Robotics MS

During my Master’s at UM, I got the opportunity to work at APRIL lab guided by Professor Edwin Olson. This role gave me exposure to field robotics with broad exposure to the full ecosystem of building and operating robots in diverse conditions. This experience and my projects during my Master’s directly contributed to my ability to contribute to May Mobility as it was founded out of the university.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The MS Robotics program allows a diverse range of specializations with a number of course choices. My course choices and experience as an RA in APRIL allowed me to get experience as a generalist in the domain of robotics with exposure to a broad range of specializations which is unique to the UM Robotics program structure and emphasis.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Don’t try to over-specialize too early. Being a generalist and broad exposure across software engineering and robotics has been an advantage in my career and has contributed to my professional growth by enabling me to take opportunities to apply myself to system wide and organization wide challenges and develop solutions that connect various aspects of the ecosystem. 

I did my directed study in professor Matthew Johnson-Roberson’s lab. The topic is about 3D semantic segmentation and it’s highly correlated with autonomous driving. It’s very helpful for you to show some works on the resume when a company wants to find a candidate who has a relevant background.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Build a good network with your classmates. Try to find a specific area you like and do more projects on that. Try to join a professor’s lab and work on state-of-the-art projects. By doing so, you can show many experiences on your resume.

I started at Umich having just finished a BSE in Mechanical Engineering at Cal. In my undergrad, my particular focus was in Marine Engineering; I spent a term my senior year as a visiting student at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute through their joint program with MIT. Through my masters work, I primarily focused on computer vision and autonomous systems for the underwater environment. My coursework, as well as my work in the Deep Robot Optical Perception (DROP) lab, aided in my success in this focus. After I graduated from Umich I joined Tidal, a team at X, the Moonshot Factory. Tidal’s mission is to protect the ocean while feeding humanity sustainably. As a research engineer at Tidal, my job involves a lot of field experimentation- collecting the data we need to train computer vision and machine learning algorithms that work to improve fish health. The project based courses I took during my robotics masters and the field work experiences I gained through my work in the DROP lab have both proved extremely valuable in my role at X. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

During my robotics masters, I had the opportunity to do a lot of field work. I worked on a project employing cameras and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to track bovines in pasture; on RobotX, a student lead team to build an autonomous catamaran; and collected camera imagery of corals in Hawaii required for photomosaics. These experiences were excellent ways to showcase how I applied the mathematical theories and algorithms I learned in the classroom to real world problems that I was passionate about solving. 

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

My favorite part about the Umich robotics program is the freedom that students have to shape their own curriculum. For my particular graduate school experience, I wanted to learn more about marine robotics and computer vision, so I chose to take several courses both with the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department as well as in the EECS department. This kind of bespoked education allowed me to tailor my coursework to my career path. One piece of advice for future students: explore Michigan in your time off! Drive up north to kayak at Pictured Rocks; hike the Sleeping Bear Dunes; and, if you’re willing to go a little further out, scuba dive at Tobermory. The nature in Michigan and the surrounding region is truly spectacular and a very welcome respite to the stresses of student life. 

I’m in my first job out of grad school, so it was a straight line from graduate school to my current position.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

A degree in Robotics shows that you have experience in writing software and in working with physical systems, that diversity is appreciated in industry.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Grad school is an opportunity to both dive deeper into what you studied in undergrad and to broaden your understanding of the systems you’re working with and designing. Take advantage of it.

After undergrad, I first came to the University of Michigan as a full-time Engineer in Research, where I built robots and developed software for Jason Corso’s Computer Vision lab. Being surrounded by brilliant PhDs and professors, I quickly realized there was a lot more to learn, and so, after a year in that role, I transitioned to the Masters program in the year old Robotics Institute at UMich. During the program I taught grad-level courses, worked as a GSRA in Corso’s lab, and additionally studied AI Ethics and Policy with the help of the Ford School. Upon graduation, I saw through the allure of big tech, and wanted to find a way to combine field robotics, machine learning, and public policy. I ended up at Pacific Northwest National Lab in hopes of working on meaningful, public sector projects and touching on all of my diverse interests. Currently, as a Data Scientist at PNNL, I do basic research in Machine Learning, Robotics, and Public Policy. While I enjoy my job, and the perks of working it, in the future, whether at the lab or elsewhere, I’d like to transition more towards applying my research expertise to environmental and maritime problem spaces.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

While at the end you come out with a degree, graduate school – such as a Masters program – is also an extremely formative experience. More so than undergrad, your peers are motivated and have had more time to learn more about themselves and the world. You learn from them, and their diverse experiences and come out a much better version of yourself. In addition to the expertise, and further specialization, this sense of self shows when you choose to pursue jobs.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

In my experience, those who were able to make the most out of a Masters or PhD are those who explore the world a little first, and then come back to it. Doing so will give you the direction and resolve to come back and make the most out of a graduate degree. The strength across nearly every graduate degree program at UMich made graduate school there an awesome experience. You’ll likely meet the most interesting people of your life during it.