Dr. Tim Finin  is a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and serves as an iCubed Faculty Mentor to freshman students majoring in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.  His research focuses on applying Artificial Intelligence techniques to enhance the capabilities and usability of computer systems and applications.  He is currently working on the Semantic Web, mobile computing, analyzing and extracting information from text and social media, and enhancing information system security and privacy.

What is your mentoring philosophy?  To paraphrase the African proverb, it takes a University to train a student.  One of the things I try to do is to help students understand the many options that are available and how they can benefit from them.  In addition to courses and programs this includes people -- faculty, staff and other students.  I try to make concrete suggestions about faculty, advanced students and UMBC organizations that they can talk to about their academic interests, questions or problems.  Any single individual or organization is limited in what they know or can do, so developing a network amplifies the potential benefits.  Learning to reach out to others, form professional relationships, and develop and use professional networks are skills that will serve them well after graduation.

What do you enjoy most about mentoring students?  Research is largely search.  I’ve always liked a quote attributed to two-time Nobel Lauriat Linus Pauling, “The best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas”, and have found it true in my own work.  I like working with students because the interactions generate new thoughts and ideas and everyone benefits.  While a teacher’s role is to expose students to new ideas and help then understand them, the exchange goes both ways.  Students new to a field bring fresh perspectives and often ask questions that I don’t know how to answer and make me think.