computer science

Michael Collins (computational linguist)

Michael Collins (computational linguist) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Michael Collins (computational linguist) rather than just read about it. In short: Michael J. Collins (born 4 March 1970) is a researcher in the field of computational linguistics.

Key takeaways

Michael Collins (computational linguist) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Michael Collins (computational linguist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Michael Collins (computational linguist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Michael J. Collins (born 4 March 1970) is a researcher in the field of computational linguistics. He is the Vikram S. Pandit Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. His research interests are in natural language processing as well as machine learning and he has made important contributions in statistical parsing and in statistical machine learning. In his studies Collins covers a wide range of topics such as parse re-ranking, tree kernels, semi-supervised learning, machine translation and exponentiated gradient algorithms with a general focus on discriminative models and structured prediction. One notable contribution is a state-of-the-art parser for the Penn Wall Street Journal corpus. As of 11 November 2015, his works have been cited 16,020 times, and he has an h-index of 47. Collins worked as a researcher at AT&T Labs between January 1999 and November 2002, and later held the positions of assistant and associate professor at M.I.T. Since January 2011, he has been a professor at Columbia University. In 2011, he was named a fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics.

References

External links Parser for Penn Wall Street Journal corpus Collins's Columbia website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Michael Collins (computational linguist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Michael Collins (computational linguist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Michael Collins (computational linguist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Michael Collins (computational linguist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Michael Collins (computational linguist)

In research: Michael Collins (computational linguist) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Michael Collins (computational linguist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Michael Collins (computational linguist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1971 births, Artificial intelligence researchers, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Michael Collins (computational linguist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Michael Collins (computational linguist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Michael Collins (computational linguist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Michael Collins (computational linguist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Michael Collins (computational linguist) in simple terms?

Michael J. Collins (born 4 March 1970) is a researcher in the field of computational linguistics.

Why does Michael Collins (computational linguist) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Michael Collins (computational linguist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Michael Collins (computational linguist).