ROBOTS AS RESEARCH SUBJECTS — AND STEM AMBASSADORS By Andy Brodzeller
Popular television programs like The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition chronicle people losing large amounts of weight with the help of a personal trainer. With the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that more than one-third of Americans are obese, what if most of these people, and not a select few, had access to a personal trainer? That was the question an Atlanta high school student discussed with Dr. Andrew Williams, who joined the college this fall as a professor and the John P. Raynor, S.J., Distinguished Chair in electrical and computer engineering. A professor of robotics and artificial intelligence, Williams — formerly an associate professor and chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Spelman College — began meeting with the student to discuss how engineers could confront obesity. Together, they conceived a humanoid robot that could help track the food and calories a person eats and help encourage and remind people to exercise. Though the work is still in the concept stage, it demonstrates Williams’ commitment to STEM outreach and desire to further the research. And that includes how Williams, Grad ’95, has used robots and real-world problems to engage students who typically don’t consider engineering as a profession. “I started using robots early in my career because I saw that it’s a good teaching tool. It’s hands-on, multidisciplined and fun,” he says. His success using robots to introduce engineering and math to students at Spelman led to a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, which Williams used to develop robotics education at eight historically black schools and stimulate outreach efforts at the K-12 level. According to Williams, students who historically didn’t consider engineering, especially women and minorities, are drawn to the field when they see how engineering can make a positive impact on social issues, like obesity.
Photos by Kat Schleicher
In 2007, Williams had the opportunity to share this message with the late Apple founder, Steve Jobs. As he was touring the company’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, he saw Jobs and top Apple designer John Ive. Williams introduced himself to Ive, who in turn introduced Williams to Jobs. After a short conversation, Jobs said Williams should come and help Apple recruit more minority employees. “I was humbled by the comment but wasn’t sure anything would come of it,” Williams says. But a week later he emailed Jobs some ideas. Shortly afterward, Apple contacted Williams and he was hired as the company’s senior engineering diversity manager. He took a sabbatical from Spelman for the 2008–09 school year and toured the country promoting engineering and Apple.
Williams has used robots and real-world problems to engage students who typically don’t consider engineering as a profession.
Williams will continue to promote engineering to students from diverse backgrounds while also advancing his research in artificial intelligence. “I was attracted to Marquette for the opportunity to conduct world-class research with graduate students and encourage more underrepresented populations to achieve advanced degrees,” says Williams, who will have his own dedicated humanoid robotics research lab. marquette university college of engineering
// 5