Rate My Professor Eric Manley

Eric Manley is a Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Drake University, where he has been a faculty member since 2009, initially as Assistant Professor until 2015 and subsequently as Associate Professor, with recent listings confirming his full professorship. He serves as Co-Director of the Data Analytics program and contributes significantly to the interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence program. Manley obtained his B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2004, an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009, with his dissertation titled Network Coding for WDM All-Optical Networks.

Manley's primary research interests lie in computer networking, focusing on theoretical and systems-level issues in network coding and all-optical networks, complemented by strong engagement in computer science education, artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. Notable publications include All-optical network coding in the IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (2010), LIPS: Learning based indoor positioning system using mobile phone-based sensors in Proceedings of the IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (2016), Nifty assignments in Proceedings of the ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (2016), Video-based instruction for introductory computer programming in the Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges (2014), and Building a thriving CS program in a small liberal arts college in the same journal (2011). His recent projects encompass SegBuilder, a web-based tool for semi-automated semantic segmentation annotation, and Mapbots for AI agent experimentation. Manley has earned the Dean & Sue Wright Outstanding Teacher of the Year award from Drake University's College of Arts & Sciences (2014-2015) and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2008). He teaches diverse courses such as introductory computer science, artificial intelligence, compilers, and digital ethics, renowned for innovative nifty assignments utilizing real data.