Publications
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Moving is the worst. Here’s how to make it affordable and enjoyable
Description: Moving is the worst. Here’s how to make it affordable and enjoyable is a piece I wrote after lots of moving. Like many things you do frequently, I got much better at it, and so a friend convinced me to write this piece for the Inquirer. Read the full text here.
Excerpt:
For most people, moving is not a happy thought. Collecting, packing, then shipping everything you own, from that mug you don’t really like to your favorite armchair, is equal parts tedious and anxiety-producing. It’s also expensive.
However, with a little planning and a lot of bubble wrap, moving can be a liberating experience. Having completed six moves in the last two years — two of them cross-country — I’ve learned a few key lessons for making the upheaval as painless and affordable as possible (and in some cases, even enjoyable).
Clouds on Campus: The Risks, Rewards, and Potential of Cloud Computing in Academia
Description: Clouds on Campus: The Risks, Rewards, and Potential of Cloud Computing in Academia is a white paper I co-authored along with Gregory Eng and Paul Tallon. See the press release here.
Excerpt:
“Human nature has an affinity for devising and perfecting better, faster, and cheaper ways of doing things. Long considered a hotbed of IT innovation and adoption, institutions of higher education are often on the leading edge of this search. It should come as no surprise to learn, therefore, that educational institutions – combining both cutting edge research and innovative teaching models – are leading the charge in the area of cloud computing. As university CIOs move cloud computing from an experimental stage into the realm of mainstream adoption, it is worth considering the drivers, challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of cloud computing in academia alongside specific cloud initiatives among the nation’s leading universities.”
Juan Valdez: An Emerging Multinational
Description: Juan Valdez: An Emerging Multinational is an academic paper written for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Emerging Markets Institute. Nicholas Deaton and Anish Kumar joined as co-authors. Read the full text here. 
Excerpt:
“Juan Valdez Cafe can trace its roots back to December 12, 2002, when the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (Fedecafé) established the brand through Procafecol S.A. Its eponymous first storefront opened at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport. Today, Procafecol continues its original mission to expand the reach of premium Colombian coffee around the world. Juan Valdez Cafe is the product of the joint efforts of over 500,000 coffee growers and producers, most of which are family operated farms, and its fictional namesake has become a highly successful advertising icon. Formed as a non-profit co-operative in 1927, Fedecafé acted as a unifying force among small scale producers combining their supplier power to: “protect the industry, study its problems, and further its own interests.” In addition, Fedecafé acted as a quality assurance agent, ensuring the high quality of its Colombian coffee exports throughout the globe.”
Albert Servaes
Oogstende Boeren (1905)
Albert Servaes was a Belgian expressionist painter who painted religious iconography and landscapes. While living in Belgium, I researched his work and wrote the article Google ranks #1 in any search query for his name. Read the full article on the English Wikipedia.
Conference Presentations
Investing for the Average Person
Inspired by millennials who are clueless about financial planning, I developed a presentation for the Ignite Baltimore conference that describes how an average person should invest. Ignite is a conference series held in major cities all over the world. Each speaker has five minutes with 20 slides that advance automatically every 15 seconds.
Technically Baltimore’s Christopher Wink, who covered Ignite Baltimore 13, wrote the following about Investing for the Average Person:
Quickest Retirement Planning Consult – In his ‘Investing for the Average Person’ presentation, Nicholas Quigley gave quick sensible advice on sound, safe, simple investing. Put half of it in bonds and half in an index fund, Quigley said. Derivatives, options trading and Jim Cramer? If you don’t have the time to learn, don’t even worry about it.
Investing for the Average Person – Nicholas Quigley #IB13
Pinnacle Engineering
For the 14th Ignite Baltimore conference, I developed a presentation to inspire locals to think and build bigger. The rest of the world is engineering taller skyscrapers using amazing technologies at an absolutely incredible pace. Why should the United States be left out?
Andrew Zaleski, the lead reporter for Technically Baltimore, covered the conference and wrote the following about Pinnacle Engineering:
Look at the Sky! It’s a Bird! It’s … Not a Bird – Nicholas Quigley, who has now presented at two consecutive Ignite events, took us on a world tour of skyscrapers, “supertalls” and “megatalls,” buildings so big they required their own name. In the last 10 years, eight of the world’s 10 tallest buildings have been built. People with exorbitant sums (Saudi princes, for example) are now building these “megatall” structures” just because. But Quigley brought it home with one specific point: the tallest building in the world is more than 160 stories, but the tallest building in Baltimore, the Transamerica Tower, is just 40 stories.
Software
Baltimore Light Rail iOS App
About The App
The Baltimore Light Rail Application came from a need for information on-the-go in an increasingly mobile world. I noticed a complete lack of mobile support when I started using the Light Rail on some commutes to the office. After a month of development, I sent the first version of the application to Apple for review. My updates and improvements have kept users checking into the app for a better experience riding the Baltimore City Light Rail. I completed all the design, coding, and graphic work. Community support or city sponsorship could further development and help as many people as possible enjoy the light rail. The entire project is hosted publicly on GitHub.
Reviews
★★★★★ Simple, effective, and comprehensive. Great app, I highly recommend it.
★★★★★ I would not make it to work without this app! Lost a job because I missed the train; not anymore!
★★★★★ I will be using this every week!! 🙂
Screenshots
NSF CHEMX Analytics Software
About The Initiative
As part of a grant from the National Science Foundation, Loyola University Maryland’s Chemistry Department hired me to develop a software program to analyze student survey data. The software led to teaching and curriculum improvements in Loyola’s chemistry courses. Upon completion, my program was submitted to the National Science Foundation and incorporated into two published papers.
The grant’s purpose was to improve the academic quality and overall effectiveness of Chemistry courses in the United States. At Loyola, the program led to teaching improvements in analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, medical, and physical chemistry courses.
It is rare for a student to contribute directly to the improvement of his or her Alma mater. I am humbled to have supported the improvement of STEM type courses at Loyola so that more students may pursue careers in the sciences.
For more information, search www.nsf.gov for either CHEMX: Assessing Cognitive Expectations for Learning Chemistry or Award Abstract #0626027.