Ernest Spicer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer
Ernest Franklin Spicer is an experienced leader, executive, entrepreneur and expert level creative designer in Computer Vision and Sustainable Technology. His passion for Data Science started over a decade ago in the financial sector, then transitioning into applications in Computer Vision and Drone Vision over the past 6 years. In 2017, he began working on Quantum Computing as well as Transfer Learning applications in Keras; then shifted to PyTorch at its official launch. In the last 3 years, his team has progressed to building collaborative applications from Nvidia, REA, SolarSteam, and more to integrate chemistry and physics informed neural nets for visualization of integral data for the agriculture industry.
Ernest began working in sustainability technologies in 2008, starting with the solar industry, then pivoting into high voltage smart ballast integration for large factories and commercial buildings. In 2017, he began studying the chemistry behind agricultural materials and the viability of processing biomass into sustainable fuels, to supplant the fossil derivative petroleum industry. He is currently researching with several government and educational institutions, finding several economically viable solutions at a regional level. Plans are currently under development to work with the farmers and community to apply artificial intelligence and collaborative scientific work spaces to achieve carbon neutrality goals.
Garth Mader, Board Member
Tiff Reiss, PhD, Executive Director of Education and Training
Dr. Reiss holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in project management, best practices in adult learning methodologies and skills-based learning frameworks to AgTech OS.
Dr. Tiff Reiss is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 10 years working with multiple startups in various stages of the business discovery and development journey. In the role of Executive Director of Education and Training for AgTech OS, Tiff will focus on workforce development as well as STEM and sustainability focused community education opportunities.
Although not a technologist, Dr. Reiss continues her lifelong learning journey by working with many technology-focused start-ups primarily in education, sustainability and health and wellness. Dr. Reiss uses those opportunities to learn about and apply technology applications such as blockchain, AI, machine learning, deep learning, and transfer learning most recently.
Brian Kraft, PhD, Contract Development
Brian Kraft, PhD is consulting as a contract specialist at AgTech OS. As a consultant for AgTech OS, Dr. Kraft is leveraging his 18+ years of leadership in biomass and bioenergy technology to help lead the company toward the realization of a sustainable, carbon negative, community engaged and economically meaningful implementation of their collective vision. In addition to working directly with the engineering team Brian will lead efforts to identify the technologies and develop the associated partnerships needed to fully realize the AgTech OS vision of the fully contained biorefinery.
Dr. Kraft holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry, a PhD in Chemistry.
Richard Parnas, PhD, REA Lead Consultant
Dr. Richard Parnas graduated from MIT with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1980 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCLA in 1990. Interspersed between the educational periods, Richard worked in the Process Control Division of Exxon Research & Engineering from 1980-82 and in the Chemical Engineering Division of SRI International from 1984-1986. Upon completion of graduate studies at UCLA, Richard joined the Polymers Division of the National Institute of Standards & Technology from 1990-2000, becoming the head of the Composites Section in 1995, Chairing the Gordon Conference on Composites in 1996, and publishing a book on Liquid Composite Molding in 2000. After leaving NIST and spending a year as a Fulbright scholar at KU Leuven, Belgium, Richard joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut.
While at UCONN, Richard spent several years developing biodiesel technology, fermentation technology for biofuels and specialty chemicals, and biorenewable polymers. This research resulted in over 100 publications in peer reviewed journals, over 10 patents, and over 7000 citations to his work. Since retiring from UCONN, Richard cofounded REA Resource Recovery Systems in 2017 to solve the brown grease waste management problem in the wastewater treatment industry by converting the brown grease to biodiesel.