Cris Kobryn
Encyclopedia
Cris Kobryn is an American
technologist
, system architect and entrepreneur
who specializes in advanced software and systems development.
programming languages (Prolog
, Lisp, CLOS
) and applications (expert systems, natural language processing
). He led the applications group at Harlequin Limited
that developed the Watson investigative analysis application, which was eventually acquired by Xanalys Limited.
Kobryn is best known as an expert in visual modeling
languages and model-driven development technologies. In 2003 he founded PivotPoint Technology
, a software and systems engineering services company that focuses on model-driven development technologies.
Prior to founding PivotPoint Kobryn held senior technical positions at Telelogic
, EDS
, MCI Systemhouse
, Inference Corporation, Harlequin
, and SAIC
. Before Kobryn became a software engineer he served as a commissioned officer in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, and was infantry, armor, airborne and Special Forces
qualified.
Kobryn is a member of the ACM
, IEEE, INCOSE and AAAI. He chaired large international teams of vendors and users to specify the Unified Modeling Language
(UML) 1.1 and UML 2.0 standards for software engineering, and the Systems Modeling Language
(SysML) for systems engineering. In recognition of Kobryn's contributions to the UML, the OMG
presented him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2000. In recognition of his contributions to the SysML, the INCOSE presented him with its Outstanding Service Award in 2006. In 2007 Kobryn received the SD Times 100
award for the Modeling category on behalf of the SysML Partners
open source
project that he chaired.
Kobryn received a BA degree from Colgate University
and a BSCS degree from San Diego State University
(SDSU). His multi-disciplinary graduate studies at SDSU and UCLA explored the synergies between linguistics
, computer science
and Artificial Intelligence
(AI
).
languages and model-driven development technologies, Kobryn has published a book and many papers and articles on these subjects.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
technologist
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, system architect and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who specializes in advanced software and systems development.
Biography
Kobryn began his software engineering career in the early 1980s specializing in AIAi
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
programming languages (Prolog
Prolog
Prolog is a general purpose logic programming language associated with artificial intelligence and computational linguistics.Prolog has its roots in first-order logic, a formal logic, and unlike many other programming languages, Prolog is declarative: the program logic is expressed in terms of...
, Lisp, CLOS
CLOS
The Common Lisp Object System is the facility for object-oriented programming which is part of ANSI Common Lisp. CLOS is a powerful dynamic object system which differs radically from the OOP facilities found in more static languages such as C++ or Java. CLOS was inspired by earlier Lisp object...
) and applications (expert systems, natural language processing
Natural language processing
Natural language processing is a field of computer science and linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human languages; it began as a branch of artificial intelligence....
). He led the applications group at Harlequin Limited
Harlequin (software company)
Harlequin was formerly a technology company based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts. They specialized in printing applications, graphical applications, law enforcement applications, and programming language implementations...
that developed the Watson investigative analysis application, which was eventually acquired by Xanalys Limited.
Kobryn is best known as an expert in visual modeling
Visual modeling
Visual modeling is the graphic representation of objects and systems of interest using graphical languages. Visual modeling languages may be General-Purpose Modeling languages or Domain-Specific Modeling languages...
languages and model-driven development technologies. In 2003 he founded PivotPoint Technology
PivotPoint Technology
PivotPoint Technology Corporation is a software and systems engineering services company headquartered in Fallbrook, California. PivotPoint was founded in 2003 by Cris Kobryn, a noted expert in visual modeling languages and model-driven development technologies...
, a software and systems engineering services company that focuses on model-driven development technologies.
Prior to founding PivotPoint Kobryn held senior technical positions at Telelogic
Telelogic
Telelogic AB was a software business headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. Telelogic was founded in 1983 as a research and development arm of Televerket, the Swedish department of telecom . It was later acquired by IBM Rational, and exists under the IBM software group.Telelogic had operations in 22...
, EDS
EDS
- Education :* Educational specialist , a terminal academic degree in the U.S.* Episcopal Divinity School, an Episcopal Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts* Evansville Day School, an independent college-prep school in Evansville, Indiana- Politics :...
, MCI Systemhouse
MCI Systemhouse
MCI Systemhouse , a subsidiary of Washington, DC-based MCI Communications Corporation, was the result of the merger of Canadian company SHL Systemhouse with MCI's technical services branch. The new company was formed to provide systems integration and outsourcing services.On February 11, 1999, MCI...
, Inference Corporation, Harlequin
Harlequin (software company)
Harlequin was formerly a technology company based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts. They specialized in printing applications, graphical applications, law enforcement applications, and programming language implementations...
, and SAIC
Science Applications International Corporation
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500 scientific, engineering and technology applications company headquartered in the United States with numerous federal, state, and private sector clients...
. Before Kobryn became a software engineer he served as a commissioned officer in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, and was infantry, armor, airborne and Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
qualified.
Kobryn is a member of the ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, IEEE, INCOSE and AAAI. He chaired large international teams of vendors and users to specify the Unified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
(UML) 1.1 and UML 2.0 standards for software engineering, and the Systems Modeling Language
Systems Modeling Language
The Systems Modeling Language is a general-purpose modeling language for systems engineering applications. It supports the specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of a broad range of systems and systems-of-systems. SysML was originally developed by an open source specification...
(SysML) for systems engineering. In recognition of Kobryn's contributions to the UML, the OMG
OMG
OMG may refer to:*Oh My goodness, or Oh My Gosh, a common abbreviation used in SMS and Instant Messaging*omg!, a celebrity news and gossip Web site run by Yahoo.com...
presented him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2000. In recognition of his contributions to the SysML, the INCOSE presented him with its Outstanding Service Award in 2006. In 2007 Kobryn received the SD Times 100
SD Times
Software Development Times, better known as SD Times, is a magazine published by BZ Media, in both a print version and an on-line electronic edition. It has been published since 2000. Since 2003, it has published an annual award list, the "SD Times 100", which honors the top 100 leaders and...
award for the Modeling category on behalf of the SysML Partners
SysML Partners
SysML Partners is a consortium of software tool vendors and industry leaders organized in 2003 to create the Systems Modeling Language , a dialect of UML customized for systems engineering...
open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
project that he chaired.
Kobryn received a BA degree from Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
and a BSCS degree from San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
(SDSU). His multi-disciplinary graduate studies at SDSU and UCLA explored the synergies between linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
(AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
).
Publications
As an expert in visual modelingVisual modeling
Visual modeling is the graphic representation of objects and systems of interest using graphical languages. Visual modeling languages may be General-Purpose Modeling languages or Domain-Specific Modeling languages...
languages and model-driven development technologies, Kobryn has published a book and many papers and articles on these subjects.
- Gogolla, M and Kobryn, C [Eds.] (2001). UML 2001 - The Unified Modeling Language, 4th International Conference, Toronto, Canada, October 2001 Proceedings, Springer.
- Kobryn, C (2004). "UML 3.0 and the Future of Modeling", Software and Systems Modeling, 3(1):4–8.