Barry Burd received a master’s degree in computer science at Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Illinois. As a teaching assistant in Champaign–Urbana, Illinois, he was elected five times to the university-wide List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students. Since 1980, Dr. Burd has been a professor in the department of mathematics and computer science at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He has spoken at conferences in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In 2020, he was honored to be named a Java Champion. Dr. Burd lives in Madison, New Jersey, USA, where he spends most of his waking hours in front of a computer screen.