Clark School Welcomes 10 Summer Robotics Research Students

Ten select undergraduate students from across the country have come to campus to participate in the Research Opportunities in Miniature Robotics program, which is offered by the Clark School's Maryland Robotics Center with funding from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.

Students will learn about microrobotics technologies and applications as they engage in interdisciplinary research projects. This summer experience will prepare students for graduate school or research jobs in industry and labs. Students receive $5,000 stipends and living expenses.

During the 10-week summer program, students will develop their research projects, attend technical tutorial seminars, visit local government labs involved in microrobotics research, attend professional and academic development seminars, and tour the Clark School’s top-notch facilities supporting robotics research including the FabLab and Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility. Coffee talk discussions will provide an informal setting for students and mentors to discuss technical and non-technical topics. The program culminates in student presentations on their summer research.

This summer's students and their Maryland Robotics Center mentors are:

-- Betsy Farris (Colorado State University) and John Trischler (Louisiana Technical University), who will be working with Maryland Robotics Center Director S.K. Gupta (ME/ISR) under the guidance of his graduate student Sagar Chowdhury

-- Veronica Ruf (University of Marland, Baltimore County) and Hongyi Xia (UMD), who will be working with ISR-affiliated Assistant Professor Derek Paley (AE) under the guidance of his graduate student Levi DeVries

-- Alyssa Philipps (Seattle University) and Julia Tumbic (Syracuse University), who will be working with Professor Hugh Bruck (ME) under the guidance of his graduate student Sandip Haldaar

-- Michael O'Brien and Neil Tidwell, who will be working with Professor Don DeVoe (ME) under the guidance of his graduate student Isaac Misri

-- Alex Brown (University of South Florida) and Katie Gessler (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), who will be working with Assistant Professor and director of the REU program Sarah Bergbreiter (ME/ISR) under the guidance of her graduate student Ivan Penskiy.

Published June 5, 2012