Summer 2024 Director Updates
As we move into summer, we want to highlight the accomplishments of our MS in Robotics students. Congratulations to the 2024 University of Minnesota and Minnesota Robotics Institute MS in Robotics graduates. We are so excited to have the following students participate in the May 2024 commencement ceremonies and begin their next chapters working in robotics, AI, and computer vision: David Aviles Hinostroza, Koustav Banerjee, Tristen Butoi, Sahith Reddy Chada, Mani Deep Cherukuri, Naga Hema Chand Chinta, Wangyang Ge, Adam Imdieke, Sai Tarun Inaganti, Mihir Joshi, Apremeyan (Mayan) Iyer, Sidhanth Krishna, Anush Kumar, Mrinal Managoli, Prakadeeswaran Manivannan, Amarachi Nzeukwu, Nikolas Pardoe, Ritik Parkar, Nikhilanj Pelluri, Miles Priebe, Ellyson Roepke, Kavish Manoj Shah, Shashank Sharma, Ben Shepard, and Ying-Kun Wu.
Our MS in Robotics is a comprehensive program that equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to become leaders and innovators in this rapidly growing field. Recognizing that robotics has always been intertwined with AI, that both fields are growing rapidly, and that there is a strong demand for talent, we are currently modifying our program to include more AI content. With major advances being made every year and applied across many industries, from manufacturing to healthcare to transportation, there is a need for graduate-level engineers/scientists specializing in these areas. Robotics and AI draw on multiple technical disciplines like computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Our dedicated master’s program, in which students learn a unique blend of software and hardware skills, allows for cross-disciplinary education on developing and applying advanced robotics to build intelligent systems. It should be noted that the fields of robotics and AI face new ethical challenges as their technologies continue to advance. Dedicated programs at the graduate level allow in-depth exploration of topics like machine learning bias, data privacy, laws and regulations surrounding autonomous systems, and more. This focus on ethics is increasingly important.
Our graduate program is getting ready to accept its Fall 2024 cohort. Overall, we have more than 100 students overall in the program (including the students in the new cohort), and 43 students are currently planning to enroll this fall. Despite the slowdown in tech, the program’s graduates continue to do well in securing jobs or PhD positions. Our MS program is vital to our operations and fulfills one of the tenets of our mission—intertwining high-quality research with high-quality education. Students of the graduating class work (or are doing internships) in various companies, including Honeywell, Tesla, Amazon, Honda Research Institute, and Rivian, and some are active participants in local robotics/AI start-ups.
Our program is very proud of the accomplishments of our faculty and students, and we are eager to welcome our Fall 2024 cohort. We are also happy to see our students playing key roles in several research groups, taking active roles in research and outreach, and participating in upcoming research tech camps for middle schoolers. We plan three tech camps for students from underserved groups in the coming months, and the current registration exceeds 100 students.
Have a great summer,
Nikos Papanikolopoulos
Minnesota Robotics Institute Director