In 1999 he started thinking about a way to enable students to perform experiments anytime, anyplace—specifically those that use an oscilloscope, function generator, digital control, and some form of power supply.
Jason Coutermarsh, then a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), joined the project in the summer of 2004 and they developed a complete functional input/output board (IOBoard) hardware/software prototype.
He first joined RPI as an instructor in 1983 (while a graduate student) and began teaching courses and performing manufacturing related research within the school of engineering.
During his many years at RPI, he served as an award-winning faculty member of the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Department and had several administrative roles.
[3] He has continued his involvement in music since traveling with Up With People, often playing in various bands (e.g. Carriage House, Deuce) and serving as a guitarist for other artists.