Robinson CIS Professor Receives National Science Foundation Award
September 29, 2006 (Atlanta, GA) - William N. Robinson, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science of Design Program grant for his research entitled, "Monitoring in Support of Design Science Principles."
The $246,498 grant will support Robinson's work toward developing user monitoring theories and tools in an effort to simplify software customization in mass-markets.
"In order to provide customization, the software detects the user's needs, "said Robinson. "As the software is used, it does a self-assessment to determine if the user needs are being met. If not, then software updates are provided. Over time, a software installation is incrementally customized to its individual user."
Specifically, Robinson's research will develop three software tools in support of user monitoring. The first will assist in defining and analyzing user goals. The second tool will assist in deriving and deploying goal monitors, which track user skills and goal satisfaction. The third will automatically present a high-level analysis on the software system and its user.
According to Robinson, this customization approach is currently being applied in clinical settings to customize software for the cognitively impaired. However, he says that eventually this approach may find its home in more common software update services, such as Microsoft Windows Update.
Robinson joined Georgia State's Robinson College of Business in 1994. His research focuses on analysis and design techniques for customizing software systems, such as specialized email clients and customized supply chain software. He is also exploring various approaches to providing automated support for systems analysts. Through the research, Robinson has developed a theory of "mass-personalized software design" as well as associated CASE tool support. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Oregon
Robinson's Department of Computer Information Systems has earned recognition as one of the top programs in the world. In 2006, both the department's undergraduate and graduate programs were ranked best in the Southeast and 10th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The department's MBA concentration and major earned the Robinson College of Business recognition as a top 25 "Techno MBA Program" in a Computerworld survey. In addition, Computerworld has ranked the Department as second only to M.I.T. among information systems graduate programs in the United States.
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools. The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past eleven years and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The College's Executive MBA program is on The Financial Times list of the world's top ranked offerings. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of more than 7000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards more than $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
For more information, contact:
Tammy Demel, Office of External Affairs, 404-413-7078
