Ashok Goel

Indian-American computer scientist

Ashok Goel

Born|

New Delhi, India

Alma mater| Ohio State University
Awards| AAAI Fellow, Fellow of Cognitive Science Society
Scientific career
Fields| Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, Computer-Aided Design, Educational Technology
Institutions| Ohio State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Thesis|  Integrating Case-Based Reasoning and Model-Based Reasoning for Adaptive Design Problem Solving (1989)
Doctoral advisor| B. Chandrasekaran
Doctoral students| Jim Davies, Eleni Stroulia
Website| http://dilab.gatech.edu/ashok-k-goel/

Ashok K. Goel is a professor of computer science and human-centered computing in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology, and the chief scientist with Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities.[1] He conducts research into cognitive systems at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cognitive science with a focus on computational design and creativity. Goel is also the principal investigator and executive director of National Science Foundation's AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education[2] and an editor emeritus of AAAI's AI Magazine.[3]

## Research and scholarship

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Conceptual design of technical systems, in particular biologically inspired engineering, provides one context for Goel's problem-driven research into cognitive systems. He has developed a theory of Structure-Behavior-Function models for understanding conceptual designs[4][5] and a theory of model-based analogical reasoning for understanding the processes of biologically inspired design.[6][7] In addition to information-processing theories of conceptual design,[8][9] he has built computational tools (such as the Design by Analogy to Nature Engine) for supporting its practice.[10][11] His 2012 TEDx talk Does Our Future Require Us To Go Back to Nature? summarizes this research.[12] In 2014, he co-edited Biologically inspired design: Computational methods and tools[13] published by Springer-Verlag. During 2008–18, Ashok was a co-director of Georgia Tech's Center of Biologically Inspired Design, and during 2012-17 he served on the board of directors of The Biomimicry Institute, including as the president of the board during 2015–17.[citation needed]

Learning about complex systems and systems thinking provides another context for Goel's use-inspired cognitive systems research. He has used Structure-Behavior-Function modeling to develop a series of interactive environments for supporting learning about complex systems[14][15] resulting in the recent web-based virtual experimentation research assistant (VERA). Smithsonian Institution's Encyclopedia of Life's webportal provides direct access to VERA to support learning about ecological systems and the scientific way of systems thinking.[16] Since 2015, Ashok has been a Faculty Fellow of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems.

## Teaching and scholarship

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During 2012–2019, Ashok was the Director of Georgia Tech's Ph.D. Program in Human-Centered Computing. Since 2019, he has been the Chief Scientist with the Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities, where he leads research on AI in education and education in AI. In 2014, Goel developed an online course on Knowledge-Based AI as part of Georgia Tech's Online Master of Science in Computer Science program.[17] In 2016, he developed Jill Watson, a virtual teaching assistant for automatically answering students’ questions in discussion forums of online classes based on the IBM Watson technology. His 2016 TEDx talk A Teaching Assistant named Jill Watson describes this experiment.[18] In 2019, he co-edited Blended learning in practice: A guide for researchers and practitioners[19] published by the MIT Press. He received AAAI's Outstanding AI Educator Award in 2019 and the University System of Georgia Regent's Award for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in 2020. Since 2021, Ashok has been the Executive Director for NSF's National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE). He was selected as an AAAI Fellow in 2021 and a Cognitive Science Society Fellow in 2022. Ashok was awarded the AAAI Distinguished Service Award in 2024.

