Hampton University, in collaboration with Carnegie-Mellon University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the University of the District of Columbia, Norfolk State University, Winston-Salem State University, Morgan State University, Jackson State University, Elizabeth City State University, Duke University, the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, and the University of Michigan, proposes the ARTSI Alliance (Advancing Robotics Technology for Societal Impact). ARTSI is a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and major research universities (R1s) working together to increase African American participation in computer science, with a focus on robotics. This extension proposal will expand ARTSI to seventeen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and roughly 10 major research universities (R1s). Hampton University is the new lead institution; Carnegie Mellon University remains the lead R1 school. The extension introduces three new initiatives that (1) improve the quality and uniformity of robotics instruction by developing robotics curriculum modules specific to the needs of HBCUs, (2) pilot a program to attract STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students to HBCUs by offering robot programming activities in local high schools, and (3) pilot skill-building program for rising sophomores to better prepare them to become involved in robotics research. The extension also includes new collaborations with the Caribbean Center for Computing Excellence (a BPC Alliance in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
) was founded in 2007 as a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Major Research Universities (R1s) working together to increase African American participation in computer science with a focus on robotics. The mission of the ARTSI Alliance was to provide education and research opportunities to engage undergraduate students from non-traditional backgrounds in the study of robotics, particularly in areas that can contribute to societal wellbeing, such as healthcare. ARTSI had the following goals: (1) Increase the number of underrepresented (primarily African American) students who pursue advanced training in computer science or robotics; (2) Increase the institutional capacity of HBCUs to offer educational experiences in robotics; (3) Build an active community of HBCU faculty and students who collaborate with each other and with R1 faculty on robotics teaching and research, and (4) Conduct outreach activities for the broader public to increase awareness of and interest in African American achievement in robotics, and recruit new students to the pipeline. The twenty-six ARTSI partners comprised seventeen HBCUs and nine R1s. ARTSI engaged African Americans in computing with interdisciplinary, collaborative robotics education and research projects. The ARTSI Alliance's industry partners included Seagate, Intel, Google, Motorola, Apple, Boeing, and iRobot. ARTSI Activities spanned the academic pipeline from K-12 through the faculty ranks. At the K-12 level, students were inspired though community outreach programs using robotics road shows and educational videos, summer camps, and after-school programs. At the undergraduate level, HBCU students were exposed to new robotics curricula, and they were encouraged to pursue advanced training in graduate school through summer research internships. HBCU students also engaged in small research projects at their own institutions, assisted with outreach activities (service learning), and led robotics competition teams. Selected HBCU students spent 8-10 weeks working in robotics labs at major research universities, interacting with faculty and graduate students, and learning what academic research is about. Projects conducted during the academic year and summer REU programs were presented at the annual ARTSI Student Research Conference. At the faculty level, ARTSI increased the number of HBCU faculty educating students in robotics and involving students in robotics research by providing faculty mentoring, summer research experiences for underrepresented faculty at R1 robotics labs, summer faculty workshops, and development and dissemination of robotics educational materials through a web-based portal. The ARTSI Alliance fostered a symbiotic relationship joining the strengths of HBCUs in conducting outreach and education in a nurturing learning environment with the R1s' strengths and resources for conducting word-class research. The ARTSI Alliance motivated students to pursue computer science careers by promoting the creative and socially beneficial aspects of researching and designing new computing and robotics technology. The following are accomplishments of the ARTSI Alliance: 1) Increased Participation 275% increase of undergraduate participation in the program since 2007 for a cumulative total of 179 (2007) to 493 (2013) students across 17 HBCUs. 43% of graduating ARTSI students attended graduate school. 53% of ARTSI students aspire to the PhD compared to 17% of students in the Data Buddies Survey. 91% increase in underrepresented minority student participation since 2007. 2) Successful REU Program 56% of ARTSI undergraduate participants were women, and women's participation in ARTSI increased 84% since 2007. 102 ARTSI students were provided summer research opportunities (REUs) in 14 robotics labs located in 10 R1 institutions. 98% were underrepresented minorities; 20% were female. 57% (58) of ARTSI REU students have graduated. Of these students, 36% (21) have gone on to graduate school (either MS or PhD in Computing). 52% of ARTSI REU students aspired to PhD compared to 33% of CS students with other DREUs (2012 CRA survey). 3) Fostering Robotics Education at HBCUs 16 robotics courses were offered for the first time (over 350 students total) as a result of Alliance-provided resources in robotics education provided by R1s. 28 ARTSI faculty across 17 HBCUs were trained in robotics education (capacity building; never had any robotics training before). 30 robots across 15 HBCUs were upgraded to the advanced Calliope2SP model that includes a pan/tilt camera and gripper. HBCUs were also provided with several new robots. Selected Publications: Touretzky, D. S. (2013) Robotics for computer scientists: What's the big idea? Computer Science Education, 23(4):349-367. Boonthum-Denecke, C., Touretzky, D., Jones, E., Humphries, T., & Caldwell, R. (2011). The ARTSI Alliance: Using Robotics and AI to Recruit African-Americans to Computer Science Research. In R. Charles Murray, Philip M. McCarthy (Eds.): Proceeding of the 24th International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society (FLAIRS) Conference, 579-584. Menlo Park, CA: The AAAI.
