Biodata

Basic Information
NAME : Eldon G. Marks

D.O.B. : 1984/05/14

Research Interests

  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) & Groupware
  • Web-based System Development
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)



Autobiographical Sketch



I was born in Guyana in 1984, the youngest of three offspring from a multi-ethnic marriage. My parents were of humble backgrounds and of that interesting Caribbean mix; my father of Chinese descent and my mother of African descent, but both of them being able to trace ancestors from India and Europe. As a child, their stories of perseverance and overcoming the odds inculcated in me a sense of reality and moral fiber. In the company of my older siblings, I developed psychological maturity and a sense of discipline at an early age. I managed to retain my childish inquisitiveness, however, that left no device or toy of mine intact, always captivated by the discovery of what made things work as well as the challenge of making them work once again, or even better.

I grew up in Georgetown attending the Bishops' High School. I was a fairly reserved teenager, actively engaged in Scouting and drawn to subjects that allowed me to explore my creativity. My natural talent for visual arts was further explored in high school and drawing became a hobby of mine. I performed well academically, often receiving rewards for leading the class. At this time, my interest in computers began, partially stimulated by my passion for technology but primarily through hands-on experiments involving my first computer.

In August of 2000, I enrolled in the computer science program at the University of Guyana. Shortly afterwards, my father suffered a debilitating stroke that left him partially paralyzed and bed-ridden. This unexpectedly altered lifestyle automatically made me 'man of the house' at the age of sixteen. To generate needed income for the household, I circulated business cards and took my expertise to the industry, usually developing websites and servicing computers in the midst of my studies at the University.

Three years into my degree program, the intriguing world of Computer Science research and development refined and strengthened my original interests. Through this, I managed to regain my focus once divided in the wake of my father's ailment and applied myself with renewed fervor. Over the remainder of my degree, my passion and prowess for the field was manifested in my work. I was commended by the Head of Department for the quality of my undergraduate research project, which I later presented and published at a regional conference. It was through my undergraduate performance, I believe, that I was later offered a position at the university as a young member of staff.

In August of 2004, I assumed the position of Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Guyana. Becoming a colleague of my former teachers, though surreal, set in motion my professional evolution. My role was primarily to undertake research. In addition, I administered tutorial and lab sessions for Java-based and web-based system development courses. As part of the department I co-authored many research projects, spanning a variety of disciplines. Additionally, I was able to further apply my skills to industry by undertaking several development projects, expanding my business sense and experience as a developer. Teaching became my motivation. I found it invigorating to stand before a group of students, share my knowledge and witness the nods and other expressions indicative of learning. Over time, my performance in the classroom, granted me opportunities to lecture courses in Advanced Java and Interactive Internet Computing which greatly contributed to my enlightenment as a young educator.

Overall, because of my experiences, acquaintances and roles to date, I have evolved from an enthusiastic but apprehensive teenager into an experienced young adult, confident in my capabilities and ambitions. I now look ahead to become qualified at the Doctorate level in the field of Computer Science that has, thus far, granted me direction and purpose.

Résumé

ELDON G. MARKS

Make Contact

eldon.marks@markslogic.com
www.markslogic.com/portfolio



OBJECTIVE
  To work within a research and development environment.
EDUCATION
 


August 2008 - December 2009
M.Sc. Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Howard University, Washington DC. GPA: 4.0/4.0
August 2000 - July 2004
B.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana GPA
Major: 3.6/4.0

Awards

  • 2009 - Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Department of Systems & Computer Science, Howard University
  • 2008 - Tuition Award, Howard University Graduate School

  • TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES / SKILLS
     


  • Highly creative developer and active researcher engaged in independent and collaborative research for over five years. Key areas of interest are human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence.
  • Experienced Drupal developer and specialist in web-based interface development.
  • Programming: C, C#, C++ .NET, Java, Python, Perl, Assembly (X86, MIPS)

    Web Programming / Design: J2EE, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, XHTML, XML, AJAX, GWT

    Database Development: MySQL, DB2, ER Diagramming, SQL

    Applications: LaTeX, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS Powerpoint, Adobe Creative Suite

    Analysis/Design: Object Oriented Analysis & Design (OOAD), UML and UP

    Operating Systems: Windows 2000 server, Windows 2003 Server, Ubuntu, Redhat, Suse, Mandrake, Solaris, Fedora


    PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
     


    2006 - present University of Guyana, Department of Computer Science
     

    Lecturer I

    Revise, prepare and deliver lectures to students; plan and deliver lab and tutorial sessions. Compose and grade course assignments, semester projects and exams for respective courses. Hold office hours and provide additional guidance to students outside of class. Supervise undergraduate student research.


    2004 - 2006University of Guyana, Department of Computer Science
     

    Assistant Lecturer

    Understudied and assisted primary Lecturers in lab sessions and lectures. Assisted in grading and design of course assignments, projects and exams; supervised exams and provided additional assistance to students outside of class.
    Worked along with students in their final year research projects.


    2000 - 2004 Self-Employed
     

    Computer Technician

    Provided computer systems solutions and services to various establishments and individual clients.


