Operations Center, an airborne command center supporting the president and secretary of defense in times of national emergency.  He also worked for more than eight years as a DoD contractor supporting software development and testing efforts at U.S. Strategic Command.

Tarrell holds master’s degrees in management information systems from UNO-PKI, ocean engineering/operational oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) joint program, and in civil/environmental engineering from MIT.  His bachelor’s degree is in chemical engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Tarrell also expects to complete his doctorate in information technology at UNO-PKI in 2014.