Biography
Education:
• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 2007
• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 1972,
• Bachelor of Science in Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 1969
Academic experience:
• Undergraduate Program Director, Florida International University, Miami, Fl, 2009-Present
• Assistant Teaching Professor, Florida International University, Miami, Fl, 2009-Present
• Visiting Faculty, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 2007-2009
Non-academic experience:
• President, Honor Design Inc., Miami, FL 1994-2009
• Corporate Vice President, Non-Invasive Monitoring Systems, Inc., (a publicly traded company), Miami Beach, FL, 1985-1997
• Biomedical Engineering Research Supervisor, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL 1977-1985
• Biomedical Research Engineer, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL 1972-1977
Current membership in professional organizations:
• IEEE lifetime member
• Eta Kappa Nu, Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society, 2007
• Delta Epsilon Iota, Academic Honor Society, 2005
Service activities (within and outside of the Institution):
• Undergraduate Program Director – Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, 2010 – present
• Lead coordinator for successful ABET accreditations (2014, 2022) for Electrical and Computer Engineering programs, overseeing self-study preparation, outcomes-based assessment, continuous improvement documentation, and on-site review processes.
• Led revision of undergraduate program architecture to ensure ABET compliance while expanding student career flexibility through defined Areas of Interest (Concentrations)
• Originated Academic Assessment Advisory Board for ECE Department Capstone assessment
• Partnering with the Mathematics Department to modernize Engineering Calculus through the integration of discipline-specific engineering applications.
• Played a key role in securing ABET accreditation for FIU’s fully online Electrical and Computer Engineering programs, uniquely accredited statewide.
• Added SPC 2608 Public Speaking course for ECE Department curriculum
• Rotary International – 2012 to 2017
• Boy Scouts of America - 14 years of service including:
◦ Assistant Cubmaster
◦ Assistant Scoutmaster
◦ Scoutmaster
• South Dade Anglers President 2001-2002 and 2018-2025
• Emmaus Retreat Ministry at Church 21 years of service
Publications:
• Core developer of RIP calibration and validation methods; co-author of seminal LSQ/QDC calibration study (J Appl Physiol, 1989) and contributor to early U.S. patents.
Sackner MA, Watson H, Belsito AS, Feinerman D, Suarez M, Gonzalez G et al. Calibration of respiratory inductive plethysmograph during natural breathing. J.Appl.Physiol. 1989;66:410-20. URL: 01 JAN 1989https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1989.66.1.410
• Contributor to NIH-sponsored multicenter CHIME study of infants at risk for SIDS; supported development and large-scale deployment of home cardiopulmonary monitors (>1,000 infants, ~700,000 monitoring hours), culminating in peer-reviewed publication (Physiol Meas, 2001).
Cardiopulmonary monitoring at home: the CHIME monitor. Michael R. Neuman, Herman Watson, +12 authors Marvin A. Sackner Published in Physiological Measurement 1 May 2001Medicine
Cardiopulmonary monitoring at home: the CHIME monitor https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11411239
https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/Herman-Watson/2246205493
Professional development activities:
• Apnea Monitoring Committee, Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, 1990-1996
• ECG Waveform Testing Committee, Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, 1996
Awards & Honors
- Excellence in Teaching award, FIU, 2014