REU Site: Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) - Robotics

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This three-year Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE)-Robotics, at Georgia Institute of Technology, will expose participating students to interdisciplinary robotics research, and as a direct consequence, interest them in opportunities available through graduate study. Due to the universal appeal and the compelling real-world applications that robotics has in society, this program is designed to have direct appeal in attracting minority and female undergraduate students into research. Robotics, as a discipline, is inherently interdisciplinary, combining all aspects of engineering necessary for designing and deploying integrated systems and solutions. As students are exposed to robotics, they begin to see connections among these disciplines and begin to understand how their in-class book knowledge translates into real-world systems that can assist society in positive ways. The push of robotics, as it moves from traditional industrial settings, into public spaces and homes across the world opens up extensive new research opportunities in important economic areas such as healthcare, education, and entertainment. Annually, Georgia Tech will host eight REU students in an immersive 10-week robotics summer research experience. The program will recruit participants locally and nationwide from institutions that provide no or limited research opportunities. Since it is expected that this theme will be highly advantageous for recruiting, retaining, and motivating students who are currently underrepresented in engineering disciplines, particular emphasis will be placed on recruitment of minority and female students. Students who are paired with both a faculty advisor and a graduate student mentor, will undertake meaningful robotics research projects, visit local industrial labs, attend weekly seminars on emerging research in the robotics field, and participate in weekly academic enrichment and skill development workshops. Students will conclude the program with research presentations to their peers, faculty, and graduate student mentors. Through this immersive research experience, robotics REU students will share in meeting the challenges of this promising new robotics domain and fully reap the rewards of being trained in this interdisciplinary field. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.