Charles E. D. Robinson
Charles E. D. Robinson - Friend, Associate Researcher and Consultant to the CHC, Mt. Zion Project Development
Charles E. D. Robinson is a lifelong resident of Houston, Texas and has been married to Nancy Ellsworth Robinson for thirty-two years - together they have two grown children. A 1976 business school graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Charles has been active in the oil and gas exploration business for over thirty years and is currently pursuing several projects in the energy field as an independent. He is the son of Charles L. Robinson (1921-2009), a pioneer in the geophysical contracting business serving the oil and gas exploration sector. Charles has developed a keen interest in the archaeological excavations of the Southern Levant, the Holy Land and Jerusalem, along with techniques for enhancing archaeological exploration. One such technology is Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), a subsurface geophysical imaging technology which has been applied with great success in recent years at Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, and has helped to advance the science of archaeology in general. On a visit to Jerusalem in June of 2009, and through his association and friendship with Michael S. Pincus, Charles was introduced to Dr. Jessie Pincus and Dr. Shimon Gibson.
Charles E. D. Robinson's support of the Texas A&M University CHC Mount Zion Project, honors the life of his father, Charles L. Robinson (1921-2009), a pioneer in the geophysical contracting business serving the oil and gas industry, who made the challenging transition from analog to digital recording and processing of seismic data. As a young officer, Mr. Robinson helped take the Houston based Robert H. Ray Geophysical Company to the Middle East and North Africa, negotiating and managing numerous geophysical surveys during the 1950's and 1960's. He later formed his own geophysical company, conducting surveys all over the world, including numerous marine surveys and the North Slope of Alaska at Prudhoe Bay. Mr. Robinson graduated from the USMA at West Point, Class of 1946, and pursued a life-long passion for applied physics and geophysics. In honor of his father, Charles seeks to support the advancement of education and science in the field of archaeology and related work, including raising public awareness and participation. The CHC Mount Zion Project is just such a multi-disciplined endeavor, where advanced survey technology is being used, including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), a geophysical tool for acquiring subsurface survey data, building 3-D models and identifying anomalies - all in an effort to "see" what's beneath the ground in advance of actual excavation.
Charles explains:
"I met Dr. Jessie Pincus and Dr. Shimon Gibson for the first time at
Jerusalem in June of 2009, and was given an orientation to the project on
the ground. Through my friendship with Michael S. Pincus, I was already
familiar with Jessie's work with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), a
geophysical imaging technique being used to conduct subsurface 3D surveys at
archaeological sites. I decided at that time, with Jessie already at the
university doing her post doctoral, it would be great to bring Shimon and
the whole Mount Zion project to Texas A&M, so I began working with Michael
Pincus to help make that happen. I believed that the university not only
stood to gain, but had much to offer in a variety of disciplines. I also
knew that through a "Texas-Israel" exchange and the relationships developed,
the university, its students and faculty, Texas and Israel would all be
enriched. On a personal note, a significant part of my interest and energy
to help bring the Mount Zion archaeological project to Texas A&M and get it
established with the CHC, is to honor my father, Charles L. Robinson
(1921-2009). Dad was a pioneer in the geophysical contracting business who
made the challenging transition from analog to digital in conducting seismic
surveys in the oil and gas industry. He shot seismic all over the world,
including North Africa and the Middle East. He would have been keenly
interested in the archaeological projects being developed in Jerusalem, the
problems being tackled and the technology being applied, especially GPR. I
share many of my father's interests and will enjoy knowing that this
particular work would have engaged and gratified him on many levels."
Michael S. Pincus
Michael S. Pincus is an Information Technology executive, strategist, and analyst, who has given professional counsel to government, defense, and commercial enterprises in many fields over the last 25 years. Operating through his US company Mnemotrix Systems, Inc., begun in 1986 as a technology developer and integrator for Advanced Information Systems applications, he provides custom intelligent agent database, and information mining, fusion and analysis services hosted and distributed over the Internet to clients world-wide. His work includes advanced methods in data mining for retrieving and correlating text and images using simple concepts and ideas.
In 2005, after moving to Israel, he established Mnemotrix Israel, Ltd., to to continue delivering these information services and to create new innovations in intelligent database design, geographic information systems utilizing spatial analysis methods and other unique technology.
In 2006 working with his partner Ardyn Halter in Israel, they established
Imaginative Access Ltd, an Israeli company focused on building and hosting Smart Art Image, Film/Animation and Sound library applications using "Imaginative Access" technology for museums and private collections worldwide.
Mr. Pincus has a background of many years of hands-on experience in high performance information processing and analysis. Having founded Thunderstone Software/Expansion Programs International, Inc. in 1981, which became a world leader in advanced information technology and builders of Ebay and Dogpile, he went on to design and implement advanced text application systems and computing applications for NASA, the Dept of Agriculture, the Dept of Energy, the Dept of Defense and other branches of the U.S. Government, for private corporations and educational institutions worldwide, and contributed to much of the early R&D in Artificial Intelligence in the field of Information Mining and Data Fusion.
Beginning in 2005, Mr. Pincus, operating through Mnemotrix Israel, Ltd., in his capacity as a research associate of Bar Ilan University, Martin Szusz Dept of Land of Israel Studies, built and hosts a Smart GIS (Geographical Information System) for Israel's ADASR (Ancient Desert Agriculture Systems Revived) program, for and in association with the Jewish National Fund, Israel Antiquities Authority, the University of Arizona's IALC and the University of New Mexico's prestigious Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC). This system, built and accessible through the Internet for this project, represents a paradigm shift in Smart Geo-Referencing and dynamic spatial analysis capability as it applies to GIS. In addition, Mr. Pincus built and hosts for the Martin Szusz Dept of Land of Israel Studies an advanced technology Intelligent Research Database of related archaeological, geological and agricultural material.
In concourse with advanced information systems technologies, Mnemotrix Israel, Ltd. also delivers geophysical support services to select clients including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data acquisition and 3D processing, for integration into Smart GIS applications.
Mr. Pincus's career spans over twenty-five years working with world class CEO's,scientists, and industry professionals to improve their strategic analysis skills, effectiveness, and competitive advantage. Working with Charles Robinson,
they are together committed to using their life experience to further
the Mount Zion project in coordination with the CHC at Texas A&M.