![[Michael Winikoff (August 2004)]](images/michael-aug04.jpg)
Department of Information Science
University of Otago
PO Box 56
Dunedin, 9054
New Zealand
Tel +64 3 479 8386
Fax +64 3 479 8311
Teaching & Learning
"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
I spent the last year (September 2008-August 2009) working with
Educational Media at the
Higher Education Development Centre of the
University of Otago, looking at applications of technology in teaching and learning.
In semester one 2010 I am involved in the following papers:
Research
"Computer science is no more about computers than Astronomy is about
telescopes" -- E.W. Dijkstra
(1930-2002)
The overall aim of my research is to find better ways of creating software. I
am interested in (agent oriented) software engineering, programming languages,
and logic and formal methods.
Over the past decade I have focussed on software that is conceptualised in
terms of "intelligent agents" which are able to exhibit robust and
flexible behaviour. This approach has attracted interest since it is able to
operate successfully in environments that are failure prone and highly dynamic.
There are a number of successful applications, and a number of companies that
specialise in this area.
My work, which mostly falls within the area of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering, has made significant contributions in a number of areas:
- Concepts for designing agent software including the crucial role that is played by goals and how (and why) they should be explicitly represented in agent systems.
- Design methodologies for agent-based systems, in particular the Prometheus methodology.
- Techniques for designing and implementing flexible and robust interactions between agents, including both goal-based techniques and techniques based on commitment machines.
- Techniques for debugging and for software maintenance of agent systems.
- Agent-oriented programming languages.
- Applying social expectations to monitoring interactions (which can be software-software, software-humans, or computer-mediated human-human interaction).
Please see my publications
and students
for further details.
I am a member of
SECML here at the University of Otago, and a former member of the
RMIT Agent group.
My
Erdös number is 3.
Software
I have written a range of software including
W-Prolog,
Lygon,
auml.pl,
and
SmartGuide.
I used to maintain a list of
alternatives to C for programming PalmPilots but with fatherhood I've had
less time for "geek toys" ...
Personal
"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms
for bears to dance to, while we long to make
music that will melt the stars."
--Gustave Flaubert, "Madame Bovary"
I am a keen musician: I play piano, sing in choirs, sometimes conduct choirs,
and have been known to compose on occasion.