Derek Schuurman's Homepage

Derek Schuurman's personal story includes working in industry for several years before returning to academia. His interest in computers began in his early teens with his first computer, a Timex-Sinclair ZX-81. He is also interested in the bigger picture (metaphorically, not in the number-of-pixels sense) and the various issues related to faith and technology. He has taught previously at Redeemer University and as a visiting professor at Dordt Unviversity and is currently a professor of computer science at Calvin. He has participated in various computing service projects in majority world countries with his students. He is author of the book Shaping a Digital World and co-author of A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers and is available to speak to groups as time allows.

Prof. Schuurman is a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, part of the leadership team for the West Michigan ASA chapter, an associate fellow of the The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, and was made a senior member of the IEEE. He is member of the ACM, CES, ACMS, a book review editor for Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, a regular contributor to the Christian Scholars Review blog, and a regular columnist for Christian Courier.

Research interests include robotics and computer vision, embedded systems and IoT, as well as faith and technology issues.

Education

B.A.Sc. (Electrical Engineering), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
M.A.Sc. (Electrical Engineering), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Thesis topic: Dynamic modelling of an EV traction application using different DC motors
Ph.D., McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Thesis topic: Direct visual servoing using network-synchronized cameras

Talks and Interviews

Here is a selection of links to talks and interviews which have been posted online.

Publications

Some publications are listed below, but a more extensive list of publications and presentations are also available.

Books

Ethan J. Brue, Derek C. Schuurman, Steven H. VanderLeest, A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers, IVP Academic, April 2022. (companion website and video of book launch event)
Derek C. Schuurman, Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology, InterVarsity Academic Press, June 2013. (companion website).
Portuguese translation available from Monergismo publishers titled Moldando Um Mundo Digital: Fé, Cultura E Tecnologia Computacional.
R.S. Ramshaw and D.C. Schuurman, PSpice Simulation of Power-Electronics Circuits, Springer, 1997. (companion website)

Chapters in Books

Derek C. Schuurman, "Seeking Wisdom in Engineering and Computer Science" in Where Wisdom May be Found: The Eternal Purpose of Christian Higher Education, edited by Edward P. Meadors, Pickwick Publications, 2019, pp. 214-226.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Responsible Automation: Faith and Work in an Age of Intelligent Machines" in The Wonder and Fear of Technology: Commissioned Essays on Faith and Technology, edited by David H. Kim, Center for Faith & Work, 2016, pp. 42-56.

Selected Articles

Derek C. Schuurman, "Technology and the Biblical Story", Pro Rege, Vol. 46, No. 1, September, 2017, pp. 4-11 (available also in Portuguese as Tecnologia e a história bíblica).
Derek C. Schuurman, "Approaches to Christian Education: From Elusive Towards a Larger and Deeper Approach", Pro Rege, Vol. 44, No. 3, March, 2016, pp. 14-20.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Artificial Intelligence: Discerning a Christian Response", Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Volume 71, Number 2, June 2019, pp. 75-82.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Kuyper and Technology, or How a Voice From the Past Can Speak to our Digital Age", Christian Scholar's Review, Volume XLIX, Number 2, Winter 2020, pp. 161-174.
Derek C. Schuurman, "The Challenge of Transhumanism", Proceedings of the 2019 Christian Engineering Conference (CEC), Dordt University, July 2019, pp. 112-118.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Introducing Open Source and the Raspberry Pi to Schools in Developing Nations", Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Volume 67, Number 1, March 2015, pp. 50-53.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Step-by-step design and simulation of a simple CPU architecture", SIGCSE '13 Proceeding of the 44th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education, 2013.
Derek C. Schuurman, "Faith and Weapons of Math Destruction", Christian Scholar's Review blog, January 22, 2021.
Derek C. Schuurman, A Letter to a Young Professor, Christian Scholar's Review blog, November 20, 2020.
Bryan W. House, David W. Capson, Derek C. Schuurman, "Towards Real-Time Sorting of Recyclable Goods Using Support Vector Machines", Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology (ISSST), May 2011.
D.C. Schuurman and D.W. Capson, "Robust Direct Visual Servoing Using Network-Synchronized Cameras", IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, April 2004, Volume 20, Issue 2, pp. 319- 334.

Patents

US 5874818: Method and Apparatus For Sensing Load Current in a Motor Controller
US 6215681: Bus Bar Heat Sink. See also: CA 2325148 (Canada), EP 1100294 (Europe), JP 2001267479 (Japan)

Open source software projects

ARCHIE Pi: Another Remote Community Hotspot for Instruction and Education for the Raspberry Pi.
JTmap: a program to display a map for digital ham radio contacts
pi-lights: home lighting automation for use with the Zigbee Light Link wireless protocol.
home-sense: provides home sensor monitoring and alerts using a Raspberry Pi.
index-o-matic: helps to create an index for a PDF manuscript.