We have been developing knowledge-rich community models. Such models are composed of complex entities which change through time and which interact with each other in sometimes highly predictable and, at other times, in very surprising ways. We will discuss the potential for these models to be used in explanation, argumentation, narrative, and tutoring systems.
Robert (Bob) Allen is developing a model-oriented approach to information organization which applies aspects of cognitive science, linguistics, and software engineering to rich semantic descriptions in areas such as eScience and digital humanities. His previous work has ranged from recommender systems to neural networks. Bob studied at Reed College and got his doctorate in experimental psychology at UCSD. He joined the Research organization at Bell Laboratories to support their work on the "office of the future". He then moved to the Bellcore Applied Research group in information science and digital libraries. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the ACM Transactions on Information Systems for 10 years and later Chair of the ACM Publications Board. Since 1998 he has taught at number of universities around the world.