About the Authors
GRANT PALMER has worked in the Space Technology Division at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA for the past 23 years. Grant was a NASA engineer for 15 years and currently works as a scientific programmer with the ELORET Corporation, developing computer applications that help design the thermal protection systems of spacecraft reentering the Earth's atmosphere.
Grant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He later received a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University. Grant is an expert in FORTRAN, C, C++, and Perl, but now does most of his programming in the more modern languages of Java and C#. He has authored or coauthored seven books on computer programming, including Physics for Game Programmers (Apress) and C# Programmer's Reference (Wrox).
Grant lives in Bothell, Washington, with his wife, Lisa; his two sons, Jackson and Zachary; and various members of the animal kingdom.
JACQUIE BARKER is a professional software engineer, author, and adjunct faculty member at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia and The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C. With more than 25 years of experience as a hands-on software engineer and project manager, Jacquie has spent the past 12 years focusing on object technology, becoming proficient as an object modeler and Sun Microsystems–certified Java developer. She is currently employed as a senior member of the technical staff at Technology Associates, Inc. in Herndon, Virginia, and is also the founder of ObjectStart LLC, an object technology mentor-ship and training firm.
Jacquie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering with highest honors from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She later received a Master of Science degree in computer science from UCLA, focusing on software systems engineering, and has subsequently pursued post-graduate studies in information technology at GMU.
The first edition of Beginning C# Objects was adapted from Jacquie's bestselling book, Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code, published originally by the former Wrox Press, Ltd. and now by Apress. Jacquie's winning formula for teaching object fundamentals continues to receive praise from readers around the world, and Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code has been adopted by many universities as a key textbook in their core IT curricula. Her latest book, Taming the Technology Tidal Wave: Practical Career Advice for Technical Professionals, is now available through ObjectStart Press.
Please visit Jacquie's web sites, http://objectstart.com and http://techtidalwave.com, for more information on her various publications and service offerings.
On a personal note, Jacquie's passions include her husband, Steve; their four pet cats, Kwiddie, Tiffie, Walter, and Wynxie; and her work as an animal rescue volunteer (please visit http://petsbringjoy.org). When not engaged in computer-related pursuits, Jacquie and Steve enjoy motorcycle road trips through the Virginia countryside on their Gold Wing, tandem bicycling, and spending quality time with family and friends.