Celeste C. Horner

Meta-linguistics and Cognitive Information Systems

Master of Library and Information Science, Syracuse, 1991
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, magna cum laude, Northeastern University, 1988
IBM Watson Scholar, Stanford University, 1982 ~ 1985

__________________________________________________

celeste.horner@gmail.com
celeste@digitalthought.info

DINOSAUR RESEARCH with JACK HORNER Curator, Museum of the Rockies Paleontology, Montana State University

DIGITAL MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF DINOSAUR FOSSILS Assisted Jack Horner, who as the inspiration of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novel and was the technical advisor of the Jurassic Park movie My computer modeling contributed to determination of dinosaur bite force, running speed, sound generation, and embryo size Administered the 3-D imaging laboratory at the Museum of the Rockies, Dinosaur Paleontology Research Lab, Montana State University, Bozeman Operated 3-D laser scanner, created VRML models of dinosaur skulls Imported tape data from hospital CT scans of dinosaur bones Created 3-D models and animations Contributor to T-rex bite force finite element analysis studies Nature publication co-author Hypacrosaur nasal passage model part of research background for dinosaur sounds helped pioneer use of CT scans in dinosaur paleontogy

Celeste Horner uses a 3-D laser scanner to create a computer model of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull. Museum of the Rockies Paleontology Laboratory, Montana State University.

The Scaling Issue: Can you super-size a chicken to the size of a T-rex? How fast was T-rex? ScienceDaily 10/12/2011 Using the computer model to scale a chicken up to the size of T. rex (that's a 13,228-pound chicken), Hutchinson and Garcia showed that such an animal would require about 99 percent of its body mass in each leg as muscle in order to sprint. "That's far more than is possible," Hutchinson observes. "A giant chicken could not even walk." Scientific American PLOSONE

The 3D Einosaurus model I made was used in the Discovery Channel documentary Beyond T.rex (1997) Exerpt from Dinosaur Hunting: A Time Team Special, 2001. Simon Raikes, Director.

BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

by Celeste Horner
in Dinosaur Lives by John R. Horner and Edwin Dobb

click to enlarge

DINOSAUR DISCOVERIES and RESEARCH

I discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the badlands of Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana. Deemed the largest T-rex in the world at the time, it was named C-rex after me. BBC News: Dig pulls up five T. rex specimens First dinosaur eggs from a particular formation in Spain. Recent news: WIRED CONTRIBUTIONS CT scans of Allosaurus fragilis used to determine bite force Running speed of T-rex Sound of hypacrosaurus based on nasal cavity morphology revealed by CT scan

Hi, I'm Celeste Horner. I'm with two members of my robot collection: Robbie, who can record and deliver messages and cargo along a programmable route, the a voice command Star Wars R2D2 droid

• INVENTED the DigitalThought.info
  KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
  • Natural Language Comprehension System
  • Learns by reading
  • Converts text to structured info
  • Automated question answering
  • Answers questions with specific data
  • Answers who, what, where, when, which, is, do. Also why, how
  • Encodes genuine language insight
  • Compatible with machine learning methods
  • Cites references
  • Links to images
  • Generates knowledge review quizzes
  • Able to declare reasoning process
  • Performs ontological inference
  • Recognizes connotations, language nuance
  • No proprietary syntax, just plain English
• IBM WATSON JEOPARDY VICTORY ANALYSIS (2011) - Developed algorithms to reproduce IBM Watson's historic Jeopardy-winning question answering performance by refining Google output, filtering for data type. Online report. PBS published my semantics question to IBM Watson lead developer Dave Ferrucci under the caption Tough Questions.

