Michael Taylor Assistant Teaching Professor Office 4126 Gates and Hillman Centers Email mdtaylor@cmu.edu Phone (412) 268-3818 Department Computer Science Department Administrative Support Person Marcella Baker CSD Courses Taught 15112 - Fall, 2025 15112 - Summer, 2025 15112 - Spring, 2025 15110 - Fall, 2024 15112 - Spring, 2024 Biography Mike Taylor has taught 15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science since the fall 2018 semester, first as a Mark Stehlik Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow and subsequently as an assistant teaching professor. He was awarded the Herbert A. Simon Award for Teaching Excellence in Computer Science in Spring 2023.In 2016, Mike completed his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University as a member of the Robotics Institute's CREATE (Community Robotics Education And Technology Empowerment) Lab, where his research focused on low-cost air quality sensing, automated sensor calibration, data visualization, and technology literacy. This research contributed to the formation of Airviz Inc., which provides affordable air quality monitoring to communities and individuals seeking to understand and limit fine and ultrafine particulate exposure. Related research in Uganda also led the Taylor family to form Sylvia's Sisters, a non-profit dedicated to reducing education and socioeconomic disparities by providing menstrual supplies to disadvantaged students. Teaching Statement Mike's pedagogy is heavily influenced by his project-based learning experience at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, where he received his undergrad in electrical and computer engineering in 2010. He believes the first step to becoming a versatile problem solver is learning to embrace every mistake as an opportunity for growth. He hopes his students will become interdisciplinary explorers who value creativity and kindness as much as cleverness. Publications Conference Humanitarian Efforts for Improving Air Quality using Solar Power 2018 • 2018 IEEE GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (GHTC) Schapiro J, Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh I Conference Low-cost air Quality Monitors 2016 1-3 Taylor MD Conference Low-cost air quality monitors Modeling and characterization of sensor drift in optical particle counters 2016 • Proceedings of IEEE Sensors Taylor MD Conference A low-cost particle counter and signal processing method for indoor air pollution 2015 • WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment • 198:337-348 Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh IR Conference Community deployment of low-cost indoor particulate monitors 2015 • Annual meeting & exhibition proceedings CD-ROM Air & Waste Management Association. Meeting • 2:1126-1136 Dias MB, Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh IR
Conference Humanitarian Efforts for Improving Air Quality using Solar Power 2018 • 2018 IEEE GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (GHTC) Schapiro J, Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh I
Conference Low-cost air quality monitors Modeling and characterization of sensor drift in optical particle counters 2016 • Proceedings of IEEE Sensors Taylor MD
Conference A low-cost particle counter and signal processing method for indoor air pollution 2015 • WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment • 198:337-348 Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh IR
Conference Community deployment of low-cost indoor particulate monitors 2015 • Annual meeting & exhibition proceedings CD-ROM Air & Waste Management Association. Meeting • 2:1126-1136 Dias MB, Taylor MD, Nourbakhsh IR
