Engineering
February 21, 2020
Martin Cenek, associate professor of computer science, loves to solve problems. With a background in machine learning and complex systems, Cenek is solving problems with his students in the Shiley School of Engineering.
“Part of my research in intelligent cyber-physical systems is to develop new data-driven machine learning models to help our society better manage our resources,” Cenek said. “I like to explore a variety of questions which I would not be able to do if I joined the industry.”
Cenek’s projects in intelligent cyber-physical systems include modeling reliability of a renewable power generator under changing weather conditions, understanding the composition and contamination in residential recyclable materials as well as residential solid waste, modeling athletic performance from wearable bio-physical sensors, and studying the water use patterns in rural Alaska.
Cenek encourages his students to participate in undergraduate research to help bridge the gap between the classroom and real-world computer science practice.
“The field of computer science advances so incredibly fast with new tools, programming languages, and technologies,” Cenek said. “Undergraduate research gives students the additional high level tools that help them evaluate, critique, adopt, and keep up with these new trends.”
After taking his classes and labs, Cenek hopes his students become well rounded computer science scholars and thinkers.
“I hope my students are passionate, curious, and have a desire to learn for the rest of their lives,” Cenek said. “If I could give them one piece of advice, it would be for them to contribute to a project that makes a difference in people’s lives.”
Cenek graduated with his advanced degree in computer science in 2011 and studied artificial intelligence with a focus on complex and adaptive systems. Since then, he has been working as a transdisciplinary scientist in the fields of intelligent cyber-physical systems and in complex systems.
Outside of his classroom or lab, Cenek loves to explore the outdoors with his family and is an avid climber, bicyclist, mountaineer and skier.
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