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Unread 11-07-2006, 15:58
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Re: what colleges have good robotics majors

Quote:
Originally Posted by ZZII 527
Heehee...Kismet

Robotics is an interesting combination of several majors, primarily mechanical engineering and computer science. I personally like a strong dose of mechE with a sprinkle of comp sci, but if you want a more even mix, look for a program that will allow you the flexibility to take courses in both disciplines..."create your own" major.

I'm taking the infamous "2.007" this semester. (For those not familiar with the history behind this, 2.007 used to be 2.70, which was taught by Prof. Woodie Flowers back in the day.) While it promises to be fun and a good learning experience, I can comfortable say that I've learned more about robotics from FIRST than I will from that class. I am always amazed when high school teams come up with things, particularly in the programming department, that they don't teach here until higher-level courses. I guess my point is this: look for a school with good opportunities to pursue what you like outside the classroom as well...often that is where you learn the most.
I finished my freshman year at MIT this past May and also declared my major: Course 2A - Mechanical Engineering with Instrumentation, Controls, and Robotics. Course 2A allows flexibility - students take the rigorous Course 2 (ME) core classes and then select classes to fit their specific interests (might be ME w/Biomed, Entrepreneurship, etc.) In my case, I will end up taking quite a few Course 6 (EE, CS, EECS) classes in addition to Aerospace Engineering classes to support my interests. I think you'll find that most of the fun work will be found through easily obtaining UROP (Undergraduate Research Oppurtunities Program) research positions in robotics labs or whatever fits your interest and doing actual work with professors and graduate students. There are many ways to explore your interests at MIT and even more through free cross-enrollment at Harvard. Plus, Cambridge and Boston are full of wonderful startup robotics companies in addition to well established firms that recruit heavily.
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<Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls
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