Concordia International School Shanghai, China
Peter pioneered a K–12 Big Data Analytics program in 2014, at a time when neither an established curriculum nor educational standards existed in the field. His passion for data analytics is evident in both his teaching and research. He shares this passion with his students by supervising practical data analytics projects in his Big Data Analytics course. Both his own work and that of his students have been regularly presented at several international big data and analytics conferences. In 2020, Peter and his students developed the Concordia International School Shanghai online Big Data course (www.dataexcite.org). Peter began his career as an aerospace engineer, working on the preliminary design of a supersonic Mach 2+ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the Department of National Defence, Canada. He later discovered his calling as an educator. With academic backgrounds in Electrical Engineering (B.Sc.), Mechanical Engineering (M.Sc.), Aerospace Engineering (Ph.D.), and Education (Dip. Ed.), Peter readily integrates practical, real-world engineering experience into the classroom. He also developed an Aerospace Engineering course for high school students and serves as the teacher advisor to The Concordia Phoenix Squadron (https://phoenixsquadron.concordiashanghai.org / concordiashanghai.org). Peter is a member of the program committee for the International Big Data and Analytics Educational Conference and serves on the Advisory Board of STEAMwSeniors (www.steamwseniors.org). Peter has taught in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and China, where he is currently teaching.
National University Philippines, Philippines
Prof. John Carlo G. Torres focuses his academic work on bringing artificial intelligence, data analytics, and emerging computing technologies into practical teaching and research environments. Before entering higher education, he worked in information technology, where he gained practical experience that continues to influence the way he approaches computing education and applied research.
Prof. Torres is currently an Assistant Professor at National University–Lipa, Philippines. In his teaching and research activities, he encourages students to work with real-world data, develop intelligent systems, and explore how computing technologies can be applied to meaningful problems beyond the classroom. His academic interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, cloud computing, educational technologies, geospatial intelligence, and data-driven decision-support systems.
His research has explored a range of applied computing areas, including AI-assisted programming, student learning analytics, machine learning for academic performance prediction, community digital literacy, smart aquaculture, energy analytics, and geospatial decision support. He also actively involves students in research and technology-based projects, encouraging them to transform theoretical concepts into practical systems and evidence-based solutions.
Prof. Torres has presented research and participated in international academic conferences in different parts of Asia, including Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines. His work reflects a continuing interest in connecting classroom learning, applied research, and emerging technologies with real-world challenges.
As an educator and researcher, Prof. Torres continues to explore how artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, and related technologies can be made more accessible, practical, and relevant. He believes that students learn emerging technologies most effectively when they are given opportunities to analyze real-world data, develop systems, conduct research, and use technology to address authentic problems.
