About
Program Head of Computer Science and Software Innovation
Marlborough School
Senior Software Engineer
Ellison Medical Institute
I am a Senior Software Engineer on the AI and Advanced Molecular Medicine team at the Ellison Medical Institute. I write software for data analysis and visualization related to: AI applications, data analysis pipelines, DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry, clinical and research databases.
I am also the Program Head of Computer Science and Software Innovation at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. I develop the computer science curriculum, and I work with faculty in various departments on collaborative projects showcasing the wide range of applications of computer science. In addition, I supervise students in research and interdisciplinary projects involving computer science and engineering.
I am a strong proponent of free and open source software, open public data, and open educational resources. I am also an advocate for increasing the diversity of voices in the STEM fields in general, and in software development in particular.
In the classroom I use free and open source software, open public data, and open educational resources. You can find out more about these resources on my Teacher Resources page.
This website was created with Simple.css. I created the animation with p5.js.
Links
- GitHub profile
- LinkedIn profile
- Ellison Medical Institute
- Marlborough STEM+ Program
- Marlborough School
Contact
Senior Software EngineerEllison Medical Institute
dkessner@emila.org
Program Head of Computer Science and Software Innovation
Marlborough School
Darren.Kessner@marlborough.org
home
Classes
2024-25
Honors Computer Science Projects
Class website2023-24
AP Computer Science A
Class websiteHonors Computer Science Projects
Class website2022-23
PreCalculus Honors Accelerated (PCHA)
Class websiteAP Computer Science A
Class websiteHonors Computer Science Projects
Class website2021-22
Multivariable Calculus
Class websitePreCalculus Honors Accelerated (PCHA)
Class websiteAP Computer Science A
Class websiteHonors Computer Science Projects
Class websiteHPC Training Workshop 2022 (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)
Workshop websiteRecent Projects
p5 examples
Tutorial examples for Javascript and p5.js.
websiteProcessing Examples
Demo programs for the Processing language.
websiteFree and Open Source Resources for Teachers
A collection of open source software, open data, and open educational resources that I use in my classes.
websiteProcessing Library Examples (Java)
Tutorial examples for using the Processing libraries from Java (useful for AP Computer Science teachers)
websiteMurakami Flowers
An ode to Takashi Murakami's flowers, using p5.js drawing functions only (no textures)
websitesad2cat
A free online program to convert your sad face into a cat photo.
websiteAlice's Adventures
A demonstration of a web-based visual novel using public domain content (Lewis Carroll's original images and text from Alice in Wonderland).
websiteParametric Playground
Draw surfaces using parametric equations (for my Multivariable Calculus class).
websiteMathematical Explorations
Miscellaneous mathematical explorations and demos.
websiteOlder Projects
processing-p5-convert
A source code translator that converts Processing/Java code to p5.js/Javascript code.
websiteYouth Incarceration
Visualization of LAPD youth incarceration data, by student Isabelle '21.
websiteMarlborough Hour of Code 2020
Hour of Code tutorials created by coding students at Marlborough School.
websiteProject Pumpkin
Pumpkin coding activity for a virtual Halloween 2020.
websiteMarlborough Summer Coding Intensive 2019
repoCS Projects 2018-19: CPR training app
repoPresentations
A Deeper Dive into AI
Educator Workshop, Marlborough School, October 2024
Pushing Perspectives / AI Club, Marlborough School, November 2024
slides (Educator Workshop)slides (Pushing Perspectives)
Open Educational Resources for Teachers
NCGS Global Forum, Boston, June 2022
slidesOpen Educational Resources for Teachers
Grab & Go, STEM Think Tank & Conference, Harpeth Hall, Nashville (virtual), February 2021
slidesBuilding a Fun and Exciting Computer Science Curriculum
NCGS Conference, Westridge School, Los Angeles, June 2019
slidesGraphics Programming in Java with the Processing Software Libraries
Design and Maker Class Colloquium, Windward School, Los Angeles, June 2019
slidesCoding & Making: 10 Great Things That Go Great Together
Design and Maker Class Colloquium, Windward School, Los Angeles, August 2017
slidesPython Programming in the Classroom
Computer Science Roundtable
STEM Think Tank & Conference, Harpeth Hall, Nashville, July 2017
Coding + Art: Partnering Art and Computer Science Students to Create Interactive Art Projects
Design and Maker Class Colloquium, Windward School, Los Angeles, August 2016
pdf slidesDrawing and Animating with Code
Python Programming in the Classroom
STEM Think Tank & Conference, Harpeth Hall, Nashville, July 2016
Drawing and Animating with Code
NCGS Conference, St. Catherine's School, Richmond, July 2015
Drawing and Animating with Code
STEM Think Tank & Conference, Harpeth Hall, Nashville, July 2015
Publications
Why We Still Need Girls to Code
2020, Marlborough website
article websiteComputer Science Education: Lessons from Industry and Academia
2018, Innovative Teaching + Learning: Disrupting the K-12 Classroom (book chapter)
pdf bookPower Analysis of Artificial Selection Experiments Using Efficient Whole Genome Simulation of Quantitative Traits
2015, Genetics
pdfAnalysis and Simulation Methods for Artificial Selection Experiments in the Investigation of the Genetic Basis of Complex Traits
2014, doctoral dissertation
pdfforqs: Forward-in-time Simulation of Recombination, Quantitative Traits and Selection
2014, Bioinformatics
pdf supp repoMaximum Likelihood Estimation of Frequencies of Known Haplotypes from Pooled Sequence Data
2013, Molecular Biology and Evolution
pdf repoProteoWizard: Open Source Software for Rapid Proteomics Tools Development
2008, Bioinformatics
pdf website