I am a PhD candidate (expected graduation May 2010) in the Department of Computer Science, and also affiliated with the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries CSDL both at Texas A&M University. I received my B.S. in Computer Science from Universidad Rafael LandÃvar (Guatemala) in 1996, and my Master's in Computer Science from Texas A&M in 2002.
My primary research focus is in Digital Libraries, Linguistics Computing, and Digital Humanities. I am also interested in Information Visualization, Genetic Algorithms, Multi-disciplinary/Multi-cultural Collaboration, and in the use of games as tools for information exploration. In short, I am interested in the convergence of people, information, and technology to enable discovery and innovation. My background includes both academia and industry.
In the spring of 2009 I joined the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning at Rice University. My work includes the infrastructure to support internet-based games for education. Aimed at middle school students, these games help students and teachers in learning and teaching science, and encompass areas such as forensic science, medical mysteries, and drug prevention. However, my work at CTTL is not limited to the technical aspects of gaming. Working in a multidisciplinary team (educators, scientists, digital artists, and phsychologists) expands my horizons by participating throughout the life-cycle of the games (conceptualization, development, deployment, and evaluation).
My research with the Nautical Archaeology Digital Library involves experiments in the use of a coefficient of expansion for augmenting and aggregating textual and visual objects in a multilingual and specialized (ancient shipbuilding technology) domain. This is a joint project between the CSDL and the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M.
My past research projects include the On-line Picasso Project, Digital Donne, and Cervantes Project. Previously I have done research in the use of timeline visualizations as tools for augmenting cognition.
Click here to read about my research interests. About me in German
