REU Site: Robotics and Autonomous Systems

本科生研究经验（REU）的目标是让本科生参与跨机器人和自主系统多个领域的研究项目，包括社会辅助机器人，机器人学习，网络机器人和机器人数据处理。参与的教师导师跨越机器人领域的前沿研究课题，并在各自的领域建立了良好的基础。 学生将获得解决一些最具挑战性的现代机器人和自主问题的研究经验，并通过其他南加州大学教师和外部现场访问的研讨会，接触超出REU网站范围的机器人研究，以帮助规划他们的下一个职业步骤。最终，目标是向一群来自传统上代表性不足的群体的本科生灌输对研究社区的归属感。拟议中的网站每年将培训9名本科生10周，具体目标是吸引来自三个关键人群的参与者：1）来自传统上服务不足的学院和大学的学术天才学生; 2）女性;（3）少数民族。REU计划的学生将与博士生和REU网站教师导师合作开展真实的研究项目。这些项目将经过精心设计，以确保学生可以实现相对独立的地位，随着程序的进展，因为他们了解研究过程和他们的机器人领域。REU网站将采用一个全面的以利用为重点的评估计划，其中包括对方案流程和成果的持续评估。REU现场评估计划将及时向PI提供形成性反馈，以便通过部署项目前期和中期评估，学生参与者的计划评估调查。该网站由国防部与NSF REU计划合作支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用的评估被认为值得支持基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The goal of this Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) is for undergraduate students to participate in research projects that cross-cut multiple areas of robotics and autonomous systems, including socially assistive robotics, robot learning, networked robotics, and robotics data processing. The participating faculty mentors span the spectrum of cutting-edge research topics in robotics and are well established in their fields. Students will gain research experience in solving some of the most challenging modern robotics and autonomy problems and get exposure to robotics research beyond the scope of the REU site, through seminars by other USC faculty and external site visits, to aid in planning their next career steps. Ultimately, the goal is to instill a sense of belonging to the research community into a cohort of undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups.The proposed site will train nine undergraduates for 10 weeks each year, with the specific goal of attracting participants from three key populations: 1) academically talented students from traditionally underserved colleges and universities; 2) women; and, 3) underrepresented minorities. The students in the REU program will pursue authentic research projects in collaboration with PhD students and REU Site faculty mentors. The projects will be carefully designed to ensure that students can achieve relatively independent status as the program progresses and as they learn about the research process and their area of robotics. The REU site will employ a comprehensive utilization-focused evaluation plan that includes ongoing assessment of programmatic processes and outcomes. The REU site evaluation plan will provide formative feedback to the PIs in a timely fashion so that data-informed decisions can be made toward program improvement through the deployment of pre- and mid-program evaluation surveys of student participants.This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.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.