Faculty Profile
Sarah E. Twill, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Honorary Alumna Award
Sarah E. Twill, Ph.D., M.S.W., is a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at Wright State University. She is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, and completed her graduate work at the University of Georgia. Twill joined the Wright State University faculty in 2005. Prior to becoming a faculty member, she was a practicing social worker. Twill worked with low-income individuals as a mental health therapist, a juvenile probation officer, and as the assistant director of a poverty outreach center. Her research interests include juvenile justice outcomes and student success.
As the faculty liaison to the Social Work Alumni Society, Twill organizes the silent auction for the Annual Wine and Beer Tasting event, which raises money for scholarships to go to hard working students in the Social Work Program. She has been a mentor for countless social work students working their way through the program, and inspires students daily with her fervor for the profession. Twill participates in the Social Work Alumni Society’s monthly book clubs and other socials. She takes on many responsibilities outside of her teaching in order to provide support and encouragement to students and expand her own knowledge base. Twill encourages service learning projects and donates her time along with students for good causes.
She is an active member of the community, as she serves on Montgomery County’s Homeless Solutions board, the board of the CAREHouse, and is a first reader for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
Faculty Profile
Travis Doom, Ph.D.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Robert J. Kegerreis Distinguished Professor of Teaching
Travis Doom, Ph.D., is a legend in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Since joining the faculty in 1998, Doom has become a student favorite through his devotion to teaching and learning both in and out of the classroom.
Doom has the uncanny ability to meet his students exactly where they are—to bring understanding of complex concepts in mathematics and computer science to the level of the average high school graduate. It’s a skill Nathan Klingbeil, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, believes separates truly great teachers from the rest.
“He has consistently demonstrated classroom teaching at the highest level throughout his career, not only in core computer science courses, but also in preparatory courses and bridge programs for incoming engineering and computer science students,” Klingbeil said.
Through the college’s Academic Advantage Program, Doom offers each summer a one-week bridge program for freshman engineers focusing on mathematics fundamentals. This program allows students to enter immediately into mainstream engineering rather than first completing a full year of introductory mathematics coursework.
In addition to standard classroom teaching, Doom supervises hundreds of credit hours of senior design projects, honors projects, independent study, and thesis and dissertation research.
Doom is co-director of Wright State’s bioinformatics research group and pursues research in the fields of undergraduate engineering education, data science (particularly bioinformatics), and digital/computer systems. Much of his research involves the analysis of biological data. Doom’s research on forensic DNA analysis has even been cited by the Supreme Court.
“Dr. Doom has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to student learning and has done so consistently throughout his faculty career,” Klingbeil said. “In my opinion, he is one of the greatest educators in the history of Wright State University.”