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.
ARTSI is a collaborative BPC alliance project, jointly conducted by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Research One (R1) departments of Computer Science. The mission was to explore the use of robotics for increasing interest in computer science research among African American students. ARTSI's major activities included establishing new robotics courses at HBCUs, operating a summer REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program each year, holding an annual student research conference and robotics competition, and holding an annual faculty summer workshop. Over the course of the project the Alliance grew from an initial 8 HBCUs to a total of 17. They are: Spelman College, Bowie State University, Elizabeth City State University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T University, Tennessee State University, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Virginia State University, and Winston-Salem State University. R1 participants in the alliance included Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Duke, Georgia Tech, Rice, the University of Alabama, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Washington. The intellectual merit of ARTSI activities lies in the development of a proven successful program for recruiting African American students to pursue advanced training in computer science. The broader impact of ARTSI has been an increase in the number of students at participating schools who have in fact gone on to pursue graduate training in computer science at either the masters or doctoral level. In addition, participating HBCUs have acquired their own robotics laboratories and developed faculty expertise in robotics education and research. One activity in particular, the summer REU, has been reported by student participants as a motivation for considering and enrolling in graduate school. Students spent 8?10 weeks working with other undergraduates, graduate students, and their faculty mentor on robot design, construction, or programming projects. Alliance-wide a total of 70 REU slots were filled by 54 students (38% female) from 2008 through 2011. The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program matched HBCU students with mentors in robotics research labs at R1 institutions. The effort placed in matching the students with a lab that best fit their interests is a key success factor for this alliance. WSSU experienced one of the highest placement rates for the REU program. Additionally, WSSU participation in this alliance has provided the infrastructure to encourage: undergraduates to engage in robotics research, undergraduates to enroll in graduate school, faculty to design and implement courses in robotics, and faculty to publish scholarly work in robotics and computer science education best practices. While the focus of the alliance was to increase persistence among African American undergraduates in completing BS degrees and enrolling in graduate programs, the alliance has also had a tremendous impact on K-12 students via outreach, K-12 teachers via outreach, HBCU faculty via faculty development, and the initiation of a new environment of collaboration among HBCU and R1 computer science faculty.
