During my four years at Cornell Engineering, I was very fortunate to work alongside many smart and motivated people that truly made my college experience special. There are many interdisciplinary efforts happening in courses, project teams, and research initiatives, which gives you plenty of opportunities to meet people outside of your major, have a bigger picture of how different subjects connect with each other, and understand the impacts of your own work. As someone who’s interested in many different things, I was able to explore a wide variety of courses in machine learning, vision, embedded systems, etc., and gradually realized how my interests came to intersect in the field of robotics. Being a computer science major, I had the chance to take graduate-level robotics courses in electrical and computer engineering and worked as a research assistant in a lab under mechanical engineering – thereby gaining insights into the field from various perspectives.

I am also grateful for the diversity and inclusiveness of the engineering community. Being in a big department means you can always find people that share your interests and are open to collaboration. People here come from very different backgrounds, which gave them unique perspectives on engineering and research which I find very inspiring. As an undergrad, stepping into research for the first time can be intimidating, but the Professors and PhD students have been extremely supportive throughout the process and taught me to work for what I believe in, and believe in what I work for. In one project, I worked on building a vision system for robots to navigate around airports by decoding signage information. In another project, I worked with another lab member to implement synchronized and collaborative task plans for a multiagent team. These experiences have consolidated my interest in the field and provided me with hand-on knowledge in implementing ideas onto physical platforms.

In conclusion, I’m very grateful for my undergraduate experience and getting to know so many amazing people here. Now is an exciting time to be an engineer, and I really hope your journey at Cornell will be fulfilling and exciting – the best is yet to come!

~Tenny, computer science