Topic:
College of Engineering: Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Tufts Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest.
My Bond With Robotics
Who would think that engineering is actually the study of the relationship between man and technology? At least not me a couple of years ago. Of course, everyone would agree that we made our world a better and more convenient place with engineering and its scientific concepts. Nonetheless, we tend to overlook the very fact that engineering connects us humans to the mystical realm of science, enabling us to interact with it. In fact, what has truly made the changes culturally and technologically feasible in this world was not the ingenuity of science, but rather the successful interaction between technology and humans.
Until a few years ago, I thought engineering was a boringly mathematical and scientific field as the other extreme end of humanities in the stratum of studies. However, the entire philosophy I had about engineering fell apart when I worked as an intern at the Human Robot Interaction (HRI) center in the summer of 2011. For the first time, I met a robot there; a robot that could walk; a robot that could sense touch; a robot that could gaze at my eyes with a little smile on its face. From its smile, I could sense the psychology behind its facial expressions, the art behind its aesthetic designs, and the biology behind the smooth arm joints, all humbly combined in the name of "engineering". This convergence of different fields made me see engineering from a different perspective. I came to believe that the purpose of engineering is to strive to find a way to improve the relationship between humans and technology and ultimately integrate those two, no matter what form it takes.
This encounter with a robot motivated me to pursue a stronger interest in robotics. I started digging through various resources about robotics and became more fascinated about it, acquiring a valuable opportunity to intern at the HUBO research center at Korea Advanced Institute of Science Technology in the summer of 2011. At HUBO, I participated in the research about the linguistic aspects of music and how it can be applied to improve robots. Amazingly, I was able to see a robot that can express its emotion and feelings once it was equipped with the various sound systems. It was striking to see that robots could actually convey their feelings with different sounds and tones. Now robots can become beings that not only obey our wills, but also capable of having an intimate relationship with humans. It was an experience that reaffirmed my idea of the convergence between engineering and the humanities.
My enthusiasm and fascination about/with robotics have led me to have a great desire to study further. While researching schools related to this field, I was thrilled by the research in the area of estimation theory and control for autonomous systems, led by Professor Mark Campbell at Tufts. The definitive part of this was that it incorporates research in human decision modeling, along with human-robot interaction research. I long to study in this area. Tufts will challenge me beyond the creative edges of my mind to engineer unexplored areas of robotics. Let my actions prove to you that I will go beyond the expectations and, more importantly, my own. All I need from Tufts is to give direction to my drive.
I would appreciate your input.
Minkyu -
Not too bad, but the question you ask at the beginning has an obvious answer (most people who know anything about engineering), and therefore, it's not worth asking. Try to tap into what fascinates you about robotics and write about that.
I worked with a student last year on her application to Columbia (she got in!) where she wrote about her fascination with tessalations. She started out describing herself lying on the floor of her bathroom as a child, mesmerized by the patterns of the tiles.
If you'd like additional help, please feel free to email me lynda@essayexcellence.net
lynda spiegel
