Computer Science

Stephen Rainwater

Title: Associate Professor of Computer Science
Department: Computer Science
Building: COB 315.03
Email: srainwater@uttyler.edu
Phone: 903.566.7403

Degrees

• Ed.D. Texas A&M University - Commerce
• M.S. Texas A&M University - Commerce
• M.S. Stephen F. Austin State University
• B.S. Stephen F. Austin State University

Biography

Dr. Stephen B. Rainwater is Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Tyler. His professional career spans more than five decades as an educator in computer science and mathematics at the postsecondary level; the last forty-two years as a faculty member at UT Tyler. Over the course of this time, he has taught more than twenty-five undergraduate and fifteen graduate courses.

Dr. Rainwater's professional leadership has included service as President of the Texas Computer Education Association, Computer Science Representative on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Technology in Education, President of ISTE Computer Science Network, President of the East Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, program co-chair of the 1988 NCTM Southwestern Regional Conference, and mathematics section chair of the Texas Academy of Science. His professional organization affiliations have included ISTE, ISTE Computer Science Network, ACM, ACM-SIGCSE, CSTA, CS4TX, NCWIT, TCEA, TCEA CS/TA-SIG, and Phi Delta Kappa.

At UT Tyler, he has served as President of the Faculty Senate, as computer science department chair for eight years, and since 1992 has been the campus director/PI of an NSF-funded undergraduate research grant program (UT LSAMP) which endeavors to increase the number of students from underrepresented populations pursuing graduate degrees in STEM fields. In 2006, Dr. Rainwater was recognized with the UT System Chancellor's Council Outstanding Teaching Award. In 2011, he received the US President's Volunteer Service Award for his work in computing education. From 2008 to 2015, he held appointment as the Lecil and Barbara Chandler Endowed Professor of Computer Science. Dr. Rainwater has published over twenty-five articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings as well as thirty-five presentations at academic conferences.

Dr. Rainwater earned a doctorate in education from Texas A&M University-Commerce as well as graduate degrees in computer science and mathematics. His doctoral dissertation researched the predictive effects of community college student characteristics on academic achievement in computer science at the university level.

Teaching and Research Interests

Professor Rainwater’s primary teaching interests include algorithm design and analysis, computer organization, compiler design and construction, data structures, operating systems and programming languages.  His research interests and publications have primarily focused on the effectiveness of using low/no-cost software tools and techniques for teaching concepts in computer science including animations for teaching algorithms and dynamic processes, operating systems, and data communications.