[Sci-all-l] Robotics Talk -- Friday, Nov. 11 @ 2:00 p.m.

[Luke Hunsberger]

The Computer Science Department invites you to attend a lecture,
  
    "Tales of Educational Robotics"

given by Elizabeth Sklar and Simon Parsons of Brooklyn College, City
University of New York.  The lecture is part of the Asprey Lecture
Series. 

	  Time:      2:00 pm
	  Date:      Friday, November 11, 2005
	  Location:  Mudd 317

Abstract: 

     We describe a number of efforts to engage undergraduates with
robotics through teaching, research and outreach. For the past five
years, we have been bringing LEGO robots into courses on introductory
programming and computer science (both for CS majors and non-majors),
data structures, artificial intelligence, embodied agents and
multiagent systems. We have also experimented with the use of Sony
AIBO robots, and we will relate some lessons learned and outline new
avenues we are pursuing to overcome some of the issues. Our courses
have always involved team-based projects that culminate in
demonstrations and competitions. Frequently, we have used challenges
from RoboCupJunior as the basis for these activities. As well, we have
designed an entry-level RoboCup-style soccer game, collaborating with
colleagues at the University of Manitoba, and have involved advanced
undergraduates in research projects building and programming robots
for this "eLeague" environment. We will discuss these initiatives and,
of course, show videos! Finally, we will highlight some of our
outreach programs where we have been working with NYC public middle
school teachers to develop curriculum and bring LEGO robots into sixth
through eighth grade classrooms, involving undergraduates as mentors.

-----------

     Elizabeth Sklar is an Assistant Professor in the Computer and
Information Science department at Brooklyn College, City University of
New York. She received her PhD from Brandeis University in 2000, after
working at MIT/Lincoln Lab for nearly 10 years as a scientific
programmer. Dr Sklar was a non-tenure track faculty at Columbia
University from 2001 to 2005. Her research lies at the intersection of
artificial intelligence, multiagent systems and education
technology. She is an investigator on several recent NSF grants, all
of which center around learning and interaction, in humans and/or
multiagent systems; and she is actively involved in multiple outreach
efforts. Dr Sklar received the RoboCup Scientific Challenge Award in
2002 for her work on evaluating the effectiveness of educational
robotics. She is a founding chair of RoboCupJunior and is on the board
of Trustees for the RoboCup Federation. She was co-chair of the ACM
Java Engagement for Teacher Training (JETT) program and has served on
the program and organizing committees for RoboCup, AAAI and AAMAS.

     Simon Parsons is an Associate Professor in the Department of
Computer and Information Science at Brooklyn College. A native of the
United Kingdom, Dr. Parsons received a Bachelor's degree in
Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 1988 and a Masters
degree and PhD from the University of London in 1989 and 1993
respectively. Following post-doctoral work, Dr. Parsons was a Lecturer
(Assistant Professor) at the University of London from 1995 until
2000, and a Reader (Research Associate Professor) at the University of
Liverpool from 2000 until 2002. In 2002, Dr. Parsons moved to the US,
and in Sepetmber 2002 joined Brooklyn College. His general area of
research is artificial intelligence, specifically techniques for
decision making in intelligent agents, and he has published over 150
papers on topics relating to this area. He is Editor of Knowledge
Engineering Review, and on the Editorial Board of Journal of
Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems.