Quality of Life Technology Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Technical Summary Students participating in the QoLT REU program will have a concrete experience in lateral thinking, aligned design and interdisciplinary problem-solving that will hone their ability to pursue systmes-level solutions in a principled manner throughout their research career. The students will be assigned a project based on ongoing and/ or pilot research in the QoLT ERC. Unlike most current work in robotics, with its goal to replace human labor, the central theme of QoLT research is to develop intelligent systems that work with people and are safe, person-aware, and environment-aware. All QoLT research projects have the benefit of systems-wide context, with stakeholders representing multiple academic disciplines, organizations (e.g., caregiving groups), and end users. The REU projects will emphasize and teach Participatory Action Design (PAD), a process of identifying, translating, and integrating contextual constraints into the conception and development of QoLT systems with the involvement of diverse stakeholders. The REU students will learn PAD during project development, as they integrate their identities as engineers into the context of the complete design and analysis cycle. QoLT REU projects will include substantial research components and will likely lead to new findings, which can be published in peer-reviewed proceedings and journals. Non-Technical Summary The vision of the QoLT ERC is to transform the lives of people with reduced functional capabilities due to aging or disability through intelligent devices and systems. The QoLT ERC is a unique partnership between CMU and Pitt, integrating CMU's strength in the design, implementation, and technology transfer of intelligent systems, and Pitt's strength in health sciences and aging research. The primary objectives of the QoLT REU program are to transform students from dependent to independent thinkers, give them a sense of accomplishment and exposure to potential end-users, and provide experience on a project that has a genuine fit to an ongoing ERC project. The program builds on the successes of the previously funded QoLT REU Site in that it places an emphasis on recruiting disadvantaged students in STEM (racial minorities, students with disabilities, and students from schools with limited research opportunities) and provide them with a comprehensive training experience. Students are expected to leave the program with a sense of excitement about technology and engineering, a critical mindset, and a deep understanding of the process of conducting QoLT research. Students will be active participants and innovators in projects designed to address real-world problems with systems-level engineering efforts. The students will think laterally and design real systems that make a difference in an intellectually and emotionally powerful way, and this is the unique strength of the QoLT context. The broader impacts of the QoLT REU Site are close at hand because QoLT has a societal goal that is explicitly woven into the concept of broad impact itself: how can technology be used to effect positive social change in the lives of the elderly and in the lives of persons with disabilities? QoLT REU students will conduct leading research that has direct effects on peoples' lives. The value of the sense of worth that a young engineer-to-be obtains from such an experience early in her training cannot be overstated. Coming from diverse backgrounds, students will integrate their research experiences with planned curriculum devoted to research, design, and integration methodology.