Organizers
Bruce Roberts - BBN Technologies
 Biography: Bruce Roberts is a Division Scientist at BBN Technologies in Cambridge, MA, where he has led the development of numerous simulation-based intelligent tutoring systems. Projects include an operational tutor for teaching flight-line troubleshooting to Air Force technicians, and a virtual environment based ship handling tutor. His interest in intelligent tutoring systems extends back to some of the earliest work incorporating simulation, computer graphics, and expert systems in training; namely, STEAMER, which taught principles of operation for steam propulsion plants on Navy ships. As a researcher at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, he implemented one of the first practical knowledge representationsystems. He is currently the Principal Investigator for DARWARS architecture and integration, part of DARPA's Training Superiority program, and led the rapid development and deployment of DARWARSAmbush!, a multi-player game-based training system for convoy operations.(Bio source: http://www.disti.com/SGSC/broberts.html) |
Beverly Woolf - University of Massachusetts
 Biography: Beverly Park Woolf PhD, is a Research Professor in the Computer Science Department of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the Director of the Center for Knowledge Communication. Many of the three-dimensional graphics and multimedia classes at the University of Massachusetts owe their beginning to Dr. Woolf's efforts to offer students the opportunity to expand both intellectual and practical skills.Dr. Woolf's research focuses on building systems to effectively train, explainandadvise users. Extended multimedia capabilities are integrated with knowledgeabout the user, domain and dialogue to produce real-time performance support and on-demand advisory and tutoring systems. The tutoring systems use intelligent interfaces, inferencing mechanisms, cognitive models and modifiable software to improve a computer's communicative abilities. These systems have been tested with learners, trainers and other client bases, deployed in education and industry, and demonstrated in more than 50 American industrial, military and academic sites and 15 foreign countries. Dr. Woolf's research focuses on building systems to effectively train, explain and advise users. Extended multimedia capabilities are integrated with knowledge about the user, domain and dialogue to produce real-time performance support and on-demand advisory and tutoring systems. The tutoring systems use intelligent interfaces, inferencing mechanisms, cognitive models and modifiable software to improve a computer's communicative abilities. These systems have been tested with learners, trainers and other client bases, deployed in education and industry, and demonstrated in industrial, military and academic sites and foreign countries. (Bio source: http://centerforknowledgecommunication.com/05bpwabout.html) |
Kurt VanLehn - Arizona State University
 Biography: Kurt VanLehn is the Diane and Gary Tooker Chair for Effective Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He received a Ph. D. from MIT in 1983 in Computer Science, was a post-doc at BBN and Xerox PARC, joined the faculty of Carnegie-Mellon University in 1985, moved to the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and joined ASU in 2008. He founded and co-directed two large NSF research centers (Circle; the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center). He has published over 125 peer-reviewed publications, is a fellow in the Cognitive Science Society, and is on the editorial boards of Cognition and Instruction and the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. Dr. VanLehn's research focuses on intelligent tutoring systems and other intelligent interactive instructional technology. |
Xiangen Hu - University of Memphis
 Biography: Dr. Xiangen Hu is a professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Memphis (UofM) and senior researcher at the Institute for Intelligent Systems (IIS) at the UofM and visiting professor at Central China Normal University (CCNU). Dr. Hu received his MS in applied mathematics (1985) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, MA in social Sciences (1991) and Ph.D. in Cognitive Sciences (1993) from the University of California, Irvine. Currently, Dr. Hu is the director of the cognitive psychology at the UofM, the Director of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) center for Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) Research & Development, and senior researcher in the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior. Dr. Hu's primary research areas include Mathematical Psychology, Research Design and Statistics, and Cognitive Psychology. More specific research interests include General Processing Tree (GPT) models, categorical data analysis, knowledge representation, computerized tutoring, and advanced distributed learning. Dr. Hu receives funding for the above research from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), US Institute for Education Sciences (IES), ADL of the US Department of Defense (DoD), US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), US Army Research Laboratories (ARL), US Office of Naval Research (ONR), UofM, and CCNU. (Bio source:http://www.memphis.edu/mitsc/who-we-are/xiangen-hu.php) |
1-4 of 4