A computer scientist with over 40 years in software development, research, and teaching—passionate about automating real-world problems and mentoring the next generation.
Watch the video above for a personal introduction (recorded for students at Florida SouthWestern State College).
Mark Snyder's fascination with computers began in high school with a Radio Shack TRS-80, where limited memory forced creative programming in BASIC. This early puzzle-solving joy led to a vocational data processing program and a bachelor's in computer science from the University of Central Missouri.
His professional career started at Trans World Airlines, building airline reservation systems, followed by roles at American Airlines and early web innovations at Expedia (versions 1.0–3.0) during its Microsoft days. Highlights include contributing to the space combat game Allegiance (2000), architecting global trip insurance and cruise systems, and projects like Princess Cruises' MedallionClass navigation.
After earning a master's and PhD (focusing on autonomic mobile sensor networks), Mark blended industry (insurance, Windows IoT) with teaching at community colleges. Today, as a professor at Florida SouthWestern State College, he emphasizes practical problem-solving—automating repetitive tasks to reduce errors and free people for higher-value work.
Philosophy: Stay flexible, honorable, and continually learning. Degrees prove you can tackle novel problems; networking and helping others open doors. Bring fresh ideas tactfully, question the status quo, and combine code with real-world impact.
Outside work: Sailing, tinkering with boat tech, evolving home lab, IoT, and enjoying the ever-evolving field of software.