Grad School Advice for Astronautical Robotics - Shawn

[Shawnzyoo]

I will be starting my Senior year of a Mechanical Engineering degree.
I want to go to grad school.
I really want to find a program that is based on robotics in an astronautical environment
i don't think such programs exist anywhere though
or if they do i just don't know about them yet.
i have been looking at
Embry Riddle
University of Arizona
Carnegie Mellon
International Space University
at their various grad. programs
if anyone has advice about an astro. bot. program somewhere
or any advice on these schools
i would love to hear it
thank you
--Shawn

 

[plum]

Given the fact that there aren't many robots in space (I assume that's what you mean), I think that would be the sort of thing you learn on the job at NASA.

 

[goavs4]

I will be starting my Senior year of a Mechanical Engineering degree.
I want to go to grad school.
I really want to find a program that is based on robotics in an astronautical environment
i don't think such programs exist anywhere though
or if they do i just don't know about them yet.
i have been looking at
Embry Riddle
University of Arizona
Carnegie Mellon
International Space University
at their various grad. programs
if anyone has advice about an astro. bot. program somewhere
or any advice on these schools
i would love to hear it
thank you
--Shawn

Well I have some experience with robotics in AE applications and I work with quite a few robotics guys but many, myself included, got most of their really good experience on the job like plum said.

Currently MIT and CalTech both have great robotics opportunities. CalTech because of their obvious affiliation with JPL and associated robotics programs and MIT has had a few projects that have made it down to JSC, including an advanced robotic hand design. I attended CU Boulder, but my robotics experience in school was due solely to a design project my professor (a 35+ year JSC veteran) obtained through his connections.

I would say your best bet is to attend one of these schools and look for research opportunities through NASA on robotics as part of your graduate work. I'll try to ask around and find out if anyone here concentrated on robotics as part of an M.S. degree anywhere and get back to you.

 

[enigma]

University of Maryland (where I go) has a space systems lab which does a lot with robotics. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of funding to work with (they didn't have any for me to sign on with them).

 

[Clausius2]

(they didn't have any for me to sign on with them).

That's because they know you spend all the time here instead of studying.

 

[DuncanM]

Caltech and MIT are the tops. They offer the sort of training you want. Plus, with a degree from either of these schools, you can go anywhere.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is also very good. Plus I know they are very big into robotics. For example, check out Iguana Robotics (http://www.iguana-robotics.com/), a UIUC offshoot.

The University of Texas is also good, but I don't know how much robotics work they do. However, the University of Texas at Austin graduates certainly are a major presence in NASA (enrollment here seems to include the promise of NASA employment upon graduation).

Regards,


DuncanM
http://www.rocketscientists.ca/

 

[tgrimley]

The University of Texas is also good, but I don't know how much robotics work they do. However, the University of Texas at Austin graduates certainly are a major presence in NASA (enrollment here seems to include the promise of NASA employment upon graduation).

I work at JJ Pickle (UT Austin affiliated research lab). On the campus here there's a robotics facility. My numeric methods prof works out here doing software for robotics. He's a great guy. I know they have a large number of grad students working on stuff, and while I have seen some of the things they're working on, I can't really recall anything offhand.

There's some more information here: http://www.robotics.utexas.edu/rrg/

 

[jaap de vries]

I don't think embry riddle offers a PhD, something you might be interested in upon completion of your masters degree. If you want to become an engineer than don't go to a pilot school! Make sure you are funded! your changes depend highly on three things.
1 GPA
2 GRE
3 Letters of recommendation