Goel's teaching and research have been covered in The Wall Street Journal,[20] The Washington Post,[21] Wired,[22] and EdTech[23] among other media. A review article in a special issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education called virtual assistants exemplified by Jill Watson as one of the most transformative educational technologies in the digital era.[24]

## References

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1. ^ "Home | Center for 21st Century Universities". c21u.gatech.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
2. ^ admin. "Home". National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
3. ^ "Editorial Team | AI Magazine". ojs.aaai.org. Archived from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
4. ^ Structure, behavior, and function of complex systems: The structure, behavior, and function modeling language. | Ashok Goel, Spencer Rugaber & Swaroop Vattam. | AIEDAM 23(1):23-35. | 2009.
5. ^ A 30-year case study and 15 principles: implications of an artificial intelligence methodology for functional modeling. | Ashok Goel. | AIEDAM 27(3):203-215 | 2013.
6. ^ Design, analogy, and creativity | Ashok Goel. | IEEE Expert 12(3):62-70. | 1997.
7. ^ "Use of design patterns in analogy-based design. | Ashok Goel & Sambasiva Bhatta.", Advanced Engineering Informatics, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 85–94, 2004
8. ^ Biologically Inspired Design: Process and Products. | Michael Helms, Swaroop Vattam & Ashok Goel. | Design Studies 30(5):606-622. | 2009.
9. ^ A content account of creative analogies in biologically inspired design | Swaroop Vattam, Michael Helms & Ashok Goel. | AIEDAM 24(4). | 2010.
10. ^ Cognitive, collaborative, conceptual and creative—four characteristics of the next generation of knowledge-based CAD systems: a study in biologically inspired design. | Ashok Goel Swaroop Vattm, Bryan Wiltgen & Michael Helms. | Computer-Aided Design 44(10):879-900. | 2012.
11. ^ The four-box method: problem formulation and analogy evaluation in biologically inspired design. | Michael Helms & Ashok Goel. | Journal of Mechanical Design 136(11). | 2014.
12. ^ TEDx Talks (2012-11-12), Does Our Future Require Us To Go Back to Nature? | Ashok Goel | TEDxPeachtree
13. ^ Biologically inspired design: Computational methods and tools. | Ashok Goel, Daniel McAdams & Robert Stone (editors).| Springer-Verlag.
14. ^ Towards design learning environments—I: Exploring how devices work. | AK Goel, AG de Silva Garza, N Grué, JW Murdock, MM Recker, T. Govindraj. | Proceedings of the International conference on intelligent tutoring systems, LNCS 1086, pp. 493-501. | 1996.
15. ^ Understanding complex natural systems by articulating structure-behavior-function models. | SS Vattam, AK Goel, S Rugaber, CE Hmelo-Silver, R Jordan, S Gray. | Journal of Educational Technology & Society 14(1):66-81. | 2011.
16. ^ The Scientific Way of Thinking Using VERA., 2019-09-16, archived from the original on 2022-04-06, retrieved 2021-02-16
17. ^ "CS 7637: Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Systems | OMSCS | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA". www.omscs.gatech.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
18. ^ TEDx Talks (2016-11-01), A teaching assistant named Jill Watson | Ashok Goel | TEDxSanFrancisco
19. ^ Blended learning in practice: A guide for researchers and practitioners. | Amanda Madden, Lauren Margulieux, Robert Kadel & Ashok Goel (editors). | The MIT Press.
20. ^ Korn, Melissa (2016-05-06), "Imagine Discovering That Your Teaching Assistant Really Is a Robot | Melissa Korn", Wall Street Journal, archived from the original on 2017-12-28, retrieved 2017-12-29
21. ^ What happened when a professor built a chatbot to be his teaching assistant | Matt MacFarland, 2016-05-11, archived from the original on 2021-02-02, retrieved 2021-02-15
22. ^ Leopold, Todd (2016-12-13), "A Secret Ops AI Aims to Save Education | Todd Lepold", Wired, archived from the original on 2021-01-17, retrieved 2021-02-15
23. ^ Improve Online Learning and More with Artificial Intelligence | Tommy Peterson, 2020-05-05, archived from the original on 2021-03-01, retrieved 2021-02-15
24. ^ The Digital Era. | Ben Myers & Erica Lusk, 2016-12-15, archived from the original on 2021-07-04, retrieved 2021-02-15

## External links

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* Ashok Goel's Research Laboratory at Georgia Tech

Authority control databases: Academics |

* Mathematics Genealogy Project
* Google Scholar
* DBLP

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