  

• SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR, DINOSAUR PALEONTOLOGY 3-D IMAGING LABORATORY (1994 - 2004)
  Dinosaur Paleontology Imaging Laboratory, Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University
  • Administered Sun and Silicon Graphics unix systems
  • Created 3-D laser scans of dinosaur skeletons
  • Produced digital animations, morphs, and scientific visualizations
  • Operated volumetric imaging programs for analyzing CT scan data
  • Created multi-media, web-based curatorial data system for fossil collection
  • DINOSAUR RESEARCH. T-REX DISCOVERY. Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University
    • Discovered world record size T-rex, which was named C-rex, after me.
    • Discovered new dinosaur egg site in Tremp Basin, near Barcelona, Spain
    • Contributed to bite force, running speed, sound generation, and embryonic studies;
    • Co-author of Nature publication
• REFERENCE LIBRARIAN and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIST. Led HTML training workshops for faculty, geographic information system beta tester, Engineering Library and Mann Life Sciences Library, Cornell University (1991 - 1994)
• DIGITAL LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION. Digital preservation of historic manuscripts. Hyperlink engineering. Xerox project at Cornell. (1990, 1994)

"Hieroglyphics," Prof. Colleen Darnell. 2021

"LING 601 Research - Semantics 415," University of Oregon, Linguistics, Prof. Vesevolod M. Kapatsinsky, 2013  

"Web Intelligence and Big Data" www.coursera.org, Prof. Gautam Schroff, 2012 

"Semantic Information Integration", University of Oregon, Computer Science, Prof. Dejing Dou, 2008 

Class A, Commercial Driver's License with doubles, triples, tanker and hazardous materials endorsements,

IITR Trucking Institute, Creswell, OR, 2004.

"Artificial Intelligence", Montana State University, Computer Science,  Prof. John Paxton, 2000

Master of Library and Information Science, Syracuse University. 1991

"Neurobiology of Behavior", Cornell University, Prof. Elizabeth Regan, 1989 

Doctoral candidate, Materials Engineering, Cornell University. 1988

Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University, 1988

IBM Watson Merit Scholar, Stanford University, 1982-1985

Dinosaur Lives. Unearthing an Evolutionary Saga. (New York: Harper Collins).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

John R. Hutchinson, et al (2011). A Computational Analysis of Limb and Body Dimensions in Tyrannosaurus rex with Implications for Locomotion, Ontogeny, and Growth. PLOSONE.org

Katsura, Yoshihiro (2017). Ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in Champsosaurs. PhD thesis. Montana State University

Drunkenmiller, Patrick (2017). Osteology and relationships of a plesiosaur (Sauropterygia) from the Thermopolis Shale (lower Cretaceous) of Montana. Master of Science thesis. Montana State University

CURRENT RESEARCH

Deciphering ancient Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions (2021)

REFLECTIONS ON CHINESE CHARACTERS

Calligraphy: Spirit of the Chinese Character by by Barbara Aria and Russell Eng Gon

I am inspired by Chinese characters, poems in form and motion. The strokes are to be executed in a particular order, forming a pattern in both space and time. The combination of conceptual symbols used to express an idea provokes contemplation.

TE: CHINESE SYMBOL FOR VIRTUE = VISION + COMMITMENT + ACTION

My interpretation of the VIRTUE character:

MAN IN ACTION: The first three strokes of this character form the side radical depicting a man, legs spread apart. It may also allude to the was, wisdom sceptre of Egyptian hieroglyphs. A short stroke above shows the man is in motion. Taking action.

VISION: The second component is a plus sign, representing the number 10 over a window-like character representing the eye and its pupil. The number 10 shows that vision is magnified. There is insight.

DEDICATION: The bottom right section shows the entrails of a heart over which there is a bar signifying the number one. The heart is unified. The person is committed to his cause.

VIRTUE = VISION + DEDICATION + ACTION. So together, we have the secret of virtue - insightful, magnified vision, commitment to purpose, and action. I am inspired by this Chinese conception of virtue.

The goal of my research is to make the architecture of abstract ideas and concepts transparent so that they can be readily shared between people, and with machines capable of storing and augmenting knowledge.

------- LANGUAGE  SKILLS -------

Proficient in French. Working knowledge of Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. Studied word meaning variability in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek using concordances and interlinear multiple translation editions. Some experience with Swahili, Sanskrit and Arabic. Delved into Chinese for insight into one of the most cryptic languages for westerners. Particularly fascinated by how abstract ideas find elegant and concise visual expression in the written Chinese characters. For instance, the symbol for tranquility poetically depicts a leaf drifting passively in harmony with the currents of a stream.

------- PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE -------

Perl and unix enthusiast. Author web pages in HTML. Created 3D models and animations with VRML. Speech recognition routines made with AppleScript in Mac OS. Wrote routines to import raw volumetric data from medical CT scans. Worked with AutoCAD and 3D laser surface scanners. First language: Fortran. Some coursework in C, C++, Prolog, and Java. Read music and have composed orchestral work using MIDI software. Experimented with micro-controllers for robotic applications.

------- CAREER HISTORY -------

* AI SOFTWARE DEVELOPER & KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM ENGINEER (2000 - present)

Developed a software system to emulate the effect of words on the mind. Invented Digital Thought, knowledge management system that communicates in natural language, takes notes, answers questions, generates tutorials, and gives knowledge quizzes.

* 18 WHEELER OWNER-OPERATOR, Fort Worth, TX (2004 - 2007)

Licensed to drive a 80,000 lb big rig! Able to shift a 13-gear manual transmission. Hold endorsements for tanks, double, and triple trailers. Certified to handle hazardous materials. 

Hauled beer, steak, watermelons, ATM machines, exotic car parts, flowers, chocolate, phone books, diapers, Christmas wreaths, military hardware, and even computers for one of Google's hush-hush data center projects! Traveled everywhere from Key West to Calgary with a Harley Davidson strapped to the nose of my twin stack, long nose  Freightliner! Experienced first hand the breadth and heart of America. Saw how things are made, and where they come from. Responsible for booking freight, customer relations, trip documentation, financial accounting, truck maintenance, and the often heroic effort of getting the load cross-country on time while complying with DOT regulations. 

Qualified to buy my own truck after initial road experience as an employee driver for Lisa Motor Lines (Fort Worth, TX) and J.B. Hunt Transportation (Dallas, TX). As a business operator and truck owner with a team driver employee, leased to Dart (Eagan, MN), Tantara (Canton, MI) and Landstar Ranger (Jacksonville, FL). 

Trucking theme music. Josh Turner - Would you go with me - If we rolled from town to town and never shut it down? My trucking experience was like a musical, rambling down the roads to the tempo and theme music of the place and time

* COMPUTER SPECIALIST and DINOSAUR RESEARCHER. Paleontology Dept. Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT (1995 -2004)

I discovered the world's biggest T-rex at a Montana site in 2000. High-tech approaches to studying dinosaur bone included Laser scanning, computer animation. I contributed raw data for biomechanical analysis which was used to deduce how fast T-rex could run. CT scans and finite element analysis led to more accurate estimates of the bite force of theropod dinosaurs. Computer modeling and rapid prototyping of a Hypacrosaurus nasal passage to approximate vocal traits helped inspire a scene in the movie Jurassic Park III.

Programmed Sun and SGI unix servers. Made curatorial database and website for the paleontology department, which included images and scientific information about the fossil collection. Circled the globe on field expeditions to Mongolia, Argentina, France and Tanzania. Gave television and print interviews. Helped host patrons during fund-raisers.

* ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST. Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY (1990 - 1994)

Electronic resources librarian. New technology tester. Led workshops for faculty demonstrating how to create web pages to publish information and to enhance instruction. Responsible for incubating, evaluating and demonstrating beta software for video conferencing and geographic information systems. Participated in one of the first digital library projects, a collaboration between Cornell University, Sun Microsystems and Xerox. Medieval manuscripts and historic mathematics texts were scanned. Hyper-linked access to the rare texts was provided via the internet. EDUCOM trade show delegate. Provided reference services for both the Engineering and Life Sciences libraries. 

RESEARCH INTERN Xerox. (1990)

* ACQUISITIONS PROCESSOR. Cornell University Library, Ithaca, NY (1988-1989)

Book lover's dream job. Registered exotic, gorgeous, fascinating and often newly-published texts on all subjects that constantly streamed into Cornell University's premier library collection from all over the world. Searched authority sources such as the Library of Congress and OCLC for MARC records. Edited and updated when necessary. Often used foreign language skills to decipher cryptic invoices in French, German, Arabic, Tagalog and Icelandic.

* INTERN. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California (1982)