Bryan Robbins is a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland-College Park.

Learn more about Bryan's interests via the links to the left. Should you find anything interesting or want more information, feel free to contact brobbins at umd dot edu.

As an aspiring member of academia, I am always looking to gain teaching experience. In general, I look at computer science and its subfields as creative outlets, and I want students to leave my courses with more "expressive power" than they had coming in, regardless of the topic or the level of the class. My teaching/mentoring experience spans hands-on interaction and more traditional lecturing and classroom management.

Fall 2009 (UMD):

• Teaching Assistant, CMSC 330 - Organization of Programming Languages

Summer 2009 (EMCC):

• Instructor, CSC 1113 - Computer Concepts

Fall 2008/Spring 2009 (MSU):

• Project Manager, CSE 3213/3223 - Software Engineering Capstone I/II

Since 2003, I have had the opportunity to work on multiple research teams. Each experience has shaped my overall approach to research. I think that research is an integral part of any level of education. Generally, I am interested in answering the question "What makes software development hard?" (This comes from a 1985 publication by Kotovsky, Hayes, and Simon entitled, "What makes some problems hard?". Not unrelatedly, I happen to have a short summary of the article here.)

I prefer an interdisciplinary approach to this question that incorporates cognitive psychology (e.g. research on memory, expertise, problem solving, and in general, how we think) and potentially other fields with an empirical approach to analyzing software development. My current interests and philosophy build on the experiences outlined below. Publications are detailed in a separate Publications section linked to the left.

Cognitive Factors Affecting Perspective-Based Reading

• Collaborator(s): Jeff Carver (advisor)
• Affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Mississippi State University
• Duration: January 2007 - May 2009 (Master's Thesis)
• Description: We applied the protocol analysis method from cognitive psychology to an exploratory investigation of Perspective-Based Reading (PBR). Protocol analysis is based on the coding of verbal protocols (sometimes called "think-aloud protocols") collected concurrently during task performance. We found correlational support for three specific hypotheses from literature: 1) That critical events called "defect triggers" depend on knowledge in short-term/working memory 2) That the perspective assigned to a reviewer significantly affects the type of defects found and 3) That knowledge and experience levels of reviewers have a significant effect on the types of knowledge recalled during review. More generally, we concluded that protocol analysis has some utility for the consideration of cognitively intense tasks in software engineering.

Digital Human Modeling

• Collaborators: Daniel Carruth
• Affiliation: Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Mississippi State University
• Duration: December 2005-August 2009
• Description: We developed an integrated architecture for the simulation of human performance in virtual environments. This involved integrating the ACT-R cognitive architecture with the Virtools(TM) virtual environment and the Santos(TM) digital human model. We also extended the capabilities of the ACT-R visual system, as well as developing new ACT-R modules for spatial reasoning and kinesthetic/proprioceptive sensation. This work was supported by the US Army TARDEC.

Non-Functional Requirements Engineering

• Collaborators: Ray Vaughn (instructor)
• Affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Mississippi State University
• Duration: Fall 2006
• Description: As part of a split-level course on Information Security taught by Dr. Vaughn, I developed a framework for "functional security requirements engineering" by researching current practice in the development of secure software. I found that while software engineers usually treat traditionally non-functional requirements from outside of their normal requirements engineering process, the processes employed by security engineers to assure the security of a system depended on functional attributes of the system. I considered what an integrated framework for considering security (and potentially other non-functional requirements) alongside more traditional functional requirements might look like.

Hydraulic Modeling

• Collaborators: R.C. Berger, Jennifer N. Tate
• Affiliation: Coastal and Hydraulics Lab, Engineering Research and Development Center, US Army Corps of Engineers
• Duration: May 2003-August 2005 (Cooperative Education)
• Description: I was a member of an engineering team developing the ADaptive Hydraulics (ADH) Modeling Package. As one of the only pure computer scientists (i.e. non-Hydraulic Engineers) on the team, my tasks spanned a number of technical aspects of the project. I developed the vessel movement library of ADH for simulating the presence of vessels in 2D shallow water scenarios, implemented a Runge-Kutta algorithm for solving vessel sedimentation problems, and assisted with the development of wetting-and-drying support for the 2D model. I also coordinated version management as well as the development of a scripted test suite for regression testing.

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers:

• Robbins, B., & Carver, J. "Cognitive Factors in Perspective-Based Reading: A Protocol Analysis Study." Proceedings of the 2009 International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM). October 15-16, 2009. Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
• Carruth, D., Thomas, M., & Robbins, B. (Jul 2007). Integrating Perception, Cognition, and Action for Digital Human Modeling. Proceedings of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China.
• Thomas, M., Carruth, D., Robbins, B., & McGinley, J. (Jul 2007). Modeling Human Bipedal Navigation in a Dynamic Three Dimensional Virtual Environment. Proceedings of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China.
• Robbins, B. (Jun 2007). The Case for Functional Security Requirements: Deriving a Framework for Functional Security Requirements Engineering. Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice, Las Vegas, NV: CSREA Press. (Presented)

Peer-Reviewed Conference Short Papers/Posters:

• Carruth, D., Robbins, B., Thomas, M., Letherwood, M., & Nebel, K. (Nov 2006). Symbolic Model of Perception in Dynamic 3D Environments. In Proceedings of the 25th Army Science Conference, Orlando, FL.

Invited Conference Papers:

• Robbins, B., & Carruth, D. (Jul 2009). Bridging the Gap between HCI and DHM: The Modeling of Spatial Awareness within a Cognitive Architecture.. Proceedings of HCI International 2009, San Diego, CA.

Thesis:

• B. Robbins, COGNITVE FACTORS IN PERSPECTIVE-BASED READING: A PROTOCOL ANALYSIS STUDY. http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-04032009-161814/

Bryan's academic preparation to-date spans seven years and two degrees at Mississippi State University, and since August 2009, Ph.D. work at UMCP.

Current Courses

• Fundamentals of Software Testing (Memon)
• Empirical Methods in Computer Science (Sazawal)

Previous Grad Courses - Computer Science

• Empirical Software Engineering
• Requirements Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Artificial Intelligence
• Analysis of Algorithms

Previous Grad Courses - Psychology/Cognitive Science

• Psychology Research Methods
• Quantitative Methods in Psychology
• Research in Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Cognitive Models of Skill

M.S., Computer Science, Mississippi State University, May 2009

• 3.92/4.0 GPA
• Thesis: "Cognitive Factors in Perspective-Based Reading (PBR): A Protocol Analysis Study"
• Advisor: Jeff Carver (now at University of Alabama)
• Committee Members: Ray Vaughn, Gary Bradshaw
• Cognitive Science Certificate, Administered by MSU Department of Psychology

B.S., Software Engineering and Computer Science (Double Major), Mississippi State University, December 2006

• Magna Cum Laude - 3.64/4.0 GPA
• Cooperative Education Certificate - 4 Work Semesters
• Phase II Honors Certificate - 28 Hours at Honors Level

I am a native of Clinton, Mississippi, and until August of 2009, I was a lifelong Mississippian. My home state served me well with two levels of excellent public education and plenty of research job opportunities.

In our cherished free time, my wife Christine and I enjoy attending sports games, checking out all of the DC museums, spending time outdoors, and even watching TV. I also enjoy programming, and I've usually got a couple of side projects going on.