Brent Martin

Position

Adjunct Senior Fellow

Please note: as an Adjunct I am not able to supervise graduate students, student projects or internships at Canterbury.

Qualifications

M.Sc. (1st class Hons, Waikato), Ph.D.

Contact Details

Email brent.martin at canterbury.ac.nz

Postal Address

Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering,
College of Engineering,
University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch 8140,
New Zealand.

Professional activities

Current position: Solution Architect at Enviro-Mark Solutions

Enviro-Mark Solutions (E-MS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Landcare Research Crown Research Institute. E-MS aims to help protect our natural environment by providing certified environmental programmes that measure and verify company environmental footprints, as well as helping participating companies reduce their footprint. In particular, the carboNZero and CEMARS programmes enable companies to measure and, in the case of carboNZero, offset their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

My current activities at E-MS include:

  • Using machine learning (Boosted Regression Trees, Ensemble libraries) to predict the likely GHG reductions a company will achieve given their current profile.
  • Estimating uncertainty in GHG inventories using advanced statistical techniques such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods.
  • Developing web-based software to automate the tasks our members have to perform as part of gaining certification, including automatic generation of MS Word reports and MS Excel spreadsheets from database data.

A fun recent project has been to use COSC401 (Machine Learning) students to model GHG reductions using boosted regression trees. The results were then used as the candidate models for an ensemble library, which outperformed any of the individual models.

Previous position: Intelligent Software Specialist at Wynyard Group


My work at Wynyard involved researching, prototyping and implementing algorithms for fraud detection and investigative intelligence. These areas require many specialist algorithms and techniques from computer science including:

  • Text mining (named entity extraction, concept extraction, term collocation)
  • Natural language processing
  • Social network analysis
  • Anomaly detection
  • Time series analysis (e.g. Hidden Markov Modelling)
  • Graphical modelling (Bayesian and other)
  • machine learning
  • Expert systems
  • Fuzzy logic

Consulting projects

  • Plant and Food Research: using machine learning to predict pest invasion on orchards
  • Visiting researcher at Jade Software Corporation (2011) : developing computational intelligence capability.
  • Google visiting research scholar (July-December 2008) : tuning ranking parameters with Machine Learning
  • Using Machine Learning to predict the effects of Warfarin on heart patients.
  • Landcare research: Predicting soil features with Machine Learning using WEKA
  • Developing a tutoring system for Paediatric Radiology and other medical domains.
  • Developing a tutoring system for elementary and secondary school English.
  • Using Expert Systems to provide business performance enhancement service.

Conference Programme Committee membership (recent)

  • Fifteenth international conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education AIED 2011, Christchurch, New Zealand (Senior PC, Interactive Events Co-Chair)
  • Tenth international conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems ITS 2010, Pittsburgh, USA (Senior PC member).
  • Second international conference on User Modeling and Personalization ,UMAP 2010, Proceedings, Big Island of Hawaii, USA.
  • Third International conference on Educational Data Mining, EDM 2010, Pittsburgh, USA.
  • First international conference on User Modeling and Personalization Proceedings, UMAP 2009, Turin, Italy (Doctoral Track Co-Chair).
  • Fourteenth international conference on AI in Education AIED 2009, Brighton, UK (Senior PC member).
  • International conference on Educational Data Mining, EDM (2009, 2008).
  • Ninth international conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, ITS 2008, Montreal, Canada.

Journal reviewing

  • Editorial board member, Journal of Educational Data Mining (JEDM).
  • Journal of Universal Computer Science, J.UCS.
  • IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
  • International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education.
  • Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology JRPIT.
  • Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: special issue on Intelligent Medical Training Systems.
  • Journal of User Modeling and User Adapted Interaction, UMUAI.

Key Publications

  • Martin, B., Filipovic, M., Rennie, L., and Shaw, D. (2010) Using Machine Learning to Prescribe Warfarin , Artificial Intelligence: Methodology, Systems, and Applications, Lecture Notes in Computer Science Volume 6304, 2010, pp 151-160
  • Martin, B., Mitrovic, A., Koedinger, K.R. and Mathan, S. (2010) Evaluating and Improving Adaptive Educational Systems with Learning Curves, Journal of User Modeling and User Adapted Interaction, Vol 21 number 3, Springer, pp. 249-283 (WINNER: BEST PAPER 2010)
  • Martin, B. (2010) Intelligent Educational Games: a constraint-based approach in Edvardsen, F. and Kulle, H. eds: Educational Games: Design, Learning and applications, Nova Science Publishers, pp. 185-217.
  • Martin, B., Kirkbride, T., Mitrovic, A., Holland, J. and Zakharov, K. (2009) An Intelligent Tutoring System for Medical Imaging, World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education, Vancouver Canada, pp. [IN PRESS]
  • Fukuda, K. and Martin, B. (2009) Decision Trees as Information Source for Attribute Selection, IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence and Data Mining, Nashville TN, pp. 101-108
  • Martin, B., Mitrovic, A. and Suraweera, P. (2008) Domain Modelling with Ontology Journal of Universal Computer Science, Vol. 14, No. 17, pp. 2758-2776.
  • Nicholas, A. and Martin, B. (2008) Merging Adaptive Hypermedia and Intelligent Tutoring Systems Using Knowledge Spaces5th International Conference on Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-based Systems, AH 2008, pp. 426-430
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A. (2008) Helping Teachers Build ITS with Domain Schema. 9th international conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, ITS2008 B. Woolf et al. (eds) Proc, LCNS 5091, Springer-Verlag, pp. 194-203
  • Martin, B. (2008) Authoring Educational Games with Greenmind. 9th international conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, ITS2008, B. Woolf et al. (eds) Proc, LCNS 5091, Springer-Verlag, pp. 684-686
  • Mitrovic, A. and Martin, B. (2007) Evaluating the Effect of Open Student Models on Self-Assessment IJAIED, special issue on Open Learner Modelling. 17(2), 121-144, 2007
  • Mitrovic, A., Martin, B. and Suraweera, P. (2007) Constraint-based tutors: past, present and future. IEEE Intelligent Systems, Special issue on Intelligent Education Systems, vol. 22 no. 4, pp. 38-45
  • Martin, B. and Nicholas, A. (2007) Studying model ambiguity in a language ITS Proc. 11th international conference on User Modelling, UM07, Corfu, Greece, pp. 425-429
  • Martin, B., Mitrovic, A. and Suraweera, P. (2007) Domain Modelling with Ontology: a Case Study International workshop on authoring adaptive education systems at UM07, Corfu, Greece, pp. 4-11 (WINNER: BEST PAPER AWARD)
  • Martin, B., Mitrovic, A. (2006) The effect of adapting feedback generality in ITS. V. Wade, H. Ashman, and B. Smyth (Eds.): AH 2006, LNCS 4018, pp. 192-202, 2006.
  • Martin, B., Mitrovic, A. and Suraweera, P. (2005). Interactive Event: Rapid ITS Prototyping with Ontologies in WETAS12th international conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, Amsterdam, AIED2005
  • Martin, B. Koedinger, K., Mitrovic, A. and Mathan, S. (2005). On Using Learning Curves to Evaluate ITS in Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, Amsterdam, pp. 419-426
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A. (2005). Using Learning Curves to Mine Student Models in Proceedings of the 10th international conference on User Modelling, Edinburgh, pp. 79-88
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A. (2004). Evaluating Intelligent Education Systems with Learning Curves in Proceedings of the workshop on evaluation at AH2004, Eindhoven, pp. 179-188
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2003). ITS Domain Modelling: Art or Science? in Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, Sydney, IOS Press, pp. 183-190.
  • Mitrovic, A., Koedinger, K. R. and Martin, B.(2003). A Comparative Analysis of Cognitive Tutoring and Constraint-Based Modelling. in Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on User Modeling UM 2003, Springer-Verlag, pp. 313-322.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2002). Automatic Problem Generation in Constraint-Based Tutors. in Cerri, S. A. and Gouarderes, G. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Biarritz, Springer, pp. 388-398.
  • Mitrovic, A., Martin, B. and Mayo, M.(2002). Using evaluation to shape ITS design: Results and experiences with SQL-Tutor. in International Journal of User Modelling and User Adapted Interaction 12(2-3), pp. 243-279.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2002). WETAS: A Web-Based Authoring System for Constraint-Based ITS. in De Bra, P., Brusilovsky, P. L. and Conejo, R. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-Based Systems, Malaga, Springer, pp. 543-546.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2002). Authoring web-based tutoring systems with WETAS. in Proceedings of the International conference on computers in education, Auckland, pp. 183-187.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2001). Increasing Help Adaptability in Constraint-Based Modelling. in Proceedings of the AIED2001 Workshop on Help Provision and Help Seeking, San Antonio, Texas.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2001). Easing the ITS Bottleneck with Constraint-Based Modelling. in New Zealand Journal of Computing 8(3), pp. 38-47.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2000). Tailoring Feedback by Correcting Student Answers. in Gauthier, G., Frasson, C. and VanLehn, K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Montreal, Springer, pp. 383-392.
  • Martin, B.(2000). Learning Constraints by Asking Questions. in Beck, J. (Ed.), Proceedings of the ITS'2000 workshop on applying Machine Learning to ITS Design/Construction, Montreal, pp. 25-30.
  • Martin, B. and Mitrovic, A.(2000). Induction of Higher-Order Knowledge in Constraint- Based Models. in Beck, J. (Ed.), Proceedings of the ITS'2000 workshop on applying Machine Learning to ITS Design/Construction, Montreal, pp. 31-36.
  • Mitrovic, A. and Martin, B.(2000). Evaluating Effectiveness of Feedback in SQL-Tutor. in Kinshuk, Jesshope, C. and Okamoto, T. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Workshop for Advanced Learning Technologies IWALT2000, Palmerston North, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 143-144.
  • Martin, B.(1999). Constraint-Based Modelling: Representing Student Knowledge. in New Zealand Journal of Computing 7(2), pp. 30-38.
  • Martin, B.(1995). Instance-Based Learning: Nearest Neighbour with Generalisation. Working Paper Series 95/18 Computer Science, Hamilton,University of Waikato, pp. 90.
  • Martin, B.(1994). Knowledge-Rich Induction of Classification Rules. in Proceedings of the Machine Learning Workshop at AI/GI/VI'94, Banff, Canada, pp. xv9-xv11.