     

    Projects

  • 2010. Developed the Faculty of Social Sciences website.
  • 2008. Developed the Appropriate Technology website.
  • 2008. Developed the Guyana Power & Light web-based information system.
  • 2008. Designed and Developed PHP web-template for Guyana Water Incorporated.
  • 2007. Designed and developed the Brandsville Apartments website
  • 2007. Designed and developed the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport website
  • 2007. Developed web-based newsletter templates for the Guyana National Trust
  • 2007. Developed a web-based management system for the Bed and Breakfast Secretariat of Guyana
  • 2006. Developed the Banks DIH web-based information system
  • 2006. Designed and developed the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences website
  • 2006. Designed and developed the University of Guyana website
  • 2005. Designed and developed a tailored Intranet Monitoring Utility (IntraMon) for the Computer Science Lab.
  • 2005. Implemented a web-casting server as part of the "Radio & Multimedia Production Programme for Community Media" - Centre for Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana
  • 2005. Designed and developed the University of Guyana – Centre for Communication Studies (UGCCS) website
  • 2005. Designed and developed the Strategic Environmental Assessment of Mining – Guyana website
  • 2005. Designed and developed the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) website.
  • 2004. Developed a web-based file system explorer (Xplorer) for the Department of Computer Science.
  • 2004. Developed and implemented a Course Directory Service for the Department of Computer Science
  • 2004. Designed and developed the Department of Computer Science website.
  • 2004. Designed and developed the UNEP-GEF Biosafety Guyana website.
  • 2004. Developed the 7th Caribbean and International Social Work Educators Conference website
  •  

    Activities

  • 2010. Served as IT Consultant at the Guyana Elections Commission GECOM - IT Department.
  • 2008. Served as Summer Programme Coordinator – Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana.
  • 2008. Delivered a Guest Lecture on ICT & The Environment – School of Earth & Environmental Science, University of Guyana.
  • 2008. Served as member of the IT Steering Committee & Technical Team, University of Guyana.
  • 2006. Served as Projects Coordinator, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana.
  • 2006. Delivered a Guest Lecture on web-streaming - Centre for Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana.
  • 2005. Administered a workshop on Web-casting as part of the “Radio & Multimedia Production Programme for Community Media” - Centre for Communication Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana.
  • 2004. Presenter at 14th Biennial General Meeting – Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS); presented publication entitled: "Gestures Speak Louder than Emoticons: A Practical Implementation of Non-Verbal Communication Improvements on Text-Chat", Trinidad & Tobago.

  • RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
     


  • Marks, E. (2008). The Infojector: Maximizing Textual Information Assimilation Using an Enhanced Information Interface (In Submission to Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS) 2008), Grenada.
  • Barakat, F., Marks, E. (2008). Computer Supported Cognitive Enhancement: The Formulation of an Intelligence Augmentation Cognitive Model Based on the Cognitively Beneficial Effects of Programming.
  • De Freitas, P. Marks, E. (2008). An Exploration of Methods for Effectively Conveying Math Concepts to Right-Brained Individuals.
  • Morris, A., Marks, E. (2008). MIA: A Digitally Emulated Consciousness Based on the Abstraction of Human Logic in Conversation.
  • Peters, T., Marks, E. (2007). People HR: An Investigation In Utilizing Groupware to Support High Involvement Human Resource Management for a Highly Productive Workforce.
  • Calixte, N., Marks, E. (2007). The Vote Aggregation and Reporting System: A Cost-effective, Electronic, and Fraud Proof Voting System for National Elections.
  • Singh, K., Marks, E. (2007). Exploiting the SMS Text Messaging Medium in Guyana: An exploration in linguistic compression to overcome the constraints of SMS.
  • Fileen, K., Marks, E. (2007). Job-Opp: A Cost-effective, Web-based Job Search Application with Integrated Web Conferencing for the Caribbean Region.
  • Ojha, T., Marks, E. (2007). Digital Georgetown: A Multi-functional, Web-based GIS System for the City of Georgetown, Guyana.
  • Braithwaite, R., Marks, E. (2006). Digital Palmistry: An Exploration of Computer Vision to Visually Analyse Palm Prints.
  • Dos Santos, S., Marks, E. (2006). Edu-Tracker: A Performance Tracking & Report Generating Application for Educational Institutions.
  • Ramotar, M., Marks, E. (2006). Voice Chat in Sign Language: The Development of a Voice Chat that Allows the Hearing Impaired to Communicate Effectively Through “Signing” (In Submission to World Science Day Symposium 2006), Guyana.
  • Persaud, L., Parmanand, A, Marks, E. (2006). NOBRAC LA Afis: An Investigation into the Use of Biometrics, AI, & Computer Vision to Ensure Security & Authenticity of Identifying an Individual (In Submission to World Science Day Symposium 2006), Guyana.
  • Dubaria, G., Marks, E. (2006). Introducing Ecommerce In Guyana: A Deployable, Secure & Cost Effective Framework.
  • Azeez, A., Koobare, V., Marks, E. (2006). Smarty Pants: An Interactive Learning Utility for Children.
  • Israel, P., Marks, E. (2005). A Linear Ecological Simulation Application.
  • Henry, C., Marks, E. (2005). WordSync: A Collaborative Word Processing. Application.
  • Deonauth, N., Layne, N., Marks, E. (2005). SmartFrog: An Interactive Learning Utility (In Submission to World Science Day Symposium 2006), Guyana.
  • Sookraj, G., Marks, E. (2005). An Intelligent Medical Data Archiving and Analysis System.
  • Chan, C., Marks, E. (2005). A Remote, Web-based Controller (In Submission to World Science Day Symposium 2006), Guyana.
  • Marks, E., Williams, M. (2004). Gestures Speak Louder than Emoticons: A Practical Implementation of Non-Verbal Communication Improvements on Text-Chat (In Submission to Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS) 2004), Trinidad & Tobago.
  • last updated on: 28-03-2009 |