{"51733":{"#nid":"51733","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Microsoft Partners With College Of Computing At Georgia Tech And Bryn Mawr College To Form Institute For Personal Robots In Education","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch3\u003EJoint industry and academic partnership to apply robotics technology to undergraduate computer science education.\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EREDMOND, Wash. \u2014 July 12, 2006\u003C\/strong\u003E \u2014 In a move designed to boost enrollment and retention in college computer science classes, Microsoft Corp. today announced the creation of the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) in partnership with the College of Computing at Georgia Tech and Bryn Mawr College. The institute is designed to reinvigorate computer science curriculum by delivering robotics technology tailored for teaching purposes, scientifically evaluated for its effectiveness in live teaching situations. The resulting materials will be made available widely to the academic community.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUnder the alliance, Microsoft will provide the College of Computing at Georgia Tech with $1 million (U.S.) paid over three years to develop \u2014 as part of the IPRE \u2014 practical new ways to bring robotics technology into the computer science curriculum. Matching Microsoft\u2019s support, an additional $1 million for the institute will be provided by the College of Computing at Georgia Tech and Bryn Mawr College.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We want to use the power of robotics to capture the imagination of tomorrow\u2019s computer scientists,\u0022 said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. \u0022By introducing exciting new technologies into the computer-science curriculum, we believe that we\u2019ll greatly increase its appeal - especially to students who may not have considered majoring in this field.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EToday\u2019s announcement comes less than a month after Microsoft released a community technology preview (CTP) of its new Microsoft\u00ae Robotics Studio (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/robotics\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/msdn.microsoft.com\/robotics\u003C\/a\u003E ), a Windows\u00ae-based software environment offering a common development platform that makes it easier for innovators to create robotic applications for a wide variety of platforms. The Institute for Personal Robots in Education will use the Microsoft Robotics Studio as a core technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobotics: The Excitement and the Challenge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERobotics is showing up in increasingly varied walks of life, from industrial manufacturing and home appliances to healthcare for the elderly, toys and entertainment \u2014 even in toxic and dangerous search-and-rescue scenarios. Yet many computer science students\u2019 studies in robotics are hampered by devices that are difficult to use or not rugged enough; devices that are suitable for classroom use are too often prohibitively expensive. To more fully realize the potential of robotics in computer science, classroom robots need to be made more accessible, affordable and easy to use for both students and professors.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The time is right to transform computer science education, and creativity and contextualization are the key drivers,\u0022 said Richard A. DeMillo, dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. \u0022We are committed to expanding the horizons of our students by incorporating cutting-edge and engaging courses - such as robotics - as core components of the curriculum. This effort, led by associate professor Tucker Balch, serves as yet another unconventional approach to education at the College of Computing at Georgia Tech.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and Bryn Mawr College were among eight leading U.S. schools with strong track records in educational robotics invited by Microsoft to participate in a request for proposals for the partnership. Although all the candidates were strong contenders, Georgia Tech and Bryn Mawr stood out for their combined excellence in robotics and curriculum innovation. A tenet of their proposal is that every student should have his or her own personal robot. These small, mobile robots - to be made available at the university bookstore shrink-wrapped with a textbook - will be inexpensive and dependable, and will take full advantage of the student\u2019s desktop computer for developing, debugging and running programs that control the robot.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobotics for Today\u2019s Computer Science Classroom\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe College of Computing at Georgia Tech\u2019s curriculum development plan also includes use of a new version of Pyro, a leading educational robotics software platform, integrated with the new Microsoft Robotics Studio. This approach is expected to significantly reduce the cost of learning to program robots and make robotics more accessible to students because it has been adapted to both simulation platforms and real mobile robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Bryn Mawr\u2019s involvement in this partnership introduces the ideas and problems in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to a very different set of students from the traditional engineering types that have worked on those problems over the past 50 years,\u0022 said Deepak Kumar, chair of the department of Computing at Bryn Mawr. \u0022As a result, I think we will see some very different and amazing solutions to these kinds of problems.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for Personal Robots in Education will begin developing its technology and education immediately, with educational programs beginning in January 2007. More information about the institute can be found at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.roboteducation.org\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.roboteducation.org\u003C\/a\u003E .\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the College of Computing at Georgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThe College of Computing at Georgia Tech is a national leader in the creation of real-world computing breakthroughs that drive social and scientific progress. With its graduate program ranked 11th nationally by U.S. News and World Report, the College\u2019s unconventional approach to education is defining the new face of computing by expanding the horizons of traditional computer science students through interdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on human-centered solutions. For more information about the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, its academic divisions and research centers, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewww.cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Bryn Mawr\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne of the oldest and most selective women\u2019s colleges in the United States, Bryn Mawr College was the nation\u2019s first school to offer women the opportunity to earn a Ph.D. and remains a leader in developing female scientists. The College ranks among the top 10 of colleges and universities in the country, and first among women\u2019s colleges, in the percentage of women undergraduates who go on to receive Ph.D.\u2019s in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.brynmawr.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewww.brynmawr.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Microsoft Research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFounded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. Its goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing technologies. Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and collaborate with leading academic, government and industry researchers to advance the state of the art in such areas as graphics, speech recognition, user-interface research, natural language processing, programming tools and methodologies, operating systems and networking, and the mathematical sciences. Microsoft Research employs more than 700 people in five labs located in Redmond, Wash.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England; Beijing; and Bangalore, India. Microsoft Research collaborates openly with colleges and universities worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspire technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of computer science. More information can be found at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.research.microsoft.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.research.microsoft.com\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAbout Microsoft \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFounded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq \u0022MSFT\u0022) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFor more information, contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E Stefany Wilson\u003Cbr \/\u003E College of Computing at Georgia Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003E 404.894.7253\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stefany@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Estefany@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewww.cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Joint industry and academic partnership to apply robotics technology to undergraduate computer science education.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27154","created_gmt":"2010-02-09 21:46:55","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:05:12","author":"Louise Russo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2006-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2006-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}