Project Mentors

Our two project mentors are pretty great.

Click through the tabs below to learn more.
Dr. James Palmer
Dr. Joshua Cross
  • Dr. James Dean Palmer

    Dr. Palmer is an associate professor at Northern Arizona University where he teaches as part of the computer science (CS) program. He specializes in using domain specific computer languages, visualization and web-based technologies to solve problems and improve CS education. You can read more and follow his current projects at his website.

  • Dr. Joshua Cross

    Dr. Cross founded and served alternatively as CTO and CEO of Cerberex Technologies, Inc. (dba Veratag). Veratag developed a beta-stage prototype RFID security product for applications including: personnel identification, government identification documents, secure financial transactions, asset tracking, and anti-counterfeiting. Dr. Cross led the development of Veratag’s secure RFID product from Cornell University IP portfolio to prototype. As founder of Veratag, and as an active member in the upstate New York start up community, Dr. Cross spoke at numerous venture events and received awards at many business plan and elevator pitch competitions, including winning the 2008 High Peaks Venture Partners Peak Pitch event.

    In 2007, Dr. Cross received a Ph.D. from Cornell University’s Applied Physics Department with expertise in micro- and nanofabrication and with a minor in Business. Dr. Cross has numerous scientific publications and has presented a variety of invited presentations in the areas of biological applications of nanotechnology, MEMS (including ultra-high Q resonators, novel transduction mechanisms, and MEMS-CMOS integration), and RF systems.

    Dr. Cross received a B.A. in Physics from Lawrence University with a minor in computer science. Relevant to the current project, as an undergraduate Dr. Cross developed software for remote, infrared-based model tracking for NASA, data analysis software for a three-dimensional x-ray crystallography system, and a customized lock-down algorithm for an Internet-based game of Risk that prevented unauthorized tampering of system state variables by players awaiting their turn.