We are excited to announce a remarkable opportunity to explore computer science research. Professors Susan Epstein and Katherine St. John have just received a Google Award for Undergraduate Computer Science Research Focused Workshops for Women.
In the grand tradition of women doing innovative science at Hunter, 32 lucky undergraduates will spend 4 days in Hunter's very own Duckietown. What's that? One video is worth many words:
Duckiebots are tiny autonomous cars. (The ducks don't drive, but every car has an irresistible ride-along rubber duck). Duckiebots are expected to travel to specified destinations, stay in lane, obey traffic signals, and avoid collisions. This experience will make you laugh and think and code and get down on the floor for a duck's eye view of traffic lights and QR street signs and oncoming cars.
Autonomous driving is an easy-to-understand problem but it is far from solved. Both practitioners and future users of this advanced technology must learn about computer vision, navigation, planning, reasoning, social mores, and ethics. Duckietown will introduce you to those fields. You will also learn how to examine empirical results and how to report them.
Each day will begin with an introduction to fundamental concepts for the full group, and then set you and your team to work on a sequence of open-ended challenges. While your ideas and problem-solving skill will make things happen, you won't have to go it alone. In addition to your teammates there will be a host of enthusiastic undergraduate TAs and faculty circulating to help at all times.