REU Site: Robots in the Real World

这个本科生研究经验（REU）网站将激发学生在机器人多学科研究中固有的可能性。他们将兴奋地完成项目，继续做机器人研究，拥有必要的工具，成功地过渡到研究生水平的研究，并在自己的家乡机构取得进一步的学术进步和研究。机器人技术是一个多学科的领域，从机械设计到理解物理系统，再到探索人机交互。对于许多本科生来说，这一系列技能使其成为一个既具有挑战性又令人兴奋的研究领域，但由于固有的基础设施成本，对小型机构来说，利用这种吸引力可能是一项挑战。这个网站特别针对那些没有广泛的机器人基础设施的学术机构，使这些机构的学生既能成功地竞争研究生职位，又能把机器人文化带回他们的家乡。这个REU网站的设计包含了一些程序性的元素，旨在教导本科生如何进行研究，研究生的生活是什么样的，以及如何写扎实的研究生申请。从广义上讲，机器人技术的研究重点是在现实世界中操作的物理机器人，以及在复杂环境中设计、建造、控制和与它们交互所固有的挑战。夏季REU项目的一个无形但重要的好处是建立关系网——结识有相似兴趣的学生，他们可能会继续在相关领域读研究生，甚至长期担任教职。这个网站有几个机制来支持这些网络的创建，从点对点的指导和共享活动到长期的社会网络工具。这些长期的关系将有助于在下一代机器人研究人员中形成多学科的桥梁。

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site will inspire students with the possibilities inherent in multi-disciplinary research in robotics. They will complete the program excited about continuing to do research in robotics, having the necessary tools to successfully transition to graduate-level research, and achieve further academic progress and research at their home institutions. Robotics is a multi-disciplinary field ranging from mechanical design, to understanding physical systems, to exploring human-robot interaction. This array of skills makes it both a challenging and exciting field of study for many undergraduates, but exploiting that appeal can be challenging for a small institution because of the inherent infrastructure cost. This site is particularly targeted at academic institutions that do not have extensive robotics infrastructure, and to enable students at those institutions to both successfully compete for graduate positions and bring back robotics culture to their home institutions. The design of this REU site contains a number of programmatic elements designed to teach undergraduates how to approach research, what life as a graduate student is like, and how to write solid graduate applications. Broadly speaking, the research in robotics focuses on physical robots operating in the real world, and the challenges inherent in designing, building, controlling, and interacting with them in complex environments. One intangible but important benefit to a summer REU program is networking - meeting students with similar interests who, potentially, will go on to graduate school in related areas, and even, long-term, into faculty positions. This site has several mechanisms to support the creation of these networks, from peer-to-peer mentoring and shared activities through longer-term social networking tools. These long-term relationships will help to form multi-disciplinary bridges in the next generation of researchers in robotics.